Here are some of the more frequently asked questions about the race:
Why is this not listed as an actual Geocaching event?
Geocaching.Com does not allow the publishing of event caches that are considered an “organized hunt”. This race meets the criteria of a hunt and therefore cannot be published as an event. There will however be a post-race gathering at the finish line (Centennial Park) which has been designated as a Geocaching event. The GC event name is the same as the race name and the GC code to search on is GC30GTG.
How much money will the race cost a team?
Each team member must pay a $5 fee to participate in the race. We have tried to minimize the costs associated with the tasks but the tasks have not been finalized yet. If all goes according to plan, no out of pocket expense will be required by each team. If a task costs money, the total amount of money spent during the race for task specific items is likely to be less than $10. As of now, the only required cost is the registration fee per person. Each team has the option to pay for printing of their photos for a point bonus.
So for a team of four, your costs would be:
- $20 for team registration
- $5-$15 for printing of photos
Ultimately, a team of four racers could run the race for $20 so it really depends on how you play. Also keep in mind that the $5/person you are paying covers the cost of all the food you can eat and drink at the finish line.
You also have the option to purchase a 5 year anniversary geocoin at a price of $10/coin. This is outside of the registration cost.
Here are some prices for other activities in Greater Moncton for a group of four:
- Family day pass (4 people) at Crystal Palace: $65 (no food included)
- Family day pass (4 people) at Magic Mountain: $85 (no food included)
- Two adults & Two children with consessions for a matinee movie: $70+
- Parlee Beach day pass: $11 (no food included)
Why do I need a cell phone to participate in the race?
A cell phone is the easiest way for the race organizers to communicate with teams in the event that something changes mid-race. By sending out a text message blast to all teams, it is extremely easy to notify everyone that something has changed.
Why are teams “scored” instead of just having the first team to cross the finish line crowned the winner?
The biggest reason for using a scoring system for this race is to level the playing field for teams which are not as familiar with the Moncton area as others. Teams who live in or near Moncton would have an obvious advantage in knowing the best ways to get to certain locations, how best to avoid traffic, and other “local” secrets about the area.
Also, for teams that are still new to the sport of geocaching, scoring makes it fairer to them by allowing even the most novice geocacher to possibly claim the winning title. In the 2010 race, the winner was actually a team of two geocachers who had only been caching for a few months and they did not even come close to finishing first.
The FTF prize was created to allow the first team to finish to receive their own prize.
How does the race account for team swarming at race stops?
Swarming occurs when two or more teams arrive at the same task at the same time. When many teams arrive at the same task, there is potential for a line-up and wait to occur. Given that this is a race, we do our best to minimize this by utilizing tasks that will not suffer from the swarming problem. We also start the race by giving each team four specific tasks they need to accomplish to solve a puzzle that brings them to the fifth task. These four tasks can be done in any order. Given that teams will choose to do the tasks in different orders, it helps reduce the chances of swarming. Add in typical Saturday traffic, and knowledge of the city, and how to get to a destination, this typically reduces swarming.
However, despite all of that, certain tasks may require teams to wait their turn and thusly, a line up can occur. A team’s registration packet comes with an “EZ Pass” which allows a team to skip any task on the race. However, skipping a task does come at a price. Teams who use the EZ Pass do not qualify for the 1000 point EZ Pass Bonus but they are given full point credit for the task they skipped. Additionally, if a team chooses to use the EZ Pass on any task marked as a “Roadblock”, they do not receive credit for that task.
Ultimately, if a team thinks they will have to wait more than 15 minutes for a task, using the EZ Pass will really only cost them 375 points (since you are docked 625 per 15 minutes you use in the race and the bonus is 1000 points) and may in fact help them to score higher on other tasks.
How much time will this event and race take?
The race itself is about 3 hours long with the BBQ being afterwards. Some teams have completed all the tasks in under two hours while others have taken five hours to complete. It ultimately depends on how well you can decipher and find the clues.
Are teams permitted to share information?
If teams choose to, they are welcome to share whatever information they wish. Cooperation is encouraged but remember that it is a race, and you ultimately want to try and get the best score you can. If you feel this can be accomplished best by working with another team, then that is your option. The only stipulation is that teams may not travel in the same vehicle.
Can we claim finds on gc.com for the caches we find during the race?
None of the physical cache containers you will find during this race are officially listed on geocaching.com. You can however log an “Attended” for the Race event.
Our vehicle ran out of gas/got stopped by the cops/broke down/got stuck in traffic/was abducted by aliens. Can we get a time credit for those types of situations?
No time credit will be given for any transportation issues. If you are concerned that your vehicle may be unreliable, we recommend you choose a more reliable vehicle for the race portion of the event, or have a backup vehicle available for use during the race portion of the event.
How can I participate in the “live updates” posted to the MR4C website?
Last year we provided real-time updates of racer status by allowing any team members with a Twitter account the ability to post their progress by using the #mr4c hashtag. We are continuing this practice this year. Using any mobile phone and your Twitter account, simply post a tweet (including photos if you can) and include the #mr4c hashtag and it will auto-post to our live blog. We encourage folks to share their experiences while in the race.
How is Cache Up NB involved in the race?
Cache Up NB is acting as a main sponsor for this event by providing advertising, web space, and an assortment of prizes for this year’s event. Cache Up NB is a news and information website dedicated to geocaching in the province of New Brunswick. Given that the race has become one of the larger events for our province, it only seemed to make sense to partner with them for this year’s 5th anniversary.
Where did you come up with the idea for this race?
The idea for the Race for Cache came from how I proposed to my wife. I also did something similar for her the year after for a trip to Niagara Falls.
When I started geocaching, I wanted my first event cache to be something different so I took ideas from my previous experiences and turned them into a geocaching event.
How is this race financed?
All costs associated with Moncton’s Race for Cache are paid for by me, Zor (Matthew Klem). Everything from the food, utensils, paper, envelopes, stickers, and anything else that has a pricetag is paid for by me. All of the funds collected from the registrations goes to pay for the food, drinks, condiments, napkins, envelopes, paper, and any other additional items that are required by the race itself.