Are you willing to cut all social ties and spend a month evading relentless pursuit? Have you ever felt the desire to be hounded day and night? How about for a $10,000 ? Wired, Universal Pictures and Lone Shark Games are teaming up to provide an opportunity for a few lucky contestants to do just that.
After being inspired by an article he did for Wired, writer Evan Ratliff decided to see if he could drop off the grid and stay out of sight for a month. The magazine offered clues to his location and offered a $5,000 prize to any reader who could find him before the month was up. After 25 days, thousands of miles of travel and countless hours of paranoia Ratliff was tracked down in New Orleans by a collaboration of online sleuths.
If you think you can do better, now’s your chance to try it and see. Four contestants will be selected to go on the lam starting in late February and attempt to stay ahead of the pursuers (who will also be selected) for a month to win a cool 10K. They’ll even front you $2,500 to keep you financed during the chase. Hurry up, entries have to be in by midnight on Feb. 10th to qualify!
Ratliff’s article showed that he was his own worst enemy during the chase. His own (understandable) interest in keeping an eye on how the search was going ended up being a major contributor in his apprehension. So I’m sure the runners will have learned from him and will keep their heads down. The hunters will have to be provided some kind of clues to work with in order to make it fair. Otherwise, you could just spend a month camped out in your basement playing video games and watching movies to win the game. It’ll be interesting to see what stipulations the contest requires of the runners to prevent them from just going to ground.
Personally, I think it sounds like a lot of fun. I’ve always been a big fan of the Stephen King/Richard Bachman book ‘The Running Man’ which is basically the same premise. Win or lose, it sounds like a great way to spend a month. If I had the time to spare, I’d certainly apply.
