Race to Ben's Playground

Be part of the largest event of Summer Rush!!

The objective of the event is simple: The team which arrives at Ben’s famous playground in Merlischachen, Switzerland in the shortest time by hitchhiking, wins!

About the routes

We start at 10am in Utrecht and teams have until 9pm the next day to reach Merlischachen.

From Utrecht to Merlischachen, there are 3 principal routes expected to have the most traffic:

• East: Going to Germany and following the Rhine river up until arriving in Basel, Switzerland.
• South: Going to Belgium and travelling via Luxembourg and Strasbourg to enter Switzerland in Basel.
• Middle: Going via Maastricht and Saarbrücken to end up in Strasbourg, following the Rhine river to Basel.

Teams are free to decide whichever route they want to take, even a custom route if they desire, but the fastest is the one going East.

Getting There

• Meeting point: We meet in the heart of the Netherlands’ 4th largest city, the Neude Square in Utrecht!
• Flights: Utrecht has trains every 10-15 minutes from the country’s biggest airport, Amsterdam Schiphol Airport (AMS). But trains also go every 10-15 minutes to other minor airports, like Rotterdam (RTM) and Eindhoven (EIN). Because of it’s role of the country’s most important transport hub, you also have great connections from airports in the Ruhr Area (DUS, CGN, DTM) and Brussels (BRU & CRL).
• Trains: As mentioned, Utrecht Centraal is the country’s biggest transportation hub, meaning you can get to every corner of the country, while also boasting direct international day and night trains, including to Vienna, Innsbruck, Munich, Frankfurt and Zürich!

Game Info

• Format: A two-day hitchhiking race. Teams are forced to take a mandatory 12-hour rest period. You can start this rest period between 17:30 and 22:00 and then continue exactly 12 hours later.
• Teams: Everybody is required to partner up (nobody will hitchhike alone, maximum 3 people per group). During the entire competition, teams must stay together and cannot split up.
• Movement: Teams are only allowed to take hitchhiking offers from vehicles they or their family/friends do not own. Public transport is permitted only in big cities to reach good hitchhiking spots. Hitchhiking next to a highway is strictly prohibited!
• Challenges: A custom map with secret challenges at specific locations will be provided. Depending on the difficulty and distance from the optimal path, completing these challenges grants time reductions.
• Preparation & Safety: An emergency fund (~€50) is recommended. Every team must share their Live Location with the Helpdesk all day and must have at least one fully charged power bank. Trust your gut feeling when entering cars and discreetly text license plates to the Helpdesk.

Game Map & Resources

• Hitchhiking Map: We highly recommend using the Hitchhiking Map to find spots across the world. Aim for green dots on the map with a thick black border, as those are reviewed the most positively. The map also reveals the average waiting time at each spot.
• Navigation Apps: Google Maps is the standard option to use. We do recommend downloading some maps, as you might not have signal everywhere!
• Public Transport Apps: Try to familiarise with the public transport options on your desired route. For Germany, the obvious app is the DB Navigator app, as you can get public transport directions across the country and you can also buy tickets for almost every operator in the country.