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The Great Amazing Race

What Is It?

Uplift Events is proud to present Melbourne with the 2012 Great Amazing Race which is a hybrid of the popular Melbourne Amazing Race® and the Great Melbourne Pursuit. Since 2005 Uplift Events have enabled Melburnians to experience the thrill and excitement of an Amazing Race! Do NOT miss out on Melbourne’s ultimate urban adventure race as there will only be a limited number of spots available!

Competing in teams of 2, competitors will race around Melbourne visiting famous landmarks and locations while completing a variety of activities along the way. Teams will race against the clock and other teams, deciphering clues and puzzles as they navigate their way through the course, relying on their teamwork to try and complete the mandatory challenges in the least amount of time.

The event is made up of the Pursuit, Challenge and Collect Stages from the Great Melbourne Pursuit, and also features the Amazing Race Stage. Just like the television series, teams will also receive Obstacle (Roadblock) or Decision (Detour) Clue Cards during the Amazing Race Stage.

After receiving the clue sheet at the start of the race, teams need to decipher the clues and map out the best route for the race to try and complete all the mandatory stages in the least amount of time. There is no set course and the stages can be completed in any order. Each stage may comprise of a variety of fun, mental, thrilling and physical challenges! (See below for a definition of each of the stages).

This year the Great Amazing Race will be scored on a points system. Each Pursuit, Challenge, Collect and Amazing Race Stage will attract a certain amount of points. The team that collects the required minimum number of points from each of the stages in the least amount of time wins the event. There are NO bonus points for doing more stages than the required minimum – it is still the quickest to cross the finish line!

Competitors from all ages and fitness levels can enter in this fun filled day. If you think you have got what it takes and want to have a fantastic day out, gather your partner, work colleague or friend to test your skills and teamwork against other competitors in the Great Amazing Race! Not only will you be participating in a truly unique and fun experience, you will also be racing for a great cause as the event will be proudly supporting the The Royal Children’s Hospital.

Competition Information

Race Cost

TBC

Team Sizes

Teams of 2

Team Categories

Social or Competitive (see definitions below)
Male / Female / Mixed

Age Restriction

The minimum age we recommend to compete is 12 years old with a good fitness level. If you are under 16 years old you must have an adult (18 years or older) as your team member. All participants under 18 years of age must have their guardian sign the waiver form prior to participating.

Date & Time

August or September 2012 (TBC)

Start / Finish Location

TBC

Course

The Great Amazing Race course covers all parts of the Melbourne CBD & inner suburbs. Competitors are treated with visits to various famous landmarks and fun activities during the event, seeing parts of Melbourne that they never knew existed. Public transport (tram, bus or train) and foot are the only means of travel permitted in the Great Amazing Race (unless otherwise specified).

What Is Provided

Each team will be provided with:

  • Race bibs
  • A Great Amazing Race t-shirt for all competitors to wear on the day of the race.
  • Great Amazing Race clue sheet
  • Great Amazing Race Clue Cards for The Amazing Race Stage
  • A3 black & white race map
  • All equipment, entry and props for all activities on the day
  • Show bag full of goodies and promotions for each participant from the many supporters of the event

What To Bring

  • A competitive race spirit, comfortable shoes (preferably runners), appropriate clothing depending on the weather, sunglasses & sunscreen.
  • Plenty of water, food and snacks to keep you going throughout the day.
  • Hydration packs (to avoid carrying bottles of water)
  • Mobile Phone (team captains must have their phone with them and turned on at all times)
  • Small amount of cash.
  • Pens, highlighters, markers and paper.
  • A valid Zone 1 MET ticket (or Myki card) for travel on public transport.
  • Your own detailed maps of the Melbourne CBD and inner suburbs.
  • Map case or a plastic cover for the map (in case it is wet).
  • Small backpack or a bag

How To Register

To be notified of our next public Great Amazing Race, please subscribe to our FREE newsletter by clicking here.

Fundraising


The Great Amazing Race allows competitors to raise funds for the Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation and have family, friends and colleagues sponsor them. The Royal Children’s Hospital Foundation have partnered with Everyday Hero to provide an online fundraising webpage for each participant. In just minutes you can build your own ‘Hero‘ page and email your unique link to family, friends and colleagues to help support the cause by making a donation for the event. Each donation is recorded on your page along with any message of support from your supporters.

Help Promote / Information Pack

An information pack and flyer will be available in early 2012 to download.

Sponsors

If you or your organisation are interested in becoming a sponsor or partner for the 2012 Great Amazing Race, please contact Sam on 0425 887 385 or e-mail sam.tram@upliftevents.com.au. The event provides an excellent opportunity for organisations to raise their profile and the general public’s awareness of their product/services while supporting a fantastic event to raise funds to support the Royal Children’s Hospital.

Team Uniform

Part of the fun and spirit of the event is not only the race itself but the team uniforms! Teams are encouraged to come dressed in a team uniform on the day of the event (entirely optional). Many competitors do take the extra effort to make spectacular team uniforms. The last few public events have seen some of the most colourful and entertaining team uniforms on display. Uplift Events recognises this effort and awards a small prize to a team that is judged by Uplift Events as having the best team uniform on the day! So get cracking on designing your uniforms!

Photos

Not sure what to expect from our public events? Maybe you’d like to see some of the challenges from past events to give you an idea on what this exciting event is all about. Visit the photo gallery and view the photos from our past public events. We promise each event will always have a range of fun, exciting and new challenges with plenty of surprises!

Race Glossary

Stages

CHALLENGE STAGE
A Challenge Stage is a stage in which the team must complete a task or activity when they arrive at a location. There will be several of these stages scattered throughout the race. Each Challenge Stage has an ‘opening time’ in which the stage must be visited and completed. The opening times will be listed on the Great Amazing Race Clue Sheet on the day of the race. Each Challenge Stage will be worth a certain number of points. Challenges that are harder or further away maybe worth more points. All Challenge Stages will be supervised by officials. When the team has successfully completed a Challenge Stage, the official will punch the team’s bib. The official will not punch the team’s bib if the stage is missed or not completed. Teams must collect a minimum total number of Challenge Stage points to avoid any time penalties.

COLLECT STAGE
A Collect Stage is a stage in which certain items listed in the Great Amazing Race Clue Sheet will have to be found, collected or purchased. There will be several of these stages scattered throughout the race. Each Collect Stage will be worth a certain number of points. Items collected from the Collect Stages must be shown to the officials at the end of the race as evidence that the Collect Stages have been completed successfully. Teams must collect a minimum total number of Collect Stage points to avoid any time penalties.

PURSUIT STAGE
A Pursuit Stage is a stage in which the team will have to visit a location as indicated on the Great Amazing Race Clue Sheet. Often, the team will have to decipher clues to work out the exact location of a Pursuit Stage. There will be several of these stages scattered throughout the race. Some Pursuit Stages may be supervised by officials, and others may not be. If a Pursuit Stage is supervised by an official, the team must get their bib punched by the official. If a Pursuit Stage is not supervised by an official, the team must look for the Pursuit Marker and punch their bib themselves for that stage. Each Pursuit Stage will be worth a certain number of points. Teams must collect a minimum total number of Pursuit Stage points to avoid any time penalties.

AMAZING RACE STAGE
An Amazing Race Stage is a stage in which the team must complete a leg of an Amazing Race by following the Race Info clue cards and completing the Obstacle (Roadblock) and Decision (Detour) challenges they encounter. Just like the TV series, each location in the Amazing Race Stage will only be revealed via a clue card when the team has either completed a challenge, or arrived at the location indicated on the clue card. When the team has reached the end of the Amazing Race leg (final location), the official will punch the team’s bib. The Amazing Race leg will be worth a certain amount of points and must be completed to avoid any time penalties.

RACE INFO
A card that either has a clue or information on the location of the next stage of the race. When a team receives a RACE INFO card, they must either solve the clue to find the location of their next destination, or simply navigate their way to the location indicated on the card.

DECISION
Otherwise also known as a DETOUR, it is a choice between two different ways to accomplish a goal or reach a destination. On the surface, one may seem easy but involves some sort of twist; the other may seem difficult but in the end may be the quicker choice. If a team starts one task and finds it too difficult, they may elect to do the other task BUT must first see and advise the race official that they are changing tasks! If the team cannot finish either task, then they may elect to take a time penalty – the duration will be decided by the official.

OBSTACLE
A task in which a certain number or all team members of the team must participate in and complete in order to move onto the next leg of the race (this will be determined at the obstacle point when the team receives their task). There are no alternative tasks and the team member(s) must perform the task successfully to complete the obstacle. If the team cannot finish the task, then they may elect to take a time penalty – the duration will be decided by the official.

Team Categories

SOCIAL
The Social category is suited to teams who want to enjoy the race at a more leisurely pace with other social racers. This category is recommended for teams with minors and those who are not overly fit and do not wish to compete with athletes or experienced competitors. Teams that register in the Social Category will be required to collect fewer points than the Competitive Category.

COMPETITIVE
The Competitive category is suited to teams who want to take their racing more seriously, and who are more physically active. They will have to tackle more stages to complete the event with no time penalties. This category would be recommended for teams who have competed in a previous Uplift Events’ event, and to those teams who would classify themselves as ‘hardcore’ racers. Training and preparation would be recommended if you are racing in the competitive category. Teams that register in the Competitive Category will be required to collect more points than the Social Category.