Martin Parnell

One of my favourite shows on TV is The Amazing Race.

Teams of two travel around the world, solving clues and doing incredible tasks like zip-lining down a mountain and eating exotic foods.

Well, on Aug. 13, I was involved in a “mini” Amazing Race, called City Chase. It was held in Toronto and had over 600 teams of two people. This series has been going since 2003 and is held in a number of cities in Canada, including Calgary.

The winners go to the national final, which this year is being held in October in Halifax.

City Chase is a global phenomenon, with 16 countries participating and each year there is a world championship.

In the past three years these events have raised more than $500,000 for the children’s charity Right To Play (RTP).

The City Chase crowd. Photo courtesy Martin Parnell

On Aug. 13 I drove down from Sudbury and, at 8.15 a.m., arrived at the Toronto Metro Hall. The race was scheduled to start at 10. By the time I got there people were already milling around and picking up their race packages.

I met Sarah Stern from Right To Play and she said I would be giving a little pep talk before the start.

I didn’t have a partner for the race so Sarah had asked for a volunteer from the staff at the RTP office.

Christine Wong very bravely stepped forward for this monumental challenge.

It was going to be a hot and humid day. The theme for the event was the ’70s and a number of teams dressed as hippies.

Martin Parnell eats a worm as part of CityChase Toronto. Photo submitted.

At 9.50 a.m., I was called on stage and announced that every $50 raised would provide one child with a Right To Play program for one year and wished everyone the best of luck.

At 10 a.m. the gun went off and more than 1,200 competitors set off for Union Station.

Each team was tasked with getting 10 ChasePoints. There are two groups of clues and you must get three compulsory points in each. There are 40 points to choose from and you have six hours to complete the event. The other option is the “Enduro” event where you get as many ChasePoints as you can in the allotted time.

Christine and I arrived at Union Station and picked up our clue sheet.

Then Christine hit the smart phone. She had lined up another RTP employee, Sergio, to help with the clues. He was on a laptop and helped us plan our route. In many ways Christine and I were the perfect team, she knew the city and was good with technology, while I have an encyclopedic knowledge of ’70s trivia.

Martin's partner in crime for the challenge, Christine Wong with a snake scarf. Photo submitted

Christine led the way and during the day we walked, ran and jumped on and off buses, trolleys and subway cars. To be honest I didn’t have a clue where we were going but I felt we were making good time.

At each ChasePoint we had to do a task. The most memorable being running on a treadmill for the amount of calories equalling a chocolate bar, pulling a vehicle (not a smart car) and eating a worm. Also, Christine had to wear a snake.

We arrived at the finish in five hours, 22 minutes and 38 seconds, good enough for 137th out of 600. Not bad for a couple of rookies!

I had tracked the distance covered. We had walked or ran 12 kilometres but travelled a total distance of 29. What a blast! The Calgary event was held on June 11 this year. I am definitely going to enter next year. Now all I need is a partner with a smart phone.

© 2011 Martin Parnell

mjparnell@shaw.ca

www.marathonquest250.com

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