In the world of hardcore adventure races, The Amazing Race Canada is considered “light fare.”
But tell that to Sam Effah, BComm’14 — who, along with his teammate, Sarah Wells, snagged second place in the latest season — and the Olympic hopeful will tell you otherwise. It may not have been the most physically demanding event that Effah has ever faced, but some of those speed bumps, coupled with cabbie issues and the usual map-reading foolery, did unnerve Effah.
“I’ve always had a fear of heights,” confesses the 30-year-old sprinter, who grew up in Calgary but now calls Toronto home. “So, when I had to do the Primal Swing [46 metres above the Nanaimo River], I was completely terrified. Doing it twice within 10 minutes was brutal.” (Unfortunately, Effah blew the second part of the challenge that required him to correctly recite the ingredients in a Nanaimo bar.)
There is no denying the athleticism on The Amazing Race Canada. From swimming under ice (where the air temperature in Yellowknife was minus-22) and racing dirt bikes, to testing their lacrosse skills, the duo was able to physically claw their way back after a shaky start. A near-elimination happened in Episode 1, which still gives Effah nightmares — and, like knowing what goes into a Nanaimo bar, it had nothing to do with athletic prowess. The challenge was they had to perform a voiceover to part of the then-newly released movie, The Lion King. Effah misunderstood the instructions and thought they had to memorize the text, which set them back two hours.
“Always read your clue, very carefully,” he advises. “I was nervous and lost focus and didn’t properly read the clue . . . but to have been the sole reason for an elimination would have been the worst feeling ever!”
Read the post here https://alumni.ucalgary.ca/stories/sprint-amazing-race-canada