Teams battle cold weather and take on challenges in fifth Amazing Race held in Redfield

By Shiloh Appel
On Saturday, September 29th, the Redfield Wesleyan Church held the fifth Amazing Race for youth in Redfield. With temperatures dipping into the 30’s and low 40’s, the day was much colder than previous years, but the young contestants battled the odds to the end.

The race was first introduced by former Redfield Wesleyan pastors Josh and Marly Kendrick in 2011 and is based on the hit reality TV show by the same name in which teams of two race around the world, stopping at various “pit stops” and completing tasks in order to be the first team to make it to the finish line.
This year, six teams gathered under the gray, overcast sky at the old Redfield Wesleyan Church and received their first clue. The race was on, and the chilly air was charged with energy and excitement as the teams all ran to the Tri-County Good Samaritan Center, their first “pit stop” or “station”. Contestants went door to door to gather three canned items per team for the Good Samaritan Center, prayed for Redfield residents and carried an egg throughout the race, aiming to get to the end without breaking it. At other pit stops, contestants competed blindfolded in a maze, opened boxes that were sealed with tape, wire and twine with various tools to find their clues, dug through mud and water for specified checkers, completed an accuracy throw, answered trivia questions, took on the “gross foods” challenge of eating whatever they pulled out of a mystery box, and much more.
The first team to finish the race about two and a half hours after starting was “Team Clueless,” Dakotah Appel and Caleb Johnson. Coming in second were “The Strike Outs,” Tarryn Bleess and Natasha Appel. The third place team “The Jalapeño Hotties,” were Camryn Nelson and Justine Jacobs. “Team Try Hard,” Ethan DeYoung and Kory Kraft took fourth place. Overcoming a setback, “Team No Name,” Maxson and Jackson Sandoz caught up to take a solid fifth place and “The Kickin’ Chickans,” Kaylin Kraft and Lola Sandoz finished strong in sixth place.
Contestants and volunteers enjoyed  a meal  of grilled burgers made by pastor Adrian Timmons, chips, cookies and brownies at the end of the race. Ace Hardware, The Redfield Food Center, Simply Charming, Carpets Plus, State Farm Insurance, Appel’s Quick Stop, Mike’s Mattresses, Redfield Energy, Redfield Computer Services and Leo’s Good Food all donated prizes and funds to support the Amazing Race this year. Many individual donors helped make the race possible as well.