I jumped at the chance when Bacardi OakHeart invited me to form a team and participate in the Great Urban Race, which took place Aug. 24 in Madison. If you’re not familiar with the event, it’s an adventure-based competition that’s the ultimate test of physical (e.g. to get from one location to another, you basically walk or run since no personal transportation is allowed) and mental abilities (e.g. word scrambles).

All teams met before noon at the Coliseum Bar for registration. Your team is then given a sheet with clues for all the locations, at which you need to complete a challenge and then take a team photo to document that you did it successfully. For example, at a Madison B-cycle station at Vilas Park, we had to ride a bicycle through an obstacle course as slowly as possible.

Some teams took the competition very seriously, sprinting from one location to the next. My team was among those that took our time. Speaking of time, the winning team completed the course in slightly over two hours, while we finished in about 4:24 (that included two beverage breaks). The top 25 teams qualify for the national championship.

I obviously realized the race is not supposed to be a bar crawl, but my teammates and I had a great time at Lucky’s, one of the course stops. Not only did we get to sample some Bacardi OakHeart in a party-like atmosphere, but we ended up ordering mixed drinks with it as well (mine with a diet cola). OakHeart, a bold spiced rum, gets its name from the fact that it’s aged in white oak barrels for 1-3 years. It’s sort of like Captain Morgan’s, but smoother with a slightly sweet taste. Regardless of Bacardi sponsoring my team, I would still recommend trying OakHeart sometime. You can enjoy it neat, on the rocks or in a mixed drink.

I have to admit, we were exhausted by the end of the race. It was a hot day first of all, and our feet and legs were hurting. I estimate we traveled about seven miles on foot through the near west side and downtown. We seriously contemplated taking a diversion to Goodman Pool on our way back to the Coliseum Bar. Fortunately, the finish line was welcoming. Waiting for us were granola bars, bananas, bottled water, participation medals and two coupons for free drinks. And despite how tired all the competitors were, we still had enough energy to party.

Here are my recommendations if you enter next year. 1) Solve all the puzzles right at the start. That way you can be more strategic in plotting your course. 2) Bring a bus schedule (public transportation is allowed). It’ll save you time and energy if you can catch a bus rather than walking/jogging several miles. 3) Wear comfortable shoes, and ignore recommendations to bring a backpack. You really only need a pen and your smartphone.