New-O near the O-Dome

WHO - Gainesville, FL area runners, walkers, friends, and families

WHAT - Popup Orienteering Style Virtual Scavenger Hunt Run (That was a mouthful!)
WHERE - Gainesville, FL, on the beautiful University of Florida campus
WHEN - Saturday May 9, 10am through Saturday May 16, 10am
WHY - Why not?? =)
HOW - Take up to 5 hours to locate as many of the 52 invisible checkpoints as you can, in any order, using a mobile app
HOW MUCH - $35 per person (accompanied kids are free)

Two Rules Running and Northline Navigation are proud to present the "New-O near the O-Dome" Popup Orienteering Style Virtual Scavenger Hunt, which will take place ALL WEEK beginning Saturday, May 9th and ending on May 16 around the public spaces of the University of Florida campus. This is a unique event that respects everyone's personal space in the era of COVID-19 social distancing, allows us to all run (or walk, hike, shimmy, Prancercize, etc) the same course and then compare results (and routes--because you get to choose your own route!)... except, not all at once.

How it works -- after purchasing your entry, you use a free smartphone app called UsynligO (which means, "invisible orienteering" in Norwegian), a printed paper course map, arrive at the start area (marked with a triangle on the map) on the University of Florida campus on your own schedule, and begin the course. You can go ANY TIME during the week.

When you launch the app and begin the activity, the clock is ticking and you'll have 5 hours to travel, on foot, to as many checkpoints marked on the map as you can. Checkpoints are simply marked as circles at specific features in the landscape. When you arrive at a checkpoint, the app (running silently in your pocket) senses your position via GPS and marks your visit with a snazzy little tune to indicate that you've FOUND IT. High five yourself or your friends, and carry on to the next one!

Can you get them ALL? If so, who can do it the FASTEST?

All along the way, UsynligO records your track (just like GPS watches or activity tracking apps) and keeps score of how many points you have collected and which ones. Once time runs out (or you decide you've had your fill-O) your score is displayed on the Leaderboard, visible inside the app. You can also share your GPX route to yourself for uploading to Strava, or whatever social training platform you use.

At the end of the week, the course will close and all results will be collected and presented online. Submitted GPX routes run through a REPLAY (optional) and post-race analysis video of "interesting performances" and "questionable decisions."

Optionally, during the event you can also run, side by side with UsynligO, a second free smartphone app called Livelox to LIVE STREAM your position to the web for friends and family to "dot watch" while you're out there. It also records your route in real time for playback later, saving you the post-race step of sharing your GPX file.

So, put on your running shoes, your thinking caps, and your adventure outfits. Take lots of pictures, share your experiences with others, and spread the word because Invisible Scavenger Hunt Runs are here, and they're here to stay!