Fun! I'd love to do one of these some day. Or maybe I'll get my act together, move back to Tucson, and get one going in Tucson. If Tucson has enough going on for interesting courses...
It was pretty cool. It doesn't seem too hard to put on, as you're not setting out controls - just have people answer multiple choice questions. And at this time of year Pike Place Market was super busy with holiday shoppers. I'll get the map scanned in tomorrow.
Only one team cleared the course (I'm looking you, PinkSocks)
This is the only Street Scramble that's clearable on foot, and in previous years, there are usually multiple teams clearing it (Will Enger did so in about 1:30 last year, I think, and Gina and I cleared it with a Mixed team). But none of the super fast guys were here this year (Will was racing in CA, Eric J is in South America, unsure where Nikolay and Peteris were this weekend.) Because it's clearable, it makes the planning so much easier, because I don't have to figure out which ones to skip!
I suspect that you probably have the fitness to clear the course (it would be close), but this was your first Street Scramble, and the more you do them, the more efficient you can get at everything: preparing for approaching checkpoints (sometimes you can see them from a block away), knowing your exits, avoiding hills, diagonals and micro-diagonals, etc).
One of the really fast guys from my running group ran solo, and it was his first time. He finished with 890 checkpoints and ran an extra mile further than my team did!
Nobody else in any category got over 800 points
I heard that Nina went to 890 points worth of checkpoints, but she recently moved here from Russia, and her English isn't that good, so she couldn't figure out several of the questions, unfortunately.
It doesn't seem too hard to put on.
They aren't. Since 2010, I've organized a bunch of free "homebrew" style mini Street Scrambles around my neighborhood (~ 20 checkpoints in about 0.5 square mile, ~4 miles to clear). They can be built with simple screenshots from Google Maps or satellite photos or whatever. My friends and I organized them under the name 'Hood Hunts. I don't really produce them through that anymore, but I do organize two per year through my running Meetup group which has a few thousand members.
If Tucson has enough going on for interesting courses
I'm sure it does! A few years ago, I was on business in Wichita, Kansas for a month, and I contacted a local running group and I organized one for them, and it was super fun and interesting!
Good to know about probably being able to clear! I can see after running with you guys for part of it that it's easier in a team. I made a couple course changes while I was out there to reduce some of the climbing I was doing.
And I totally had the same thought about crossing the train tracks on the return from 55, I decided against it then a block or two later I heard the train whistle.
Was Nina with the red haired Russian guy? I forget his name but I think I remember him from SART, he borrowed my pen at the finish - he said he had some language issues too but was able to figure things out.
I can see after running with you guys for part of it that it's easier in a team.
With the right teammates, yes. I've done enough Street Scrambles solo over the last 10 years that I think I'm most efficient when running solo, but it requires a lot of focus. Sunday was pretty efficient, though, and my two rookie teammates were really great to run with!
Was Nina with the red haired Russian guy?
No. Evgeny is the red-haired guy that was there (and SART). We saw Evgeny a lot from the start down to #47, and then we had different routes after that. I never saw Nina, even at the start/finish.
Both are married, and Nina has kids. At the Nav Race on Orcas Island in October, both came with their families. Evgeny's wife did the shortest race while he did the longest. Nina did the longest while the husband watched the kids. At most Cascade races, Nina comes with the family; she runs and the husband watches the kids, so I just assumed that he doesn't orienteer. But there was a practice course the day before on Orcas Island, and the husband got to run!
Cool, I'm starting to try to remember names. :)
Hey can I email you about map stuff - is the hotmail address in your profile good?