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saahil's 26+1

6 min read

B-day Race!

South Park to Land’s End

9/07/2025

Welcome to Saahil’s 26+1th Birthday adventurer! Your challenge today is to get to the end of the world - Land’s End (Sutro baths). It pays to be fast, but where’s the fun in that? To make things more interesting, I’ve prepared some challenges and interesting things to do along the way…

Score Tracker

I’ve prepared a route / score tracker for your convenience: saah.as/x/anna-bday

Course Overview

  • Start Location: 485 Bryant St (South Park)
  • Finish Location: Land’s End - Sutro Baths
  • Direct Distance: ~8 miles

Scoring System

1. Race Finish Order

Placement points are awarded based on arrival time at Land’s End - Sutro Baths:

  • 1st place: 400 points
  • 2nd place: 300 points
  • 3rd place: 200 points
  • 4th place: 150 points
  • 5th+ place: 100 points

2. Waypoints (25 points each)

Visit any of these locations to earn 25 points. More importantly, completing challenges at waypoints earns multiplier bonuses:

Challenge Multipliers at Waypoints:

  • 1st challenge at a waypoint: 1.5x points
  • 2nd challenge at a waypoint: 1.25x points
  • 3rd+ challenges at a waypoint: 1x points
  • Multiplier resets when team moves to a new waypoint

Available Waypoints:

  • Golden Gate Bridge Viewpoint
  • Mile Rock Beach (Land’s End area)
  • Palace of Fine Arts
  • Telegraph Hill
  • Legion of Honor
  • Coit Tower
  • Ina Coolbrith Park
  • Ferry Building
  • Washington Square Park
  • Aquatic Park Cove
  • Crissy Field
  • Twin Peaks
  • Panhandle
  • Tunnel Tops Museum
  • Painted Ladies
  • Oracle Park
  • Mission Rock Park
  • Bison Paddock
  • Strawberry Hill (Golden Gate Park)
  • de Young Museum/Cal Academy of Sciences area
  • Chinatown Arch
  • Japantown Mall

3. Transportation Points (Continuous Mile-Based)

Track your transportation methods and approximate distances traveled:

Points Earned:

  • Walking: +15 points per mile
  • Biking: +10 points per mile
  • Public Transit (Muni, BART): +5 points per mile

Points Lost:

  • Uber/Lyft: -25 points per mile

Teams self-report with approximate distances. Honor system with potential spot checks.

Challenge Details

Hard Challenges (80 points each)

Jump in Water Above Knees

  • Points: 80 points base + 20 points per additional team member beyond the first
  • Location: Any natural body of water (ocean, bay, lakes in Golden Gate Park)
  • Proof Required: Video showing water level above knees for each participant
  • Rules: Must be natural water (pools don’t count), safety first!

RRR Movie Explanation

  • Points: 80 points
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Video of the full interaction
  • Rules: Find someone not on any team who hasn’t seen RRR (2022 Telugu movie). If they haven’t seen it, explain the basic plot and why it’s such a good movie (friendship, British colonial resistance, action epic).

Place of Worship + Spiritual Question

  • Points: 100 points
  • Location: Any active place of worship (church, temple, mosque, synagogue, etc.)
  • Proof Required: Video inside/outside the building showing your question
  • Rules: Respectfully ask someone associated with the place (staff, volunteer, regular attendee) a genuine spiritual or philosophical question. Be appropriate and respectful.

Best SF Picture with Team

  • Points: 80 points to winning team, 20 points to all others who submit
  • Location: Anywhere in SF
  • Proof Required: Photo with entire team visible and recognizable SF landmark/view
  • Rules: Judged on composition, creativity, and SF representation. One submission per team.

Team Meditation

  • Points: 80 points
  • Location: Any quiet spot
  • Proof Required: Video showing start and end (time-lapse or timestamps)
  • Rules: Entire team sits quietly for 3 consecutive minutes in a peaceful location. No phones, talking, or distractions during meditation time.

Easy Challenges (20 points each)

10 Pushups

  • Points: 20 points
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Video of one team member completing 10 consecutive pushups
  • Rules: Proper form required - full range of motion

Movie Quote Unscramble

  • Points: 5 points each (20 points total)
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Text/video message with answers
  • Quotes to Unscramble:
    • “gnol evil eth gnik”
    • “s’taht hguor, yddub”
    • “,on I ma ruoy rehtaf”
    • “uoy llahs ton ssap”

Territorial.io

  • Points: 20 points (+80 if you win)
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Screenshot of completed game
  • Rules: One team member plays a full game on their phone. Any game mode acceptable.

Food Stop Challenges (20 points each)

Each requires going to the specific location and purchasing something:

Costco Food Court Pizza

  • Location: Any SF area Costco food court
  • Proof Required: Photo of team with pizza + receipt
  • Rules: Must actually purchase and can eat there or take to-go

Taco Bell

  • Location: Any SF Taco Bell
  • Proof Required: Photo of team with food + receipt
  • Rules: Purchase any menu item

Taqueria Cancun

  • Location: Mission District (multiple locations)
  • Proof Required: Photo of team with food + receipt
  • Rules: Purchase any menu item

India Clay Oven

  • Location: Specific restaurant (automatic waypoint)
  • Proof Required: Photo of team with food + receipt
  • Rules: Purchase any menu item

1177 Market Street Nostalgia

  • Points: 20 points
  • Location: 1177 Market Street
  • Proof Required: Video of team staring wistfully at the closed Whole Foods
  • Rules: Stand outside the building, look sad/nostalgic about the closed Whole Foods. Bonus points for dramatic effect.

Repeatable Challenges

Snipe Photo of Other Team

  • Points: 15 points per unique team photo
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Photo clearly showing members of another team
  • Rules: Other team must be unaware you’re taking the photo. Maximum one photo per opposing team.

Spread Positivity

  • Points: 10 points per team member (once each)
  • Location: Anywhere
  • Proof Required: Video of interaction
  • Rules: Each team member asks one person (not on any team) about their day and offers genuine well-wishes. Must be different people for each team member.

Pet Dogs at Mission Dolores

  • Points: 5 points per dog (max 25 points total)
  • Location: Mission Dolores area
  • Proof Required: Video/photo of each dog interaction
  • Rules: Get owner permission first. Count unique dogs only.

SF Wildlife Spotting

  • Points: 15 points per unique species
  • Location: Throughout SF
  • Proof Required: Photo/video of team with wildlife visible
  • Rules: Photograph SF wildlife (sea lions, pelicans, squirrels, parrots, hawks, etc.). Must be wild animals, not pets. Each species counts once.

Game Mechanics & Rules

Proof Submission

  • Photo Evidence: Clear, timestamped photos showing team and location/activity
  • Video Evidence: Videos should clearly show the challenge being completed
  • Real-time Submission: Proof should be submitted as challenges are completed
  • Verification: Organizers reserve the right to request additional proof or clarification

Strategic Considerations

Route Planning Tips:

  • Cluster challenges near waypoints for multiplier bonuses
  • Balance high-point challenges with travel efficiency
  • Consider public transit routes when planning waypoint visits
  • Save repeatable challenges for opportunistic moments

Point Optimization Examples:

  • Hard challenge at first waypoint visit: 80 × 1.5 = 120 points
  • Easy challenge at second waypoint visit: 20 × 1.25 = 25 points
  • Walking 5 miles: 5 × 15 = 75 points
  • Taking Uber 2 miles: 2 × -25 = -50 points

Event Timeline

  • 4:00 PM: Team check-in and route planning begins
  • 4:30 PM: Race officially starts
  • 8:30 PM: Target finish time for most teams
  • 9:30 PM: Hard cutoff - all teams must finish

Recent Notes

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