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DATE
Saturday, November 7, 2009
PLACE
Balboa Park, San
Diego
(Corner of Park Blvd and President’s Way)
OVERVIEW
Part Amazing Race and part Sherlock Holmes you’ll need
all your mental resources as a mystery unfolds around you
and perplexing puzzles guide you and your teammates on a
fun-filled foot race. This event helps support Outdoor
Outreach, a local non-profit that helps hundreds of at-risk
and underprivileged youth in San Diego every year.
PUZZLE PURSUIT: The
Dresden Codex
A hole punch, two paper-clips, a piece of foil, and a gallon
of water. Useless objects? Not if you’re participating in
Puzzle Pursuit: The Dresden Codex where you’ll have to
figure out how to use these items to solve mind-bending
puzzles as you race to the finish line.
By taking part in Puzzle Pursuit: The Dresden Codex
you will have the chance to enjoy a fun-filled day of
adventure and puzzle solving, meet new friends, learn a bit
about the Outdoor Outreach program, and uncover the truth
about mysterious happenings at Balboa Park.
READ THE FAQ
Among other things, this
includes items you must bring with you on the day of the
race.
PRIZES
1st place – each team member gets a Gregory Backpack
2nd place – each team member gets a headlamp
3rd place – each team member gets some OO swag
COST
No cost for registration, but each team must raise a
minimum of $100. Each participant is given the opportunity
to set up an
active.com fundraising page. (No special web knowledge
required). Awesome prizes are available for reaching
specific fundraising goals.
Fundraising Prizes
- $300 per team – 1
hint
- $500 per team – 2
hints, 4 Invigorator Travel Washcloths, and other
goodies.
- $1000 per team –
4 pairs of Vans snowboarding boots and 4 snowboarding
helmets, 2 hints, and 4 Invigorator Travel Washcloths
and other goodies.
SCHEDULE
Check In will begin promptly at 8:30 AM
Race Instructions will begin at 9:15 AM
Race Begins at 9:30 AM Race End at 2:00 PM
REGISTRATION AND FUNDRAISING INSTRUCTIONS
Please follow the directions below to register for the event
and set up your fundraising page. Once you have registered
you will receive a phone call from our Marketing and
Fundraising Committee to discuss event details and answer
any questions you might have about the event. For
Fundraising Tips, please see the links below.
To REGISTER for the event:
1.
Click Here to register now.
2. If you already have an
active.com
account, use that to login. If you do not already have an
active.com
account you will be required to create a user name and
password.
3. Follow the instructions for registration.
3a. If you are working as a team, one person should select
the "team captain" toggle, upon registration, and one person
should select the "team member" toggle and join the team.
Agree on a team name and password.
4. Submit your registration.
4a. If you are working as a team, after the team captain has
submitted registration, the other team members can register
and join the team.
5. Log into your
fundraising
center, click on
“customize my webpage” to begin formatting your page. If you
have previous campaigns or if you are working as a team,
ensure that you are customizing this year and this event's
campaign (or team campaign) by selecting your campaign from
the dropdown menu on top. You can choose an Outdoor Outreach
photo, upload your own image, write a personal message to
your family and friends, set your personal fundraising
goals, change color scheme, etc. Make the page your own -
have fun with it!
6. Contact supporters. Call or send individual emails
to your friends and family asking them to contribute to your
fundraising goals. You can add a personal message to the
emails and track donations through your fundraising center.
NOTE: Teams will receive
various important emails as the event nears that will help
prepare them for the event.
To create a fundraising page (if you are NOT attending
the event):
1. Visit
www.active.com/donate/puzzlepursuit
2. Click on the link that says “Become a Fundraiser" then
below that click on "Fundraise as an Individual."
3. Follow steps 5&6 above.
To log offline donations (check or cash) onto your
fundraising page:
1. If you receive donations for Outdoor Outreach and
want to credit your fundraising page, click on the "track
offline donations" tab and fill in the information.
2. Checks should be made out to Outdoor Outreach. Please
submit cash and checks to Outdoor Outreach at:
5275 Market Street, Suite A, San Diego, CA 92114.
3. If you host an event, please obtain the contact
information* of your guests and enter it in the offline
donation center so Outdoor Outreach can send donors
quarterly newsletters and a tax deductible letter.
*By hosting an event, you are acting as an ambassador
for Outdoor Outreach and not only raising money for our
programs, but also raising awareness in the community. By
having donors' contact information, Outdoor Outreach can
continue to share our successes with interested
participants. If you need Outdoor Outreach brochures, logo,
or additional information, please contact Katie at
katie@outdooroutreach.org.
QUESTIONS:
If you have any questions about the event, please call Nick
Rhea at
619-886-2004.
Frequently Asked
Questions
What is
Puzzle Pursuit: The Dresden Codex?
In
Puzzle Pursuit: The Dresden Codex, you will be solving
challenging puzzles, racing around Balboa Park to complete
each puzzle before moving on to the next. Puzzles will have
varying point values and be of varying degrees of
difficultly. The team with the most points that finishes the
fastest will be the winner.
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Can I see
a sample puzzle?
Most puzzles
involve some sort of the out of the box thinking. That is,
figuring out what to do is half the puzzle. For this
example, let's assume that prior to the race you were asked
to bring a gallon of water with you, but were not told what
it was for. During the race, you receive a puzzle that
instructs you to find a certain tree in the park. You find
the tree but there are no further instructions. You notice
that there is a tube that is about 2 inches around and 2
feet deep that has been attached to the tree. You can see
something in the bottom of the tube, but are unable to get
it out as the tube is attached to the tree. You deduce that
you must pour the gallon of water into the tube so that as
the tube fills with water the item on the bottom will rise
up so you can grab it. The item you grab contains the answer
to the puzzle.
The idea here is that you are not going to be solving
crossword puzzles and word searches, but rather more
involved, unique puzzles, all with a theme.
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Do I need to
be a runner to do this?
No, absolutely
not. This race is more about problem solving than it is
about running. That said, you will be required to do a lot
of walking around Balboa Park, and teams that decide to run
between puzzles may be able to make up for not being able to
solve them as quickly as others. In other words, its
anybody’s race to win.
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Is this race
appropriate for kids?
The short answer is yes, certainly. There is no
content that would be inappropriate for children of any age.
The longer answer is that you will be running around Balboa
Park for a good many hours, trying to figure out how to
solve puzzles that, quite frankly, are going to be
challenging to most adults (see sample above). Once you
figure out how to solve many of the puzzles, there will
certainly be things kids could do to participate. E.G. you
may need to get the year off of a nearby statue so send the
kids over to do it while you do something else.
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I only
have a team of 2, is that okay?
Yes, a team of 2 is fine. Just remember that the
more minds you have the quicker you may be able to figure
out puzzles. A team of 3 or 4 is ideal.
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I
have a team of 5, is that okay?
Unfortunately
no, we are limiting teams to 4 members. Past experience has
shown that a fifth team member can often be more of a
hindrance than help. Split up into a team of 2 and 3 and
make it a competition between the teams to see not only who
can raise the most money, but who does better in the race.
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What do I need to bring?
There are certain items
that you will be requested to bring and they will be made
known to you via email and other sources closer to the race.
Apart from the mandatory items, it's a good idea to bring
clipboards, paper, pencils, an eraser, a backpack, water,
snacks, and any other common desktop item you think might
come in handy.
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