It's the Second Jim's Mystery Run! And this report is LONG! Sorry it's taken so long, I've been
waiting for the official results and they're still not on-line yet.
All we knew beforehand was that it was to be on Sept 14th, and would be between 3-8 miles. On the
Tuesday before the race, I received an email from the race director. I was to go to a web page to
get the starting time and location. But not quite that easy! First, I had to figure out a puzzle.
The question was, if you were playing Monolopy and were on Tennessee Ave, where would you land if
you rolled a 10? I, like the majority of entrants, hit Google right away to find the answer. (It's
the Water Works, BTW). Then we were allowed onto the page. There we did find that the race directors
wanted us to meet at Kon Tiki between 6:03-6:08 am.
Further down, the page read that "here's the details of the run". And proceeded to have lettering
that faded in and out and was missing altogether. All you could make out was "sunscreen", "lighter
fluid","running naked", and "flying monkeys". ???
Anyway, I showed up at Kon Tiki a little early. We were all given name tags and groups. I was in
group 5. At one point we were told that we'd better get to know our group members. So we all grouped
together and started learning each other's names and what we did, etc.
Two big tour buses arrived at about 6:15. We were all to sit with our groups. When we started out,
our leader, Randy, told us we were headed towards Nogales. Then we turned eastward and northward and
knew Randy was pulling our legs! While the buses were moving we had to stand up, and in reverse
alphabetical order, say who we were, what group, and something personal about someone else in the
group. And it didn't have to be true. So that got pretty funny at times.
Since we were now headed directly eastward on Speedway, I knew we couldn't be going too far,
Speedway dead ends at the base of the Rincon Mts. I was glad, as last year we travelled for over an
hour, so that it was kind of warm by the time we ran. The buses got to the very end of Speedway and
turned in at Tanque Verde Guest Ranch. This place is huge, and beautiful! They must have had 50
horses out in the corrals. The buses stopped, and we were told to meet at the Cottonwood Grove in
10 minutes.
I used the potty in the bus. Turned out to be a smart move as there were only 4 potties down in the
grove and a long line. Three of us that had lingered on the bus trailed everyone else on down. At
the base of the hill is a really pretty spot, where the ranch has grills and picnic tables set up
under a cottonwood grove. We were there awhile milling about while the race folks were porting
things down and getting ready. We were lead in a small warmup run and we all made a big circle and
stretched together.
Then they passed out cards and pencils. On the cards were several names of famous runners, even more
running shoe brands, and four marathons. The object of this Mystery Run was to guess who did it, in
what shoes, and at what marathon! A game of Clue! We would run from "marathon" to "marathon" (ie
rooms), and here make a guess. The person at the station would show us one card, if they had one.
Like Clue. We were told to line up 10' back from each station so no one could see or hear what the
current person was being told. So there could be some backups at the stations. We weren't required
to stop at each station, either. But of course, each stop was a potential new clue. If we solved the
mystery, our run time would be cut in HALF. And at the end, we could "buy" guesses at 5 minutes
each. And we were NOT to share information with anyone else, even our own group members.
We'd be starting by group, 1 minute apart by group. As I was in group 5, we'd be the last to go.
While waiting, we discussed the merits of stopping vs just running as fast as you could and guessing
cold. I think most of us thought you'd need to get as many clues as you could, but if the line
somewhere was too long it might make sense to skip one or two. One guy decided he was just going to
run it as fast as he could. He said he was lousy at Clue so he might as well just get his time as
low as possible!
Finally we got the Go. Around the bend and up the hill we went. Over the next rise was the first
station. And a long line. All in our group decided to bypass it. Then we swept down and around and
came to station two. About 6 in line. I stopped and got my first clue. Then down the hill, past the
water station, left, up the stone stairs, and a station at the top of the stairs. No wait. Clue #2
procured. Down the trail along the lake, ducking under low branches. Pass the water station again,
from a cross direction. Up a hill. Then....where??? I'm at a spot where I see two trails and no
flag.....so I opt for the left trail. I go down it a bit then decide This Is Not Right. Back I go.
At the fork a group (a group I'd already passed, darn it!) gathers, sniffing for a the trail too. We
all head forward. I collect a cactus needle in a toe and have to take off my shoes and socks to get
to it. They come back. That's not the way either! We all backtrack and finally see the flag that
fell over. A right-hand trail that's not immediately obvious.
Now, unfortunatley, I'm stuck behind a group up a single-track trail. Too much cactus to pass. After
awhile I finally pass the two in front, and coming down the hill on the other side pass lots of
folks. I never realized I was a good trail runner until now. I run on the rocks a lot at home. A lot
of these people were dink-dink-dinking, barely getting anywhere. Once I got around I just ran down.
Fast. I've learned how to pick foot spots quickly. And around the bend is another station in a stone
ramada. About 3 in line. I get another good clue. And pass all three on the way back down the hill
as we pass the water station again. At a cross roads, another station and another clue. Then back
sharp left, up the stone stairs, another clue. Right turn and head down the hill to the finish.
I clock in, and then decide to buy another clue. It works out and I get another useful clue. Now I'm
down to just two runners- is it Deena Drossin or John "The Penguin" Bingham?? And two shoes - is it
New Balance or Saucony? I choose Deena Drossin in New Balance at the Athens Marathon (that one I
*know*). So I cross my fingers and add my card to the pile. And wander over for food and drink.
What a spread! There's of course water and gatorade, but there's a gaggle of foodstuffs. There's the
traditional bananas and oranges, plus watermelon and fruit salad. Bagels, mini-muffins, and little
croissants. Gummy bears. Chocolate bars. Pretzels and crackers. And more I can't remember. I grab a
plateful and enjoy. There's a thing like a jumping castle setting up. It has two bouncy lanes with
dividers. A back wall. Two harnesses and a bungee line to each. Hmmm???
As I watch, two try it. The object is to try to run to the end. Only the bungee isn't that long.
Pretty funny to watch. After awhile enough folks come in and the directors set up some pairs to try
each other in the bungee thing. Valeria and I decide to give it a whirl. Off with the shoes, and on
with the harnesses. The people on each side move closer, they know two lightweights like us won't
get very far! We count down and sprint. We've watched the others, and try to leap forward and touch
the hands of the folks on the side at the last minute. I'm yanked backwards like someone grabbed me
by the nape of the neck and pulled. Legs and arms flailing. Landed on the back of my neck which is a
little stiff today. OK, try again. This time I get enough forward umph to slap hands before the
bungee wins. This time I land with a splat, face downward and am dragged back by the bungee. It was
interesting, but all the pains I have today are from this little experiment! My right knee and foot
got scraped up from the drag.
After this, of course, I needed some more food. At last the last runners come in and the tallying is
almost done. As if it matters. After all, this is a Mystery Run.
We're gathered and the prize-giving begins. From the pile of folks who got the answer correctly
many great prizes are given by random drawing. They include lunch and dinner certificates, massage
certificates, and race entries. One lucky person drawn from the "loser" pile wins a Clue game and
is told to "get a Clue!" There are several trivia questions. Unfortunately I don't get anything
this year. I was hoping for a massage. Oh, and a couple of prizes for folks who can name their
group, first and last names,now after running. No one can do it completely, but two get very close
and get prizes.
The t-shirt is a keeper, too. Black, with "Get A Clue!" on the front, and "I Got A Clue" on the back
with the Jim's Mystery Run logo.
So now I'm just waiting to find out what my time really is. Obviously there aren't prizes in this
run for placings. I *think* I got the Clue game right, and so got my time halved. But I lost some
time due to getting lost, so where I placed ....it's still a Mystery!!
Teresa in AZ