Tuesday nightB次元官网网址檚 episode of The Amazing Race Canada brought its contestants to the Nanaimo area for the , where a team with a local connection leaped from fourth place to take the lead.

Sarah Wells and Sam Effah, a pair of Team Canada track athletes from Toronto, were last on the Island to compete at an international track event in Victoria. This was their first time in Nanaimo, where Wells has family.

B次元官网网址淢y cousin actually lives in Nanaimo and I have never gone there to visit her,B次元官网网址� she said. B次元官网网址淪o it was fun once [last weekB次元官网网址檚] episode got aired she was like, B次元官网网址極h my gosh, youB次元官网网址檙e coming to my city.B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址�

On the Nanaimo leg of the race, the teams of two completed a number of challenges that showed off the areaB次元官网网址檚 parks, wildlife and natural beauty.

Amazing Race host Jon Montgomery said the Nanaimo area has a B次元官网网址渢reasure trove of flora, fauna and outdoor activities to keep people like the Amazing Race producers just noodling on endless possibilities to torture racers with.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 next level what we can achieve with what Nanaimo has to offer,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 pretty thrilling from both a visual perspective B次元官网网址� what you can achieve from the shots and what it looks like B次元官网网址� to great gameplay and being able to challenge these racers with lots of cerebral tasks, not just physical ones.B次元官网网址�

Wells said she and Effah had a motivational word of the day they would B次元官网网址渓ean intoB次元官网网址� to help them through the competition and in Nanaimo it was B次元官网网址減ersistence.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e just kind of had this word in our head of B次元官网网址榩ersistenceB次元官网网址� that we were going to relentlessly pursue and push past every obstacle we faced, no matter what the challenge,B次元官网网址� she said.

The first team to arrive in the Nanaimo Harbour via sea planes from Vancouver were Vancouver couple Aarthy Ketheeswaran and Thinesh Kumarakulasingam, winners of the previous two legs of the race. They said theyB次元官网网址檝e visited Victoria in the past but this was their first time in Nanaimo.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 been on my list for a while now so it was really cool to get that opportunity on the race,B次元官网网址� Ketheeswaran said.

Despite seeing sea planes all the time living in Vancouver, Kumarakulasingam said this was his first flight aboard one.

B次元官网网址淚tB次元官网网址檚 one of those funny things. When itB次元官网网址檚 in your backyard, you kind of just put it off and you never actually take the opportunity to do it,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o itB次元官网网址檚 something that I really wanted to do and to have the opportunity to do that was awesome.B次元官网网址�

First the teams headed to Petroglyph Provincial Park, where they found the supplies they would need for the rest of the Nanaimo leg of the race. Next they were off to WildPlay Element Parks where the pairs split up with one doing a bungee jump and the other riding a giant B次元官网网址減rimalB次元官网网址� swing. Once on solid ground they then had to correctly recite the recipe of a Nanaimo bar in order to get their next clue.

Amazing Race executive producer Mark Lysakowski said theyB次元官网网址檝e had bungee jumping on the show before, but this is the first time theyB次元官网网址檝e added a challenge to it.

B次元官网网址淲eB次元官网网址檙e like, B次元官网网址楾his is a great location, but how do you make it other than just a bungee? Because everyone can try this,B次元官网网址橞次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淪o we added the classic Nanaimo bar. What are the ingredients in a classic Nanaimo bar, which is taking a bit of a renaissance lately. The New York Times calling it one of these great things, itB次元官网网址檚 got a stamp, Nanaimo bar is like a rock star.B次元官网网址�

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As someone terrified of heights, Effah said the WildPlay challenge was a jump out of his comfort zone.

B次元官网网址淐oming from Yellowknife where Sarah had to face her fear of jumping into the water, this was now me facing my fear jumping off a bridge,B次元官网网址� he said.

B次元官网网址淚 was sad I couldnB次元官网网址檛 be there directly for him,B次元官网网址� Wells said. B次元官网网址淲e couldnB次元官网网址檛 really do it together because weB次元官网网址檙e on opposite sides of the bridge.B次元官网网址�

It took them two tries to get the recipe right and Effah said B次元官网网址淣anaimo bars will never be the same.B次元官网网址�

Teams then journeyed to the Deep Bay Marine Field Station where they donned rubber boots and waders and were tasked with digging and correctly identify four different species of shellfish. Wells said it was their first time digging for clams and B次元官网网址渨e just so happened to be pretty good at it, apparently.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淲e knew leaving that challenge we were in first place and that was exciting,B次元官网网址� she said.

Once the teams collected the right shellfish they were off to Horne Lake Caves Provincial Park, where they searched for hidden letters that spelled out the location of their pit stop: the Goats on the Roof Old Country Market in Coombs.

Lysakowski said the locations were chosen based on research and conversations with tourism agencies.

B次元官网网址淚 think it shows a great representation of the mid-east side of the Island in a nice cross-section. A little bit of everything,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 ocean, there are caves B次元官网网址� and then of course thereB次元官网网址檚 jumping off a bridge and the very popular goats on the roof.B次元官网网址�

Effah said winning the Nanaimo leg was B次元官网网址渄efinitely a strong point for us.B次元官网网址�

B次元官网网址淎s athletes weB次元官网网址檙e disciplined, we work hard and even if weB次元官网网址檙e not maybe the best at any challenge or anything that comes our way, the thing that we can always count on is just working hard and being persistentB次元官网网址�B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 nothing thatB次元官网网址檚 going to stop us. We get down, we get back up.B次元官网网址�

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