Teens of Port Alberni have the opportunity to race around the community, in teams of two, performing physical and mental challenges for the championship title and a prize worth close to $500.
Port Alberni’s Amazing Race was organized by youth in the Valley who volunteer with the City of Port Alberni Parks, Recreation and Heritage department.
The event has already been postponed once, originally dated to take place in July, due to a lack of participants and is now scheduled for Saturday, August 20.
Sixteen-year-old Samuel Tsai is one of the core organizers for the Amazing Race who is passionate about bringing more youth friendly events to the Valley. He said currently there are only two teams signed up for the race and at least six more teams are needed in order for the race to happen.
“It's always hard to pick up a new event,” Tsai said. “Hopefully this picks up and becomes a big thing.”
Racers aged 13 to 19 can still sign up until Monday, Aug. 15 and registration forms can be picked up at Echo Centre. Alternatively, interested participants can private message Samuel Tsai on Facebook to request PDF forms over the weekend.
The race requires teams to trek around the city to six locations, including the Harbour Quay, Canal Beach, the museum and the Alberni Valley Multiplex, where various tasks will be set up for contestants to complete before moving on. Participants will travel both by foot and by bikes supplied by Alien Sports.
Tsai said a lot of preparation and planning has went into organizing the race and he worries it won’t be able to unfold this year if teams don’t sign up by Monday.
“It was a learning experience,” he said. “We will know what to improve for next year now.”
Visit the Port Alberni Amazing Race Facebook page for more information.https://www.facebook.com/events/252667881755836/
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