Race Around Phoenix

Hey y’all, team Gold here after a complete role reversal from finishing last in the previous race to finishing in the gold spot on the podium today.

Today, we had a wild race around the city of Phoenix! At the beginning of the race, we were given three locations: Chase Field, Camelback Mountain, and the Sugar Bowl in Old Town Scottsdale. We were also given only $20 and only the ability to use the horrific public transportation systems to make our way around the city. We had the previous night to map out a game plan for the day. Most of the groups, including us, chose the same route, which led to an interesting start to the morning. We started by getting dropped off by the train station and headed to Chase Field to find a life-size mousetrap game. We then thought it best to take the bus to Camelback Mountain. As we were waiting for the bus to come, ABC 15, a local news station stopped by to interview us about the “big chill” they are experiencing here in Phoenix. We hopped on the bus and went to Camelback Mountain for a long and very treacherous hike to the summit.

The reviews online had said this was not a hike for beginners, and I definitely know why! The hike was almost vertical at times and the path was not always clear. Climbing over rocks and boulders proved to be very dangerous as Ali and I both sprained our ankles trying to finish as fast as we could, not caring for our physical well being. This was one of the most strenuous activities we have ever done. 

Once we got to the bottom of the mountain, we ran about a mile to the next bus stop, where we caught up to the teams that finished the hike ahead of us. Many teams were frustrated that their leads had vanished. Since the buses don’t come very often, we flagged down a trolley to take us closer to our next destination. On the ride, we passed Team Kelly Green who had started to run to the next location, but being in competition mode, we convinced the trolley driver to drive right past them. We then ran to Old Town Scottsdale to buy Scorpion Hotlix (lollipops with scorpions in their center), which we would later have to eat, and take a picture by a cowboy. This race also taught us budget control, only having $20 to start. Team Navy found this out the hard way, having to beg for enough money to buy the $4 Hotlix. We thought we were done with the already five hour race, but then learned we had to head to Sky Harbor Airport. Once there, the race intensified even more as we had to find a person, who would lead us to another person, to another person to yet another person. Apparently running in the airport is frowned upon as the cops put a stop to the race after only five teams had completely finished. Finally, finding Dr. “Stingray” Bolt(the last person we had to find) at the finish with just the stick of our lollipops, we were mentally and physically exhausted! After finishing dead last in the previous race, it felt amazing to find the winners circle and regain some confidence in ourselves.