Expect a second annual Urban Adventure Race in 2014, as this year’s 1st annual event was a spectacular success, despite there only being 4 teams entered into the race.
The first place team as they round the buoy, heading back to shore to complete the Girl Scout’s Camp Gamble challenge.
Those four teams had a blast, and without a doubt, through the many twists, turns and challenges in it, certainly, at least for a moment or two, felt as if they were on the hit television show “The Amazing Race.”
Being a fundraiser for United Way of Lamar County, all proceeds went to their cause, and each of the challenges and ‘stops’ (obstacles) throughout the course were held at or by partners and affiliates of United Way — Girl and Boy Scouts, YWCA, Red River Down Syndrome Society, Boys & Girls Club, Archers for Christ, the Paris Fire Department, Lamar County Human Resources Council (Meals on Wheels) and CASA for Kids.
Commencing around 8am from the Paris Middle School parking lot, each team entered their specified vehicle and were rather speedily taken to their first challenge. At each of the stops, the teams were to complete a physical and mental challenge, in turn giving them each a puzzle piece and a clue to their next destination. If they could complete the challenge and guess the clue, they were set to go to the next stop.
The puzzle pieces gained at each stop after completing the goal there were collected and kept by the racers to complete a large, final puzzle at the end. The team that could do all these things and then complete the large puzzle at the end in the shortest amount of time won.
Part of the Fire Dept.’s challenge was to drag the hose and then use it to hose a small bucket off of a barrel — this proved harder than it looked.
The array of challenges ranged from obstacle courses, kayaking, eating a donut from a string with no hands, wheel chair basketball, as well as archery shooting.
Most notably as a challenge was designed by the Paris Fire Department, which took place at their training area near the RRV Fair Grounds. Before receiving their puzzle piece, each team had to dress in full emergency firefighter gear, helmet included and then carry a large and very heavy rolled hose up and then back down three floors. That’s not all though. Then — still in full firefighter gear — each team member had to hit an iron block with a sledge hammer, moving it a specified distance — a mechanism used to train firemen to effectively use an ax — only then to run and drag a fire hose 50 feet and to spray a target bucket. And, finally, to complete this extensive challenge, the teammates had to drag a 180 pound dummy body a designated distance. They then could receive their puzzle piece and be on their way.
At other stops, such as Meals on Wheels challenge, contestants were made to eat a donut hanging from a string on a pole with their hands tied behind their back and the pole held by another teammate. At Camp Gamble, the Girl Scouts challenge required a half mile run to the shore of the lake, only to get in a kayak and boat over 100 yards into the water, around a buoy, and back. After that, pull the kayak back on shore, run the half mile back to their drivers vehicle, and head to the next stop.
Kim Sledd (left) and Courtney Dawes, two main organizers of the event for United Way, hold a completed team puzzle after the race’s completion.
At another stop, teammates had to shoot two arrows a piece into a target at the Archers for Christ challenge, played wheelchair basketball, required to make shots in the basket from the wheelchair, at YWCA, and also went to Woodall Field to gather clues from Buddy Baseball players with the Red River Valley Down Syndrome Society, directing them to their next location.
These are only to mention a few of the challenges. There were nine puzzle pieces, only obtained by completing the nine challenges. Once they were obtained by each time, their drivers then drove them back to the starting point — Paris Middle School parking lot — where they had to assemble a large United Way puzzle (approximately 15×11 inches) to complete the entire Urban Adventure Race.
Dylan’s Drivers stepped up and volunteer to provide all transportation and drivers for the entire race.
The photo gallery below was shot by Josh Allen. Click the thumbnails to enlarge photos. Thank you for reading the Extra! and get ready for Paris’ 2014 Urban Adventure Run. This is one of the coolest events for Paris yet.
