In a decade and a half of Race to Erase, the challenges have stayed pretty fresh, an organizer says.
In a decade and a half of Race to Erase, the challenges have stayed pretty fresh, an organizer says.
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“New ones every year, for the most part” said Rich Bouchard, co-founder of the Amazing Race-inspired event that highlights local businesses and organizations, and raises money for local charities.
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“Like 99.9 per cent” of the challenges every year are new, though there may be familiar elements, he said.
“Even if the location is the same,” the executive director of Hashtag Charitable Foundation added.
Heading into its 16th year — Race to Erase started in Sarnia in 2006, but missed years during the COVID-19 pandemic — the event that tends to feature costume-clad teams taking on timed challenges has raised more than $790,000 to date, Bouchard said.
That includes six years running in Cambridge before the pandemic, and two in London nearly 20 years ago, he said.
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Those versions haven’t summarized, but Sarnia’s is going strong, he said.
“And every year there’s usually one or two new charities,” he said. “So, that kind of breathes some new life… too.”
When Sarnia’s version came back in 2022, about 30 teams raised nearly $28,000.
Last year, nearly 40 teams raised around $43,000, Bouchard said.
“It usually ends up being around $1,000 (a) team,” he said.
Each team of four that enters is tasked with raising a minimum of $500 for one participating charity, he said, noting all proceeds go to the charities.
There are 10 charities this year, he said.
Challenge stops are located throughout Sarnia, and may include one neighboring community this year, Bouchard said. Travel between stops isn’t timed.
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Prizes historically have gone to the top fundraising individual and team, and the team that wins the race.
One of the challenges last year, at Cope Construction, involved an obstacle course including mixing and pouring concrete, while another past event at District Beta involved getting a high enough score fast enough on a virtual-reality video game, Bouchard said.
Participating locations and event organizers generally work together to come up with the challenges, he said.
“We try to really just highlight whatever … the organization is (that’s) participating,” Bouchard said.
This year’s Race to Erase is May 25.
People can sign up at sarnia2024.racetoerase.com.
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