Party of Five: Super Team Awesome....crossed the finish line, at least.

Third Annual Urban Adventure results are in. We finished all checkpoints despite some speed bumps, so to speak. We came in 45th out of 116 co-ed teams, but of course we really weren't competing for time.

The race started off with race officials handing out the course maps half an hour prior to start time, so strategy could be developed. The map showed you where the checkpoints were located, but did not tell you what was involved at each checkpoint. You were to bike to each checkpoint; you could complete the checkpoints in any order. One team member (me) wore a wristband, which was scanned upon completion of each checkpoint.

Here is our map, there were 23 total checkpoints located throughout downtown, Notre Dame/Holy Cross, and other surrounding areas.

We didn't get many pictures again this year, but below is a description of our race.

1. Farmer's Market: This checkpoint has been consistent in each running of the race, so we knew what to expect. We were given a list of grocery items to buy, which we then turned into the checkpoint officials. All purchased items were donated to a local charity.

2. Veteran's Memorial Park: gigantic inflatable bouncy slide.

3. Potawatomi Park Pool: Each team was given an inner tube, and teammates had to stand on opposite sides of the pool. The first team member would swim the length of the pool, the second team member would swim back. You had to have your body touching the inner tube the entire way. Yes, we had to jump in fully clothed, but it was a nice refreshing start to a hot day.

4. Howard Park: Slip 'n' Slide. More water, again, a good thing for the 90-degree temperature that was forecasted for the day.

5. East Race: Another staple of the Urban Adventure -- rafting down the river.

6. Colfax Bridge over the river: Zip line. They had four lines going this year, so in general, teams were able to go across simultaneously.

7. College Football Hall of Fame Gridiron: Pick up two large weights, run them down the gridiron to your waiting teammate, who ran them back.

8. LePeep Restaurant: Pour a pitcher of water into three glasses on a tray, carry the tray to your teammate at another table, teammate brings tray back and pours water back into pitchers.

9. Fiddler's Hearth Restaurant: Both teammates don kilts, then carry a caber (a long wooden pole....it's a Scottish thing) down the sidewalk, around the Scottish flag at the corner, and then back.

10. Morris Plaza: Teammates get their legs tied together, then kick a coconut around orange cones.

11. South Bend Civic Theatre: Act out a scene provided to you at the checkpoint, while wearing capes and velvet crowns.

This is where things went slightly awry for us. We had completed the downtown area, so were headed up north to Notre Dame. I was following Ben and was kind of distracted, not paying enough attention to the road. We hit a red light but were going pretty fast -- Ben stopped, but I hadn't noticed the red light, slammed on my brakes at the last moment and went skidding across the pavement.

I was pretty disoriented at first, hopped off from the middle of the road (thankfully didn't get hit by any cars) and went straight for the first aid kit in my bag. I was dripping blood but wasn't actually sure at that point how or where I was hurt. I thrust some band-aids at Ben and told him to get me patched up so we could keep going.

It was my chin that was banged up, and Ben was kind of unsure, trying to decide whether to take me to get stitches or not.

I'm fine, I'm sure I don't need stitches, let's just go.

Diane, we're literally right next to the hospital. Let's just go and get you cleaned up.

No, we are NOT not finishing this race, we delayed our Canada vacation for this, we've only done 11 checkpoints and this year we are GOING to get all the checkpoints done so help me God. Our race is not ending with me bleeding on the sidewalk.

I'm pretty sure you need stitches. If we wait until after the race to go to the hospital it will take forever and we'll be even later leaving for Canada.

Whatever, Ben, I have decided, we are not going to the hospital, just put this band-aid on my chin already and let's go. We'll stop by the medic tent at the finish line and maybe they can take care of me there. I probably don't need stitches anyway.

So, Ben gave in, he applied the band aid, which barely worked but at least kept my gaping wound mildly covered and appeared to stop the bleeding, and we were on our way.

12. Irish Green: Large wooden US maps were set up, with holes at various destination cities. We were to make paper airplanes and get them through one of the holes.

The funny part about this is that I was still a little dazed at this point, so much so that I could NOT figure out how to make a paper airplane. I folded the paper a bit, sure, but it looked more like a sad origami attempt at a block of wood than anything that would actually fly through the air. Ben kind of snorted at me and sadly shook his head, then took his super amazing paper flying machine and made it through the hole handily.

13. Hot Box Pizza - we had to take a pizza box and deliver it around the corner and down the street.

14. Innovation Park - we had to draw two pieces of paper from a bowl, each containing a word. Using those two words, we had to come up with a new product idea, and pitch the idea to one of the checkpoint officials. We drew "seed" and "putty", and Ben sold the idea of a grass-growing putty that you spread on your lawn which drops grass seed and then disintegrates.

15. Notre Dame Football Stadium: run a lap around the inside of the stadium. This was more my thing and I was pretty much feeling back to normal by this point. They also had a fire engine waiting at this checkpoint, spraying water for a quick cool-down.

16. St. Mary's gym: One teammate (Ben) had to bounce ping pong balls to the other teammate, who had to catch them in a little megaphone.

17. Holy Cross: Giant inflatable obstacle course. Tore up my chin a little bit again going through this one. Had to take a slight pit stop to clean up and re-apply bandages.

18. Holy Cross gym: Make a free throw. Right up Ben's alley.

19. St. Joseph's High School: Salmon toss. They had coolers of salmon that teammates had to throw back and forth to each other from 10 feet apart. They were stinky and heavy. If you dropped it you had to go back to the end of the line. Ben and I are expert fish-handlers, thankfully, and caught both on the first attempt.

20. Mystery Photo Checkpoint: Our race packet included a picture of a city landmark, the City Cemetery. The checkpoint was not shown on the map, but teams were to find the checkpoint from the photo. I suspected it was on Washington St and we got confirming directions from another team.

21. Salvation Army Kroc Center: Count the number of exterior doors on the new Kroc center building (currently under construction). I was back to being confused by this point, or maybe just tired, because I couldn't figure it out and thought the answer was 13. Ben correctly counted the 17 doors, no thanks to me.

22. United Beverage Warehouse: Unstack 12 kegs on pallets, load them onto handcarts, run them to the other side of the warehouse and re-stack them.

(They were empty kegs, by the way. We're not super-human, after all.)

23. Finish line!!

Straight to the medic tent for us, where the very nice physician there debated about whether to give me stitches or not, then decided it was necessary because of the amount of movement in that part of my chin. (Maybe she thought I talked too much.) I told her my dilemma that we intended to leave for Canada straight from the race and really didn't have time for an ER visit; she debated some more and then conceded that she could give me stitches right there on the tiny bench under the tent at Coveleski Stadium.