Questival: A 24-Hour Adventure Challenge

Everybody comes across the Instagram ads while scrolling through the beautiful pictures of landscapes, food, and selfies. No one actually pays attention to those ads. Except for me. One day. I have no idea what made me pause and investigate, but I sure am glad I did, because it led me to experiencing Questival in Atlanta!

WHAT IS QUESTIVAL?

According to the website, Questival can be defined as “a 24-hour adventure race where teams of 2-6 friends explore the unknown in their city and the wild spaces around it, do things they never thought possible, and share the stoke with a fun and supportive community”. And honestly, that about wraps it up in a nutshell. The adventure starts Friday night at a specified location, with registration happening between 5:00-7:00PM.

During the registration time frame, you will have the opportunity to pick up a Luzon pack the color of your choice as well as start completing challenges. At 7:00PM, make your way to the stage to pick up your “Do Good” flag, that needs to be displayed in every challenge completed [aside some the Launch Event challenges]. The main Launch Event challenge happens at 7:30PM, then all the teams are underway, running through Atlanta.

THE CHALLENGES:

The challenge list is emailed out to participants 24 hours before the adventure begins. This allows for teams to prepare in terms of mapping out routes and gathering necessary equipment needed to complete various challenges. In total, we had 195 challenges to complete. The challenges are broken up into the following categories:

• Community & Cultural
• Do Good
• Fitness & Wellness
• Launch Event
• Outdoor Adventure
• Quirky

Obviously, each category has its own theme and focuses the challenges towards that. In each category though, besides the Launch Event, teams are allowed to create their own challenge as one of the challenges. Challenges range from taking a picture with a place, taking a video performing an act, engaging with other teams and strangers, and so much more. Some are a lot easier to complete than others; and some are just really far away, so you have to prioritize.

point system:

Challenges are labeled as either easy, medium, or hard and have point values associated with them. Once you complete a challenge, you upload the proof [making sure your flag is visible, or it doesn’t count] into the app and other teams, as well as your family and friends, react to the image. Points get awarded for each challenge completed, as well as for each person you reacts to the particular challenges. The more challenges completed, the more points a team gets awarded. The more reactions each challenge receives, the more points a team gets awarded.

‘Sprint Awards’ are also awarded. These awards are given at the finish line, while the winners overall are mailed the awards. There are three waves of sprints, where teams who are in the lead at the end of the ‘sprint’ receive an award. There are various ways in which a team can be in the lead by either, being the team to complete the most challenges in a certain category or by receiving the most public likes at the end of a sprint.

SPECIAL SHOUTOUT:

The following people receive a special shout out for supporting our Questival adventure! They either downloaded the app and reacted to every single challenge, or followed our new Instagram page and liked each post. Thanks to their support, Fish Out of Water was able to win the ‘Public Support’ sprint, for the third wave of sprints! So special thank you to:

• Carson B.
• Heather C.
• Yvonne C.
• Michelle D.
• Melissa H.
• Lisa J.
• Madison J. [for making our super awesome team t-shirts!]
• Olivia J.
• Brit J.
• Julia J.
• Guyla M.
• Ashlyn P.
• Sydney .
• Jessica R.
• JoJo V.
• Derek Z.

If you supported us during our adventure, please send me a message, and I will update the list! A vlog is soon to follow as well, where I will be shouting out these individuals, so please please please let me know if I accidentally left you off!

FAVORITES OF QUESTIVAL:

Although 24-hour anything, isn’t really my cup of tea [except for 24-hour restaurants], participating in this event was such a thrill. I was able to hang out with one of my best friends, venture around the state of Georgia [primarily metro-Atlanta], and create lasting memories. Even if people are not actively partaking in the challenges, I love that this event provides the opportunity for them to get involved. Receiving this super cool and convenient bags was also a bonus! And of course, seeing so many different parts of metro-Atlanta was super neat and has encouraged me to go back when I have more time to dedicate to various places.

LEAST FAVORITES OF QUESTIVAL:

My all-time least favorite thing about Questival was all the time spent in the car getting from one challenge to the next. Especially when it came to parking – that could prove to be difficult, especially in Atlanta. We ended up walking so much throughout Atlanta because we weren’t sure if there would be available parking wherever we had to go next. Also, a number of challenges required money to be spent, of which I wasn’t a big fan. There were some challenges I didn’t mind, like donating to a charity, but others I did not really care for. But overall, not too much that I didn’t like about Questival!

WOULD I DO QUESTIVAL AGAIN?

Most definitely! Questival was so much fun, and I was able to learn and explore so many different parts of Atlanta and the surrounding area that I had never explored before. The challenges also pushed me out of my comfort zone, and forced me to engage with other teams and strangers. To register for Questival Atlanta 2019, click here! I hope to see you there 🙂

Have you participated in Questival before? What was your experience? If not, would you be interested in gathering a team together if they came to your city? Let me know in the comments below!