BC Clark Jewelers is a high end jewelry store in Oklahoma. Today, they sponsored the second annual Diamond Dash around Downtown Oklahoma City with the grand prize being a "$15,000 flawless diamond engagement ring." Runner up prizes included a diamond pendant, a fancy bracelet, a fancy watch and tickets to various events in Oklahoma City.
What exactly is the Diamond Dash? We wondered the same thing after signing up. Precious little information is available on the event, which definitely gave returning Dashers a leg up on the competition.
At first, I was silly enough to think that this would be a more traditional scavenger hunt with physical clues hidden throughout Downtown. Then several people pointed out that there was no way a flawless diamond would just be sitting around somewhere.
Instead, this was a high tech hunt using text messages. Each of the 500 competing pairs of people (mostly couples, but some friends and relatives too) had one designated cell phone used to text the special Dash number. When a clue was correctly answered, the automated scavenger hunt system would send the next clue. This continued for about two hours until time ran out.
Most clues involved going to a particular destination (always named in the clue and usually with the address given) and looking at something there, e.g. a particular sign or engravings on the wall of a building, and then texting back the answer. Correct answers earn points (we seemed to get 1, 2 or 4 points for correct answers) for the pair and allow them to access the next clue. Three incorrect answers to the same clue meant that clue could no longer be answered and a new clue would be sent.
Some clues involved doing very specific actions called challenges. These challenges weren't challenging in the Survivor or Amazing Race sense. It was more like things you probably can't Google and would actually have to be Downtown to do like finding a small detail in a particular picture on a wall somewhere.
Hints to clues were also provided before the race in riddle form via Facebook and at each Oklahoma City BC Clark store location. The pre-Dash clues were relatively easy to decipher and weren't totally necessary for the Dash. They were things that were either not used at all or could have been easily Googled on a smart phone during the Dash.
Although bikes and scooters were allowed, we decided to try the Dash on foot. Definitely a bad call. I'd bet that all of the Top 15 finishers (the ones that are announced at the end of the Dash at the after party) were bikers. Some clues were as much as eight blocks apart, which was pretty tough to sprint to in the chilly morning weather we had this morning. (To qualify my athletic ability, I've completed several half marathons.) Then again, we did hear of some bikers who only scored in the 30s and 40s.
This year's winning pair racked up 86 points. A friend of a friend of a friend competed and finished 10th with 76 points. (They were definitely on bikes and won tickets to see the local arena football team.) We finished with what I think is an admirable 65 points. I'd say that's enough to be Top 50 overall (if not better) and probably Top 10 for people on foot.
We didn't personally see it, but other Dashers complained of people who were cheating and hopping into cars to get between clue locations and others who had friends in cars that drove to the next location to tell them what the answer was. While standing in line for food at the after party, I also heard from somebody who did the Dash last year that one couple who did really well the previous year didn't actually dash at all. They sat at their laptops and were able to find most of the answers online.
Warning: The clues and the answers to the clues aren't always correct. We had a couple of problems today with exactly which historic figures were and were not presidents. The Dash organizers should be aware that Samuel Adams and Benjamin Franklin are not, in fact, former presidents of the United States. Clues that ask for multiple items also require that the answer be in a specific order (Modelo Corona v. Corona Modelo), and it was unclear whether commas and "and" are necessary.
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