In catching up on my emails from last week, Sara from Hampton Roads sent me this link about a real-world PacMan game they've got going up in NYC, PacManhattan:
http://www.pacmanhattan.com/about.php
Now, I can think of a variety of other places that might lend itself to something like this, and some GPS tracking technology that might make this even more entertaining. For some reason, I really think Colonial Williamsburg (CW) would be outstanding for these kind of shenanigans. I always like to toss in a bit of "Historic-Orienteering" when a race course included this part of Virginia:
While CW may not be as symmetrical as the Manhattan streets, CW does have an appeal all its own. The typical CW tourist might get a chuckle from this, and the CW powers-that-be would certainly frown on it which makes it even more appealing -- you see, Colonial Williamsburg has a bit of a draconian reputation when it comes to the local community! I loved the Tidewater Traverse 2006 where some muddy teams opted to run with their PFDs and paddles through parts of CW . . . that's an enduring memory for me.
Morgan and I used to always joke about holding our own
Idiotarod, where teams of 5 people race shopping carts around town -- but each person has to be connected to the cart like sled dogs for the
real Iditarod. Anything goes in an Idiotarod, like sabotaging your opponents and modifying your carts; I recall hearing one story of a team that worked with their friends to set up
fake checkpoints and completely send other teams in the wrong directions.
Anyway, there must be some Hampton Roads counter-culture out there willing to take up the "Pac CW" or "CW Idiotarod" cause. Switzerland makes it out of my league, and truthfully I have enough planning/organizing in my life right now. I'd best stick to "classic" adventure racing. But I'd love to donate a prize or two for something like this just as long as nobody mentions my name when the CW Gestapo tries to clamp down on things!
Maybe Pac-Richmond would work better . . .
see how symmetrical the street grid is on this Richmond map? What do you say,
Richmond ASR?