Race to the finish

Despite the brisk morning air and an 8 a.m. start time, dozens of competitors turned out Saturday for the Bloomington Parks and Recreation Department’s second annual Hoosier Hustle. \n“It was a triathlon plus the Amazing Race plus (the Real World/Road Rules Challenge),” Triple Threat member and senior Joey Tharp said.\nThe race included 21 teams of three, who participated in three legs of competition. In all, the race totaled 14 events and a 48-part scavenger hunt. Participants had to use different modes of transportation to get to the sites of the events.\n“They don’t know what they’re doing or where they’re going,” said Sarah Nix, program specialist for the department and the event’s primary organizer. The event details were kept under lock and key by organizers, who signed a legally binding confidentiality agreement.\n“It helps them realize the seriousness of it,” community events manager Becky Barrick said. “We don’t even tell our spouses or other people in the department until the night before.”\nNix said the idea was to bring reality-TV situations to life for the competitors.\nThe first two legs consisted of activities and the last was the scavenger hunt. Nix said parts A and B were separated by the transportation teams could use to get to their destinations.\n“The first leg was biking,” she said. For the second leg, “they could run, walk or take public transportation.” \nEvents for the first two legs included cornhole, rock-climbing, basketball and “goccer,” a combination of golf and soccer where the participant must kick a soccer ball into a hole with the fewest kicks possible.\n“It’s not all about your speed, it’s about doing well in the activities, too,” Nix said.\nBloomington resident Sabrina Grossman raced last year, this time competing with her father and fiance.\n“It took a lot more athletic skill and prowess (than last year),” Grossman said. “It was a lot more challenging.”\nThe all-day event ended with free massages for the tired racers and a dinner of lasagna, bread sticks and salad. When scores were tallied, 4G-Drive placed first, reigning champions Team Rupperware took second and Triple Threat took third.\nTriple Threat racer senior Jim Wollenburg got his friends involved, the team said.\n“I interned with Parks and Rec this past summer,” he said. “I just learned about it through their PowerPoint they showed and was like, ‘I’m totally doing this.’”\nHis teammates, Tharp and senior Jacob Wick agreed the best part was the free massages. The hardest part, they said, was the last event – two team members each had to swim six lanes, with a different stroke for each lane – because they were already tired from hours of activity. \nDespite exhaustion, cramps and sunburns, the three students said the pain and stress were more than worth it.\n“It was the most painful event ever while having the most fun,” Wick said.