Do you love a challenge?
If the spirit of fun, friendly competition and city pride appeals, it’s time to partner up for the annual UrbaCity Challenge!
The Sept. 23 adventure race through downtown Victoria features a series of challenge stations at local businesses or locations, with all fundraising supporting Island Prostate Centre.
Presented by MAXIMUS Canada and powered by over 100 MAXIMUS Canada volunteers, more than 200 participants are expected, competing in teams of two or four in one of three categories:
1. Fun: Take on the town with thinking and problem-solving challenges! A shorter course and fewer fitness challenges for two-person teams make this the best choice for families and casual competitors of all ages and activity levels.
2. Fierce: Two-person teams ready to test both brain and body will enjoy this longer course with more fitness challenges that still work your noggin!
3. Face-Off: The Corporate Face-off category features four-person teams tackling a combination of puzzles, games and fitness challenges designed around co-operation.
“It’s a race, but you choose your own pace. And it’s a competition, but it’s also a fun way to explore downtown and discover some unique places you might not have experienced before,” says Jonathan Willcocks, the Founder and chief visionary of Pinnacle Pursuits, the UrbaCity course designer. “For me, one of the most fun things is finding that synchronicity between the event and the host location.”
In a previous year, a station at the Oswego Hotel had racers make up a room to the hotel’s exacting standards, right down to the chocolate on the pillow, with their efforts evaluated against a 14-point checklist. Another station at the Make House had racers sew a button on a teammate’s shirt. Other challenges, designed by Pinnacle Pursuits, have included playing giant Jenga, paddle boarding, juggling and lots more!
While the exact nature of challenges and locations is new every year, it is always a closely guarded secret until race day – and guaranteed to be lots of fun.
”UrbaCity is kind of what you make of it – it’s for anyone and everyone,” Willcocks says, highlighting the great prizes up for grabs … along with bragging rights, of course!
First, second and third place will be awarded in each race category, along with fundraising prizes. As even greater incentive, exceptional fundraising can also shave minutes off your race time, or provide the option to completely skip a station!
Here’s why that’s important:
All fundraising benefits the Island Prostate Centre. Building on last year’s $62,000 raised, reaching this year’s $70,000 goal would bring them to over $300,000 in total, all to help men right here on Vancouver Island, Willcocks notes.
Visit UrbaCity.ca for more information or to register.
