The Amazing Race 2012

Where do I even begin???

This race was truly amazing...and truly exhausting.

I wish I could tell you every detail of our two-day adventure. The places we got to see, the things we got to do and the memories we made as a team. It's incredible how much we did in such a short amount of time.

All I know is team RED had

SO

MUCH

FUN.

We solved over 45 clues in just two days. 

This was TWICE the amount from the race in Chicago.

There were also different "challenges" along the way . 

Some had to be completed by the whole team--like the zip line course. 

Some of the challenges were individual. Like this one...

Greg had to jump in and retrieve a clue that was tied to a rusted pipe underwater.

He didn't even hesitate.

My husband is awesome.

This next one was a picture challenge. We had to find a specific road sign and take a pic with 2 of our teammates in it. ..

This was not the correct sign btw--whoops!

We usually went into the challenges with NO idea about what we were going to do. Meaning, you couldn't always  line up your "best player" so to speak. Plus, we had to always rotate--meaning you couldn't have one person do 2 challenges in a row. Make sense?? 

So....

Some challenges were two-person. Like when Greg pulled me in a wagon around a softball diamond blindfolded. That was fun...and funny looking!

Here's another individual challenge. Nik eating two HUMONGOUS pasties from a restaurant. 

(He actually enjoyed every bit and finished the whole plate in 10 minutes flat)....

And I didn't mind dressing up like Goldie Locks to run around a Bear Farm looking for clues...

But the ultimate physical challenge....

The one we hoped wouldn't be too hard.

The one we NEEDED to close the gap on some teams ahead of us.

The challenge said something like, 

"Pick 2 teammates by water and 2 teammates by land to retrieve your next clues"

We could visibly see rowboats down on the water, so we decided as a team to send the boys by "water" thinking they would have the harder task. Us girls set off down the trail on foot guessing that we'd be hiking or running somewhere close-by.

We then got our specific clue to tell us where we were going. 

"Follow the blue trail to the Upper Falls"

Jamie and I sprinted down the boardwalk trail for maybe 200 feet and that's when we saw it. 

The sign that said,

"4 MILES"

Ummm, boy did we RUN...

and RUN

and RUN.

This was not a nice smooth, flat trail either. About 90% of it was full of tree roots that stuck up a couple inches. I was certain one us was going to roll an ankle (we didn't). We just kept running and running. There were hills, stairs, and winding trails only 5 inches wide at times. It felt NEVER ENDING. We ran for a good solid hour.

I've never pushed myself so hard. 

In my whole life.

And Jamie and I just kept encouraging each other. We were determined to pass the teams in front of us.

And we DID!

When we finally saw Greg standing at the opening of the trail ahead of us I almost started crying my eyes out. I thought we were never going to get out of that forest.

And this was the picture right after that insane run where we got our next clue....

We ended up falling behind after this point in the overall race, but that was definitely my #1 Amazing Race highlight. Hands down.

Other things we did but I didn't get pictures of:

- I shot a gun. A real live gun people. We all got to shoot at a clay pigeon as one of the team challenges.

- Nik ate 75% of a fish he caught RAW. No lie.

- Jamie and Greg kayaked out on a lake to find a clue in the middle of the water.

- Nik dislocated a rib trying to get a Nutrigrain bar in the back of the van. Also not kidding.

- We played disc golf as a team on the hardest course ever with the worst plastic frisbee ever. Don't ask what our score was.
- Jamie did one of the fastest memory challenges I've ever seen.

- There were so many beautiful lookouts and beaches we saw (for very brief moments that is).

Team RED placed 5th overall in the race. But, we were all so proud of ourselves for never giving up, and having (mostly) good attitudes throughout. What a great experience to have with good friends!

If you EVER hear of one in your area, get yourself signed up!

It's one of the best experiences you will ever have. Seriously.

***

I was finally able to upload a clip from the race after I posted this.

We were often unsure of our whereabouts. This clip is a perfect example...

We ended up going exactly where the next clue was. It was just a LONG drive through the middle of nowhere.