The streets of East Lansing were filled Sunday with groups of people in neon yellow shirts, running around with cell phones in hand, competing in a race to find a $10,000 diamond ring.
At about noon Sunday, 432 teams began lining up at Ralph Young Field to participate in the Becky Beauchine Diamond Dash. Bikes covered the grass, as couples waited to receive their shirts and registration codes to register their cell phones to receive riddles and clues.
“Every phone got texted a different clue so no one could follow each other,” said Michael Magan, an employee of Mobile Phones.
Thirty-five riddles randomly were sent to each team’s phone. A team could text back “hint” to get help on a clue. They had to text the correct answer in order to receive the next clue and get points. The team with the most points at the end of the three-hour span won the diamond.
Arts and humanities junior Lia Greenwell and her boyfriend, urban and regional planning junior Tyler Klifman, won the $10,000 ring and had about 400 points.
“We went all over campus, from the Stadium all the way to Grand River, but it was a good bonding experience,” Greenwell said.
Becky Kulka, the owner of Becky Beauchine Kulka Diamonds and Fine Jewelry, said the event was everything she planned it to be.
“It was better than I could ever hope for,” Kulka said. “We drove around campus and watched all the contestants run around and took pictures of them.”
The mob of yellow waited until about 1 p.m. to receive the first clue, and the race began. During the next three hours, couples received about 10 to 30 text messages that led them all over East Lansing.
“We’d do it again next year, but we would bring bikes,” said Lansing resident Matthew Leslie who raced with his wife, Jennifer. “We were on foot the whole time, but it was fun. No one freaked out. I didn’t push anyone off their bikes.”
There were many reasons teams decided to participate in the event. Lansing resident Deanna Pyle said she was racing with her son James just as something fun to do for the day. One couple wanted the diamond to sell it for a vacation, and another man was racing with his friend so he could propose to his girlfriend.
After three hours were up, the teams arrived at the Walnut Hills Country Club, 2874 E. Lake Lansing Road, where the winner was announced. The ring was waiting in a small purple box the whole time.
“We never hid the ring, it was part of the game,” Magan said. “We could track where everyone was on Google Maps.”
Although only one team won, two participants chose to propose to their girlfriends during the event.
“One girl felt bad that she knew she didn’t win, and her boyfriend pulled out a ring and proposed,” Kulka said.
Those who missed out this year will have the opportunity to participate next year, she said.
“It was so much fun,” Kulka said. “We’re doing it again.”
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