Anyone who got up early Saturday in Shanghai enjoyed a great morning: an azure sky, warm sunlight and a light breeze. At 10 am, more than 70 people gathered at the bar Perry's on Xiangyang Road North to join the Rat Run, a team scavenger hunt done on the run.

The game was the third that RunnersHai, a group that holds running events inside and outside of Shanghai, has organized. It has organized the Zombie Run, the Yangcheng Lake Run and the Sheshan Hill Run. Established last August, the group has grown steadily.

"We wanted to organize running events in the city center, but a 5-kilometer run or a 10-kilometer run requires closing the area and stopping the traffic," said Kristian Larsen, from Denmark, who started RunnersHai with fellow countryman Martin Nexo. "So we thought about a scavenger hunt game, which makes it possible for people to run and see the city without interfering with traffic."

Once all of the runners were registered, Nexo explained the rules of the game. Participants were allowed to run the race alone or in teams. Every runner received a map that showed the area of the activity. Their goal was to run through the area to find the checkpoints, which were small bars or shops that agreed to participate in the event.

When a runner reached a checkpoint, the staff there would stamp his or her map. The runners could get the stamps in any order. Clues were written on the map to help the participants find the checkpoints. Runners needed to figure out the clues based on their knowledge of the area, though they could ask for help if necessary.

"The checkpoints No.2 and No.5 are already marked on the map. If you cannot find the other places through the clues, you can go to checkpoints No.2 or No.5 and ask the Rat Run official for instructions," Nexo told the runners.

Each individual or team needed to collect all eight stamps before high-tailing it back to Perry's. The first person to return with all of the stamps claimed victory. Larsen and Nexo were waiting at Perry's to record each runner's time.

There was also a bonus item. According to the clues provided by RunnersHai, a well-known restaurant H2 opened a new location on Yongjia Road. The restaurant's staff would give the runners a plastic chip. If a runner got one chip, Larsen and Nexo would deduct 10 minutes from their time.

After warning participants about the traffic, Nexo fired a starting pistol. While some runners ran off, others stayed to study the clues and create a route.

While the runners searched for the checkpoints, they took photos and posted them on the RunnersHai WeChat group, which has more than 200 members.

After about an hour, South African Riaad Van Der Merwe returned to Perry's. He was the first one to finish the scavenger hunt. Merwe has participated in all of the rat runs. This was his second time winning the trophy.

"Last time I ran with a team, because I did not know Jing'an district very well," he told the Global Times. "We won the trophy. This time I ran by myself, because I feel that my best enemy is me. The game is a lot of fun. The locations of the checkpoints were very interesting. For example, the checkpoint No.2 is in the small park on Changle Road. I love that little park."

Shortly after, the team "We Better Be Good At The Puzzles" arrived. They came in second. Team member Wendy Wong has done several races with RunnersHai before. She thought the Rat Run sounded interesting. So she and a friend created the team with five other friends. "We did all of the thinking first, and then planned our route. We ran nearly 10 kilometers," she told the Global Times.

The team that ranked third was the "2nd Mouse Gets the Cheese."

Unlike the first two teams, which had long names, many runners joined teams with funny names, such as "Hola Speedy Gonzalez," "Ninja Turtle," "Raton," "Cool Runnings," and "Hiking Lovers."

Organizer Martin Nexo explains the rules of the scavenger hunt to participants.

 

Runners study the clues.

 

Participants in the latest Rat Run pose for a group photo. Photos: Yang Lan/GT