This year’s clues seemed a lot harder than last year’s…so hard in fact that we didn’t make it to two of the stations before the 2:00pm cut-off time.

I’ve included some pics from before and after the race below. The final challenge consisted of riding a mechanical bull. The after-party was based on a hoe-down (sp?) theme.

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Registration: t- minus 30 min to race start

Clue sheet

Finished – missed one station

After party

This weekend Luke, Becky, Paul and I participated in Seattle’s Winter Pineapple Classic, a 5K run held by and fund raiser for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

The Winter Pineapple Classic requires teams of four to cover 3 miles of trails through Seattle’s Magnuson Park. Interspersed along the course are different obstacles and physical challenges that each team must complete before they are able to continue towards the finish line.

Making the race even more interesting is the pineapple given to each team at the starting line. That’s right, your team has to carry a pineapple while running what amounts to a three mile obstacle course. Teams are allowed to carry the pineapple any way they choose; however, each team must remain in possession of their pineapple throughout the entire race.

We managed to keep our pineapple in hand the entire time with only one small mishap (the stem of our pineapple is still somewhere in Magnuson park). We encountered one team along the way that decided it would be easier to eat their pineapple than carry it any further. Not something I would suggest unless you’re really hungry or strongly opposed to being seen with fruit in public.

After climbing boot camp -style walls, shimmying underneath cargo nets, high stepping through tires and limboing your way under a series of track hurdles runners are invited to celebrate the post race with a Hawaiian style Luau.

Complete with roasted pig, Hawaiian entertainment and a beer garden, the luau takes place inside an old aircraft hangar that has been transformed into a large indoor beach scene with sand and even volleyball nets.

Another tidbit that makes this race such fun is the shear number of people in costume and Hawaiian garb. While our team t-shirts were seriously cool (Chuck Norris logo and all) there were tons of people dressed up in floral print shirts, pineapple costumes, wearing wigs and bathing suits over their running gear. Maybe it was the close proximity to Halloween or maybe it was Seattle’s aloha spirit shining through in November, either way the crowd and race itself were a lot of fun. Definitely an event to add to your calendar for 2008.

Over the course of several weeks instructors led their class of 15 through sprints, drills and challenges that sounded an awful lot like the group workouts one would associate with Navy Seal training (shuttling logs on your shoulders from one end of the beach to another, etc).

During one of their classes they actually had to simulate saving an entire city by diffusing a bomb. Pretty intense and scary since my friends didn’t finish the challenge. Sorry Vancouver.

Now word of a similar, yet less military-esque boot camp taking place in Seattle.

Urban Recess advertises itself as, “An outdoor class that takes participants on a scenic run interspersed with athletic drills such as stair climbing, squats, push-ups, lunges, sit-ups, agility, balance exercises, plyometrics and more. Increase your strength, speed, stamina and most importantly release that inner child that’s just dying to get outside and have fun.”

The class begins August 14th and costs $225/person. The class is invite only right now; however, I know the owners and I believe there are a few open spots left. If you are interested in participating I’m more than happy to pass on your contact information to them, as always leave a comment with your e-mail address and I’ll respond.

Luke and I just returned from the Zum Urban Adventure Race, taking second in the adventure race portion and fourth in the over-all competition.

As mentioned in an earlier post, the race consisted of 30 + teams zig-zagging through downtown Seattle, while performing mental and physical challenges at 10 different check points over the course of two hours.

The race began with a 12 question quiz which determined which wave contestants would start in. Luke and I manged to answer 9 of the questions correctly and began the race in the second wave of competitors.

Given the green light to go, we were handed a series of clues that would lead us to each of the secret check points. After quickly reading through the clues we surmised that the furthest check point South would be in Pioneer Square and the furthest checkpoint North would be Seattle Center.

We decided to catch a bus on Second Avenue to Pioneer Square while deciphering the remainder of our clues. (Note: If you would like to take a shot at figuring out the clues leave a comment and I’ll forward them on to you).

Upon arriving in Pioneer Square we found the first of the nine checkpoints and proceeded to complete our first challenge; Luke painting my face to look like a near-by totem-pole while I balanced on a wedge and moved my arms up and down…..this race is not for those that are easily embarrassed.

Challenges at other checkpoints included:

• Convincing total strangers to let you give them a piggy-back ride up and down University Avenue next to the Seattle Art Museum
• Maneuvering through an obstacle course while on a skateboard near Westlake Center Fountain
• A stair and squat relay at Bell Harbor Conference Center
• A water-balloon toss at Myrtle Edwards Park
• A watermelon lunge that involved KY Jelly and sit-ups….I’m being completely serious

We made it back to the gym in second place where we were greeted by Zum staff, and fellow gym members, who had set up a catered lunch for race participants and spectators to enjoy.

After changing into fresh clothes we enjoyed pomengranite martinis, sangria and plate-fulls of salmon, fresh fruit and more while we waited for the other teams to arrive.

Once the final racers crossed the finish line, the top-five teams battled for first place via a lip-synching competition.

Performances ranged from Eye of The Tiger -to- I Will Survive and involved one adult in a wig and a halter-top. Suffice to say the performances were “top-notch” and the struggle to claim first place was fierce.

At the end of the day we left with a couple of prizes, a goody bag full of great stuff and a serious need for a nap. We had a great time completing the race and helping raise money for Girls On The Run (This year’s event beneficiary).

If you have a chance to compete in the Zum Urban Adventure Race next year you owe it to yourself to give it a try.