Bloomington residents combat rain, cold in first Hoosier Hustle challenge

Third Street Park was the beginning of a race around town for Hoosier Hustle participants Saturday. The event, put on by the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department, forced participants to bike, canoe and perfom other odd challenges despite the cold, rainy weather. Seventeen teams of three turned out for the race around town that lasted from 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. The day’s events were mystery to contestants until just before each challenge.\n“The idea is an urban adventure. It’s a take on reality shows like ‘Survivor’, or ‘The Amazing Race’,” said Leslie Kaiser, community events coordinator. \nThe race included three legs. For the first leg, the participants biked to Thompson Park to build rockets. Later, the teams went to a local supermarket for a Supermarket Sweep. For $10.56 teams had to buy three items and get as close to $10.56 as they could without going over. \nLater, the racers took a shuttle to Griffy Lake to go canoeing in the cold and the rain. But the rain didn’t seem to put a damper on the day. \n“It’s really not that bad,” said Charlie Bishop, a Bloomington resident who joined the team because of his friend Laura Johnson. Their team also included Martha Wailes, a Bloomington resident. Both Wailes and Johnson met while running in a women’s triathalon.\n“We have more merit,” Wailes said of combatting the weather. Wailes’ teammates said they considered her indispensable because she solved many of the puzzle challenges. By winning these types of games, the team was able to earn points that would shave off minutes of their overall time.\nAt the lake, they canoed to find a red flag with coordinates written on it, Wailes said.\nThe team then waited for the next phase of their challenge in the Counsilman-Billingsley Aquatic Center at the Student Recreational Sports Center, where one team member would be diving for puzzle pieces.\n“We just finished canoeing at Lake Griffy,” said Bishop, who said the only bad part of his experience was the smell at Griffy Lake and the cold. \nKaiser said the top three winners got trophies and the entry fees did not generate a profit, but simply covered the costs of the event.