The Southern Ontario Amazing Race (SOAR) may be over, but the fundraising impact the event generated will go a long way to help the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington.
This year marked the 10th anniversary of SOAR, beginning June 8, with a kick off at Royal City Park. From there, racers in teams of two faced two days of challenges and travel set to test their knowledge, stamina and teamwork.
The competition took the teams on a train ride to Brampton, an overnight at Belwood Lodge and Camp, through downtown Fergus and the Elora Gorge, then back to Guelph, where the race ended at Wellington County Gardens.
Coming in second place in the finals were Chris Williston who lives near Brucedale in Guelph-Eramosa Township, and Dave Kelly of Guelph, third time competitors. The pair won the race in 2011.
Belwood resident Mike Pinkney and teammate Jay Hahn, of Milton competed as All-Stars in the race, having been two-time SOAR winners, and three-time competitors previously.
Having enjoyed the experience for the last time, Pinkney said in an email to the Advertiser, “Firstly, we had a great deal of fun. We managed to raise $5,780 for the Children’s Foundation of Guelph and Wellington. All teams combined to raise $143,000 plus.”
He added, “We ended up second on the first day and came tied for fourth in the final day.”
The pair was u-turned and yielded, which ended their hopes for an overall win, but it did not deter their enjoyment of the race or the many challenges, which included eating old duck eggs, zip-lining across the Elora Gorge, stilt soccer, Latin dancing, solving puzzles with mystery clues and much more.
“We got to have a fourth shot at the race and it was a lot of fun. We had a helicopter ride, we ran around Fergus, slept in Belwood, explored Brampton, and had a blast in Guelph,” Pinkney said.
The event surpassed the fundraising goal of Matt Steffler, of Guelph, one of the founders of SOAR.
In a pre-race interview, Steffler said, “We want to raise $100,000 this year. The most we’ve ever raised in one year in the past has been $73,000, but we’ve done a few things differently this year.”
Incredible organization
As for the choice to support the children’s charity organization, Steffler said, “I can’t say enough great things about the Children’s Foundation. In 10 years, I’ve been able to watch (as a volunteer) while they grow and grow and grow, and help more and more kids.
“They are well-run, they have great employees, and they do really, really incredible things for the kids. Their programs are simple and it’s easy to see where the money goes and how it benefits local families.”
For more information visit www.therace.ca.
