The Human Race – 2025 - Behind the Curtain
Clue 1
Human Race 2025 began in Times Square where the teams were presented with three yellow stars made of wax. Whatever could it mean?
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Clue 2
Clue 2 revealed itself after a simple memory game/matching puzzle as the image shown. No other information was given other than it would take a subway ride to get there.
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Clue 3
Clue 3 was a puzzle hunt classic that tripped up more teams than the race master expected, and it wasn't just because of the ugli fruit... See below.
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F — Fig
O — Orange
L — Lemon
E — Eggplant
Y — Yuzu
S — Strawberry
Q — Quince
U — Ugli fruit
A — Apple
R — Raspberry
E — Elderberry
Clue 4
Clue 4 was the clue that revealed The Human Race needed a proper hint system (instituded for 2026!).
It crippled many teams… including, memorably, the Race Master’s own boss.
If you're stumped, expend the hint teams eventually received on site.
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which, when scanned, opened the image you see here -
which is one of the most famous Banksy paintings, found, of course, at The Banksy Museum
Clue 5
After Clue 4, Clue 5 was easy... just bit of trivia...
And to think that Theodor Geisel saw a great many things at your next clue...
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"And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street."
The next location was Great Many hair salon on Mulberry St.
Clue 6
Clue 6 came with built in hint built into the header
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Clue 7
Clue 7 was a harmless little word search. But what to do with it once it's solved?
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Clue 8
Clue 8 is a bit long, but here it is verbatium (it should be noted racers were given a gold square paper at the start):
1) Place a square paper with the gold side face down so that is in a diamond shape.
2) Fold the paper in half right to left so it forms a triangle. Crease and unfold.
3) Fold the left side in so that it is flush with the center line. Do the same for the right. Crease each fold.
The paper should now resemble a kite.
4) Flip the paper over so that the sharp point remains at the bottom and the gold side is face up.
5) Now fold the left and right sides in flush with the center line as before. Crease each.
The paper should now resemble a smaller kite.
5) Fold the kite in half vertically so that the bottom point touches the top point. Crease.
6) Fold the top point back down across the imaginary line between points (X) and (Y) (it does not need to be exact). Crease.
7) Flip the paper over and rotate it so that the point is to the right.
8) Fold the entire paper down and in half along the original fold line.
9) Pick up the folded paper with your right hand such that the flat edge you just created is on the bottom, parallel with your work surface, and the top is rising up from the left to the right. Hold the folded paper in the middle of the bottom.
10) Pull up diagonally to the left on the small point that should be on top of the folded paper, stopping somewhere short of vertical.
11) Crease this new angle into the paper by creasing firmly at the bottom of the new angle.
12) Spread the inside of the bottom apart so that the paper will rest on the work surface.
Now let your creation guide you to a feast at the next location (and it isn't "origami")
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Clue 8
I'll let Clue 8 speak for itself...
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Clue 9
Some clues you just had to be there for. This was one of them.
The racers were given this "half hour puzzle" which, when solved showed each of these four sides.
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Despite it's origins, not one team took a full half hour to solve it.
Clue 10
The Human Race was born of the classic movie Midnight Madness and so I had to give tribute with the final clue of 2025 -
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The Tick Tock Diner.
You’ve just completed one Human Race.
Ready for the next one?
Head back to the home page and register for 2026.