GPEX Adelaide Race

April 13, 2016

The overcast condition presented to us was just perfect for a great amazing race around the Adelaide CBD. When the 28 participants from GPEX turned up at Elder Park, I knew that we were in for a fun race. Their enthusiasm and competitiveness was very evident from the onset.

Once we got through with the introductions and pre-race rev up, the GPEX team was divided into 5 teams. The first challenge was the historic Torrens River paddle boats, which was most likely underestimated and left the GPEX team with “jelly legs” during the start of the race. (Special mention to Danny of the Dermatologists’ team who took one for his injured team, with 2 legs of the course, and yes he did make it to the end of the race!)

When the teams returned to shore, the Obstetricians (Dark Green) were fast out of the blocks and flew through their first blindfold challenge. The BTB staff then decided to test their team character and sent them to the far reaches of the botanic gardens to find a special lily. The other teams GP’s (black), Pediatricians (Pink), Cardiologists (Brown) & Dermatologists (Green) arrived at pioneer memorial gardens and underwent a funny, but revealing insight in the teams trust in one another as they navigated around the blindfold arena.

The next challenge for the teams was all about commitment and how they might work through the conflict that would arise in a Pancake stack challenge at the Original Pancake Kitchen. The most interesting part of the challenge was seeing how the teams reacted as they arrived at the location with the sinister thought that it must be more than just eating pancakes together. Some teams were left guessing when a bit of mystery about the challenge was added, not revealing that it was actually just maple syrup that they had to put on the pancakes. The Dermatologists take on a memory test as they picked a Roadblock challenge which certainly had their minds and focus ticking away while the other teams picked the Detour and were asked to present a photo reflective of what it means to be a good team. The results of this challenge were for the Pink team to have banana smiles behind the bar, the Dark Green team to serve the pancake kitchen by chipping in, doing their dishes and a full cleanup of all the teams’ dishes including the messy aftermath of a pancake challenge.

The race continued with their next clue and it’s at this stage that if the teams don’t pay attention to all the information they were given they could be severely disadvantaged. As the clue was handed, they were hinted that it would be in their best interests to not go running off. It was interesting to see them skimming on the clue but still missing on the necessary information. The Cardiologists were the only exception. They display team focus while reading the clue together, one particular member was even highlighting the key components of the next stage. After solving the clue they found out that the next stop was Adelaide Central markets to get some of the tastes and smells of Adelaide.

The finishing stop for the racers was the Metropolitan Hotel. Two teams were already sitting pretty with lots of smiles as some other teams were arriving. The Pediatricians (Pink) completed the race at 1 hour and 27 minutes while the GP’s (Black) finished off at 1 hour and 35 minutes. The Dermatologists (Green) rolled in next, followed by the Obstetricians (Dark Green) and finally the Cardiologists (Brown) who finished the race after 2 hours and 10 minutes.

After examining the data, it was revealed that all the teams had some clear strategies in the race. The GP’s seemed to implore a technology-based approach to their races consulting Dr. Google more than a few times. The Cardiologists pinned all their hopes on a Polites challenge with a slow and steady approach. The Dermatologists overcame 2 previous injuries to their team mates and powered onto the finish line. The Obstetricians who were pushed to the out edges of the city, utilised 13 creative modes of transport, but unfortunately left just 4 minutes shy of the winners today. The Pediatricians, the winning team, used a strategy that combined speed, technology and multi-tasking. Overall it was a great day and much fun was experienced by the GPEX team as well as some interesting insights into the mechanics of their team.

Photos