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Trial run at the Oyster Race
I spent a couple of hours downtown Sunday morning, scavenging for coffee beans, tracking down a police officer and snagging a coaster from a bar on Sixth Street.
Rough night on the town, you ask? Nah. I was taking part in a tune-up for the upcoming Oyster, an urban adventure race scheduled for Oct. 11 here in Austin.
The race, a sort of cross between a triathlon and a scavenger hunt, involves running, biking and taking public transportation around town, and doing wacky tasks at check points.
The attached photos show scenes from last year’s race.
My team of three (me, husband Chris and neighbor Chris Bell) found ourselves collecting trash from the shores of Lady Bird Lake, working a sudoku puzzle and photographing a woman in Longhorn garb during Sunday’s trial run. It took about an hour and a half. The real race will take four to six hours, and teams will cover 30 or 40 miles.
Registration is $75 per person for the full race (less for the shorter Half Oyster), and each team must also raise $100 in pledges. (Teams of three or relay teams of four to six racers are allowed.) Proceeds benefit the non-profit Austin Parks Foundation, which works with the Austin Parks Department and volunteer groups to maintain area parks.
To register for the race, part of the Merrell Oyster Racing Series, go here.
The race starts at 8 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11. Team check-in is 1-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10 at RunTex Riverside, 422 W. Riverside.
According to organizers, the race could include anything from canoeing, eating, climbing, rafting, kayaking, trivia, golfing and bowling to whatever else they dream up. I predict a stop at the giant pile of dirt on Auditorium Shores that represents the amount of dog poop generated each day in our city. Expect to get wet, too.
It’s going to be fun, fun, fun!
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