[Crickhollow] The Amazing Race Around Middle-earth!

[Gilgamoth]

Hello wonderful Crickhollow friends,

Remember a time when we first got our warsteeds and we were SO excited to have mounted combat in LOTRO? Well, nowadays mounted combat has become more or less a thing of the past; meanwhile, riding a warsteed just to get somewhere for questing/deeding faster gets boring after a while. Wouldn't you agree?

So this summer, why not race around Middle-earth on horseback for fun and maybe even win some HUGE prizes?

That's right; it's the first-ever Amazing Race Around Middle-earth!

Based loosely off of Belladonea's 2020 warsteed race to the Black Gate, this race will take you from Thorin's Gate to Lorien, then to Dol Amroth, then the Black Gate, then Dale, and finally, all the way back home to Michel Delving in The Shire! All you need to participate in this one-of-a-kind race is a warsteed and a goat for Moria (yes, we WILL be passing through Moria in this race)!

So we invite you to mount up, practice your warsteed riding skills, and join us at Thorin's Gate on June 19th, 2022, at 1pm server time/EST for some racing fun! See you there!

Group practice runs are also welcome anytime from now until the big race starts!

Want more information? Feel free to reply here or join the LOTRO Roving Threats Discord server (credits go to Starr/Jaocynthe for giving me permission to post this): https://discord.gg/KCS5AV8a

[Jaocynthe]

Here you go, Gilgamoth. LOVE LOVE your poster!!!

-Starr of Crickhollow (and 140 alts on all servers)

[Gilgamoth]

--- QUICK UPDATE ---

I currently have 2 group practice runs for the race, scheduled as follows:

- Apr. 24: Leg 4 (Black Gate to Dale) -- meet at the Black Gate
- May 22: Leg 5 (Dale to Michel Delving) -- meet at the south entrance to Dale

1pm server time (EST) for both dates.

As before, anyone wishing to practice riding for the big race on June 19th may do so at any time before that day.

If you wish to practice any of the 3 previous legs that have already been covered, here are the routes and start locations:

- Leg 1: Thorin's Gate to the Vineyards of Lorien (start at the top of the stairs in Thorin's Gate); must ride through Moria (goat required). Target time: 45 minutes (subject to change due to U33)
- Leg 2: Lorien to Dol Amroth (start at the Vineyards of Lorien stable); must ride through the Paths of the Dead and Tarlang's Neck. Target time: 30 minutes
- Leg 3: Dol Amroth to the Black Gate (start at the stable in Dol Amroth); must ride through Pelargir and pre-battle Osgiliath. Target time: 35 minutes

Good luck with practice, and we hope to see you at the big race this summer!

[Gilgamoth]

--- QUICK UPDATE #2 ---

Today (05/22) at 1pm server time is the LAST group practice run before the main race on June 19th. We will meet near the stables in Dale and ride through the Misty Mountains and Bree-town, and then across the Brandywine Bridge, to the finish line in Michel Delving (The Shire, 34.1s, 75.0w). If you wish to participate, all you need is a warsteed (no speed buffs, please!).

Also, if you wish to practice any of the other legs of the race (or even the entire race as a whole), here are the routes:

- Leg 1: Thorin's Gate to the Vineyards of Lorien (start at the top of the stairs in Thorin's Gate); must ride through Moria (goat required). Target time: 50 minutes (as of U33 due to the inclusion of Yondershire)
- Leg 2: Lorien to Dol Amroth (start at the Vineyards of Lorien stable); must ride through the Paths of the Dead and Tarlang's Neck. Target time: 30 minutes
- Leg 3: Dol Amroth to the Black Gate (start at the Dol Amroth stable); must ride through Pelargir and pre-battle Osgiliath. Target time: 35 minutes
- Leg 4: The Black Gate to Dale (start near the interactive horse at the Black Gate); must ride through North Mirkwood. Target time: 65 minutes

Good luck with practice, and we hope to see you at the big race in just one month!

[Gilgamoth]

--- QUICK UPDATE #3 ---

As of this past Sunday, group practices are officially DONE! That means the next in-game event regarding the race will be - you guessed it - the main event!

Signups are now officially OPEN! If you wish to reserve your spot in advance use this link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...rm?usp=sf_link

If the above link doesn't work, then try this link OR copy/paste into your browser: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...gVcjA/viewform

Space is first-come, first-serve and limited to the first 48 signups. Walk-ins will be accepted on race day if we have space left over.

If you missed a group practice session, or if you just want to check out each individual leg of the race for yourself, here is the lineup:

- Leg 1: Thorin's Gate to the Vineyards of Lorien (start at the top of the stairs in Thorin's Gate; end at the Vineyards of Lorien stable); must ride through Moria (goat required). Target time: 50 minutes
- Leg 2: Lorien to Dol Amroth (start at the Vineyards of Lorien stable; end at the Dol Amroth stable); must ride through the Paths of the Dead and Tarlang's Neck. Target time: 30 minutes
- Leg 3: Dol Amroth to the Black Gate (start at the Dol Amroth stable; end at the interactive horse at the Black Gate); must ride through Pelargir and pre-battle Osgiliath. Target time: 35 minutes
- Leg 4: The Black Gate to Dale (start near the interactive horse at the Black Gate; end at the stable in Dale); must ride through North Mirkwood. Target time: 65 minutes
- Leg 5: Dale to Michel Delving (start at the stable in Dale); must ride past the West Stables in Bree and across Brandywine Bridge. The finish line is located at 34.1 S, 75.0 W in Michel Delving, and you must reach it within 60 minutes or you automatically fail and are ineligible for the grand prize. Target time: 45 minutes

See you guys on June 19th!

[Cordovan]

This seems like it is going to be a really great event, have fun!

[Gilgamoth]

--- QUICK UPDATE #4 ---

As of 5/29/22 at 10:30 pm EST, there are currently 47 slots open for The Amazing Race Around Middle-earth! As a reminder, you are NOT required to sign up ahead of time unless you wish to reserve a spot in advance.

Here is the link again if you do wish to sign up: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1F...rm?usp=sf_link

Good luck, and we'll see you on the 19th!

--- EDIT (PLEASE READ - VERY IMPORTANT!) ---

It has come to my attention that even with the "collect email" option in Google Docs turned off, the site still requests an email address for whatever reason (seriously, Google, back off!).
To bypass this issue, here is an ALTERNATE, FULLY-IN-GAME process to sign up (thanks to Mima in the LOTRO RT Discord for suggesting this):

1) Log into the game using the character you wish to enter into the race. Be sure you are on the CRICKHOLLOW server.
2) Send answers to the following questions to GILGAMOTH (that's me) via in-game mail:

- Character level? (minimum is 71; suggested is 110+)
- Do you have the Journeyman Riding Trait? (this question will determine whether you will need to use Smell The Roses, so you MUST answer yes or no)
- Do you have a goat AND a warsteed? (Remember that goats are required for Moria! Even a 32% or 62% speed goat will work.)

3) Wait for an in-game confirmation reply mail from me, and then you're all set! All you need to do after that is practice and get ready!

Apologies for any prior inconvenience.

[Gilgamoth]

--- QUICK UPDATE #5 ---

As of this reply (June 6) there are still 44 slots open for The Amazing Race Around Middle-earth. Only 13 more days to the big race, so if you wish to sign up, don't wait too long!

Again, if you wish to sign up, simply send me (Gilgamoth) an in-game mail answering these questions:

- Character level?
- Do you have Journeyman Riding Trait?
- Do you have a goat AND a warsteed?

Good luck to all participants, and we'll see you at Thorin's Gate on June 19th at 1pm server time!

[Jaocynthe]

Looking forward to the Race. Thank you, Gilgamoth!

[Gilgamoth]

3 days left until the big race! Are y'all ready?

[Gilgamoth]

The Amazing Race Around Middle-earth is over! Here are the final tallies:

Harnhun took 4 out of 5 legs, including the checkered flag, and is our GRAND PRIZE WINNER!

Starr, despite not taking any legs of the race, has placed SECOND!

Latiana, despite finishing THIRD, surprised the in-game community with an amazing shortcut play on Leg 4 and has won that leg's prize, preventing Harnhun from sweeping all 5!

In all, a total of 7 competitors took part in today's race. Of them, 2 were eliminated on Leg 1 due to death by falling, 1 was eliminated on Leg 2 due to death by falling, and 1 dropped out on Leg 4 and was hence eliminated.

We also had plenty of spectators for today's race scattered all across Middle-earth, including, but not limited to, in The Shire and Bree-town!

Finally, special shoutouts to Cordovan for providing prize codes for today's event, to Starr for helping to promote this event, to Belladonea for inspiring me to create this event, and to all our fathers both in-game and IRL (yes, today is also Father's Day)! You guys are all awesome!

[Luventhariel]

It was so much fun to watch the play-by-plays in World Chat! Rooting for everyone! The tension and excitement! How will they do entering Osgiliath? Dancing at Shirefest while keeping one eye on WC to see who's in the lead!

Thanks for putting this together for Crickhollow!

[Jaocynthe]

The Amazing Race was a great party. I enjoyed it so much!

It was fun to run with Eth and Denwe again. I want to give a shout-out to Kytraan for running alongside us, shouting encouragement, for the entire race even after he lagged off a cliff during the first leg. And a shout-out to Willi (sorry I don't remember your whole name) who took an astonishing detour through the Old Forest and still managed to beat me to Bree-town on the first leg.

I found myself running with Latiana at some of the tricky parts of the race, in Moria, in the dark forests of North Mirkwood, coming down the cliffs in the Trollshaws, coming down the cliffs in Misty Mountains, and I have enormous respect for her race and navigation skills. The only reason I placed ahead of her was that we encountered severe lag arriving together in Michel Delving and were staring at each other, unmoving, a few meters from the finish line, until the lag slingshot flung me across.

Congrats to Harnhun who is a most satisfactory winner for this event, not only because he led us gallantly through the maze of Middle Earth, but also for his kindness, encouragement, enthusiasm and sportmanship. I want to mention that his band, Telimektar, did an amazing set at Shirefest on Saturday, including an incredible theatrical number about the Crickhollow Roving Threats group.

Thank you to Gilgamoth for organizing this event, and to SSG and Cordovan for supporting it.

-Starr of Crickhollow (and 140 alts across all servers)