Scavenger Dash obstacle races, mud run, and OCR information, distance, cost, dates, calendar, discounts, obstacles, reviews, and more

Overview	Part adventure race, part scavenger hunt and a whole lotta fun!, Nationwide USA
Launched	2009
Events	(23) 2012, (30+) 2013
Upcoming	See all upcoming events at the bottom of the page.
Kids	No
Age	12+
Distance	wo person teams are given an envelope containing a list of twelve clues. Upon solving them, teams head out to checkpoints around town completing challenges, riddles, and puzzles while laughing all the way to the finish line. Average distance is around 5-8 foot miles, however, participants are allowed to use public transportation, which includes city buses and trains. In some cities, for example Chicago, the overall course distance can be over 12 miles.
Terrain	Varies by location, races could start in a park, on city streets or at an establishment.
Gear	Wear whatever you’d typically wear for a day out roaming the streets. Some Comfy running/walking shoes will make your day more fun. Matching outfits are encouraged, or better yet, wear some cool costumes for a chance to win a prize!

Scavenger Races are all about fun, and 95% of the participants are here for exactly that. Some actually sign up thinking it’s a bar crawl – which it’s not – but the fact that it often starts and finishes in a bar lends to that understanding.

Scavenger Dash was launched in 2009 by Rick Eastman, the founder of Sierra Adventure Sports who also put on the Mad Mud Run

In the early 2000’s, Rick signed up and participated in a now-defunct race called Urban Challenge which was essentially billed as an adventure race in a city. The adventure intrigued him enough that he began putting on adventure races of his own in 2003, launched Mad Mud Run in 2007, and he turned his attention to creating a similar type of “scavenger-hunt race” of his own – and Scavenger Dash was born.

Scavenger Dash made it’s 5 city tour debut in Omaha, NE and was a hit; in the following two years we expanded to approximately twenty five cities across the US. As evidenced the exponential growth of obstacle races and mud runs, it was becoming increasingly obvious that people wanted to participate in more than just a typical 5k, they wanted adventure, mental challenges and puzzle-solving mixed in with their exercise.

At the beginning of the race, each two-person team is given an envelope that contains twelve clues they need to solve. This clue sheet also serves as their passport; complete the clues, then venture to the checkpoints indicated by each of the answers, and follow the instructions they will find there.

At some points teams complete a challenge, at others take a picture, and some receive a stamp for on their passport. All challenges are completable by nearly anyone and teams also have the option of skipping one of the twelve clues – strategy will play a big role in which to skip. Teams may also have a mandatory clue, which will be indicated on the clue sheet.

Teams have many ways to solve clues: Asking strangers, the library, a smartphone, they can even carry a laptop – if one of the teammates does not mind hauling it around. The most important resource a team can have is a great “Pit Crew” as your phone-a-friend. Calling someone at home who has web access can make a huge difference in solving clues.

Races may contain one or more Detours, which is a choice between two challenges. Teams can choose the one they think will be fastest – or the most fun.

One big advantage that many teams fail to overlook is forming alliances. Just like on the TV show Survivor, teams may form alliances with other teams, if only to solve the clues. The faster teams are able solve the clues, the faster they can complete the course.

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Upcoming Scavenger Dash Events

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Browse our calendar of previous mud runs, mud races & obstacle races for Scavenger Dash

Scavenger Dash Reviews from the Community