Amazing!

Last Saturday afternoon, we held the Amazing Race road rally for church. It was supposed to be done during our family month in August, but because of complications had to be delayed until now. Planning and set up was the most difficult part of the race (at least for us). In preparation, Sue spent hours with a friend making up clues to be deciphered. Naturally, it wasn't the scale of TV's Amazing Race, but it was just as exciting.

After doing the race, one contestant suggested that we should have posted a warning at the start: "not recommended for pregnant women or people with heart conditions". There were over thirty people involved, between folks posted at each stop and families and friends in cars.

The first clue was given as they left church, to be deciphered in the car. At each stop, when the challenge was completed they would receive the next clue that would lead them to the next stop and challenge.

Challenges were different at each stop, with eight stops all around town before ending up back at church.
They had to play different games at the church property.

Going into the mall they had to count tables in the food court. They had to do artwork using colored chalk on the stage at the main park in town.

Adding up prices on the backboard at McDonalds.

They had to get the correct totals and have them approved before going ahead.

Getting items at a local grocery store (which was previously a soccer club where Pelê used to play) and taking a picture with them, then returning them to the shelves.

Along the way, they had to find words on billboards and find election candidates and their numbers for the upcoming election for bonus points.

We figured the whole race would take about two hours to complete.

The first car to pull in arrived after one hour, forty-five minutes, with the second family a couple minutes behind them.

The last car came in just under two and a half hours. (They had stayed for a burger and fries while at McDonalds.)

Everyone made it safely through the whole race and ended up at the final stop, back at church, for presentation of awards and supper.

It was an amazing race!