If “The Amazing Race” and “The DaVinci Code” ever had a love-child, its name would be “GothamQuest”. GothamQuest is a one-of-a-kind, competitive elimination race around the island of Manhattan to a number of New York City landmarks. Throughout the day-long race, teams receive “clue cards”, which must be deciphered to reveal the identity of the City landmark represented by each clue. Teams must head to these landmarks, where they will be greeted by a race “sentry”, who will then provide the next clue card for the next landmark. As the race progresses, teams that fall behind the pack are eliminated from the competition and at the end of the race, only one pair will be crowned “ultimate champions”. Chances are, if you have reached this website, you might have seen at least one of the GothamQuest teams running right past you in a race.

What does it take to compete in and win GothamQuest? For starters, teams must have a burning and unquenchable competitive desire and must be able to utilize one another’s complementary strengths. Winning teams need not be New York City history buffs, although such a background certainly would come in handy. Success in the race usually incorporates a blend of team resourcefulness, quick thinking and ingenuity, and creativity to advance ahead of other teams. Deciphering the clues is no easy undertaking either, so a certain degree of cleverness and puzzle-solving poise would be useful, too. Finally, teams must be prepared to have fun. Although the race can get quite competitive (perhaps more than one might think), smiles tend not to be in short supply.

GothamQuest is the brainchild of Drs. David DeGiralamo and Dan Allen, who initially organized the event for their friends and family in 2006 as a way to bring their most cherished people together, all the while using as a backdrop the nostalgic beauty and the epic expanse of the undisputed greatest city on the planet. On that crisp November day, 36 people raced intensely around the city for nearly nine hours until one pair emerged as the winner.

The race was so widely received by its participants that a subsequent race was created. On October 13^th 2007, approximately 50 people will be racing in GothamQuest II, the long-awaited sequel to the seminal race. DeGiralamo and friends have been working diligently on the “story line” and on the preparation for this year’s race since the end of GothamQuest I. Nearly all of the GQ I veterans have returned for another installment, and they will be racing with (and against) a number of new faces, who are eager to join the extended Quest family. Some racers will be arriving from Vancouver, Canada, California, Minnesota, Tennessee, Pennsylvania…and even New Jersey…to take part in this year’s event.

And for the first time, GothamQuest will be open to the general public! If you are interested in taking part in an upcoming GothamQuest, please send us your contact information through the “contact” page of this website. This way, you will be able to see first-hand what has been described by a number of prior participants as “the best day ever spent in New York City”. Feel free to peruse our “team” pages, as well, to see previous and current GothamQuest participants. And be sure to check out our “sample clue” page, where you can see an actual clue from the original GothamQuest race.

GothamQuest is a most extraordinary way to bring people together, whether the participants are friends and family, co-workers or complete strangers who are eager to meet new people. And it is our goal that, whether you win or lose, you will walk away from the experience with a greater appreciation for the depth and breadth of this spectacular city and all that it has to offer.