Tasks, Challenges, and Activities
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Consider not only what tasks teams will perform, but the location at which they will perform them. Use the resources you have available to you. Be prepared to ask around your social group to find out where people work, or where their friends work, these could be possible stopovers.
Remember to vary the types of places you go to. Choose some that are busy, some that are quiet, some urban, some out in the countryside.
It is important to think about whether a public location will suit your group. If you think they might be a bit unruly, it is better to keep away from places like shopping centres, etc. I speak from experience!
Other places you might like to try; public parks or reserves, tourist information centres, friends houses, beaches or rivers, !
Be prepared to involve people you know who work in the local area. If you happen to know the night manager at a local shop, then organise to drop in. Go directly to shops you are interested in, even if you don’t know anyone. Ask if they would be willing to be involved in your groups Amazing Race.
Businesses may be willing to help if you offer to give them a certificate of appreciation! You can print one up in something like MSWord.
Examples of activities you could run are below.
The Race itself often includes challenges such as; eating large amounts of food, eating disgusting foods, counting a large number of items (eg tables in a shopping centre fod court), finding an item/items or people, finding a shop or location, carrying items long distances, assembling a difficult structure.
Generally it’s better to choose activities that rely on luck or strategy. Try to avoid activities that require strength, because some people may have trouble. Ideally, plan the activities so that everyone can participate fully.
If you’re planning the race in a large or unfamiliar area, make sure that teams at least have a number they can call if they get totally lost. It’s probably an idea to design your own flag & logo, and put it up at the locations teams will be visiting.
Park a car in a busy area, and ask groups to find it. They can identify the car only based on a yellow envelope on the dashboard (or something similar). The make, model and colour of the car are not given.
Teams could go to a local park and must find the tree with an envelope attached to it to find their next clue.
There are often tasks which require teams to go out of their comfort zones and ask total strangers for help. Do this only if you think it is safe to do so.
Give each team an item (anything, toilet brush, yo yo, dog biscuit, fake afro, etc. They must take photos of ten total strangers holding the item.
Make a set of cards, that when arranged, will form a sentence. Cover the cards in contact or laminate them. Find a small body of water, and float the cards in it.
Teams must get all the cards using any means possible (some may be desperate enough to swim) and assemble them for the next clue. The sentence on the cards can tell them where to go next.
To make it easier to organise, make several set of cards, with each set a different colour. Teams must collect one set only. This means you can have several teams trying to get them at the same time.
Give teams a ’shopping list’ at a certain shop. Teams do not necessarily have to buy items. They can simply write the prices of items on the list.
If you know someone working at the store, teams should show them the list, and they will be given their next clue.
The Amazing Race always includes an activity that involves giving something to people in need. Maybe teams could buy something from a shop, then must give it to a local homeless shelter to receive their next clue.
Put clue envelopes in various letterboxes around the local area. Give teams a list of the addresses, and teams must go to ONE of the letterboxes to get their next clue (Note: Opening someone’s letterbox may be illegal in some countries – please check first!).
Teams must take into account that if they go to one of the closer letterboxes another team may have already been there and got that clue. Put some addresses close, others further away.
If you can’t do that, give the clues to the owners of the houses, and teams must knock on the door.
An eating challenge can never go astray. Send the teams to an eatery, where they must work their way through a large quantity of food before getting their next clue.
Suggestions include; ice cream, cake, fruit. Be creative!
