It will be “The Amazing Race” with an Elmira twist on May 5 as teams of two  come together at the Elmira Legion to participate in the 6th annual Wild Woolwich Challenge, organized by Woolwich Community Services.

Participants will navigate Elmira on foot to 10 different community landmarks with the help of cryptic clues. At each location they will have to complete a task or participate in a challenge to receive their next clue, and racers will meet back at the Legion where those with the best time will receive a range of prizes, including gift certificates and gift baskets.

The challenges contestants will face, as well as the landmarks they will travel to, are being kept a secret, but based on previous years the competitors should be in for an entertaining morning.

“One of the really fun events that we had last year was at the fire hall,” said Leigh-Anne Quinn, community resources coordinator for WCS. “The teams dressed up in fire gear and had to drag a hose and had to turn the hose on and spray it at a target and knock it over.”

The fundraising goal this year is $8,000, with proceeds going to support the range of resources and support programs offered by WCS throughout the year, including the job board, the Family Violence Prevention Program, the backpack program, the Woolwich food bank and the youth centre.

“The whole theme of the day is just to have fun. Some people are in it to win it and others are just there to have fun and help raise money for a good cause.”

The cost to register is $15 per person, and participants will be given a pledge form where a minimum of $100 is required to participate. Pledges over $100 will have their entry fees returned and those with more than $200 in pledges will receive a ballot to win a refurbished laptop courtesy of Reality Bytes.

Those with more than $250 in pledges will receive an extra ballot for the laptop, and there will also be prizes awarded for 1st, 2nd and 3rd overall finishers. Participants will also receive a t-shirt, refreshments, snacks and lunch after the event.
Last year saw some 14 teams compete for the prize, and Quinn hopes for more this year.

“We encourage people to bring their spouse out, bring their best friend out, bring a sibling out; it’s totally up to you who you might want to race with.”

The race starts at 9 a.m. at the Legion where participants are blindfolded and taken to various points throughout town, and the race should take about 2.5 hours to complete. To register a team stop in at the WCS office at 73 Arthur St. S. Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information contact Quinn at (519) 669-5139.