IDAHO FALLS — A race for the body and mind? The College of Eastern Idaho’s Great Race for Education is set to return for its 16th year to raise money for education and provide a challenge.
On July 18, at 10 a.m., 20 teams will participate in CEI’s Great Race for Education at the Waterfront at the Snake River Landing.
Modeled after the TV show “The Amazing Race”, this race will challenge teams physically and mentally, and there will be some hijinks along the way.
This year, Mt. Olympus is the theme for the race and will focus on Greek mythology for the challenges.
Dave Facer, executive director for CEI Foundation, told EastIdahoNews.com that the race isn’t a 5K, but a scavenger hunt throughout Snake River Landing.
The 20 teams will comprise four members, one of whom will be a clue solver, and three others will be running and trying to find five challenge sites.
Facer said each of the five challenges has a minute-to-win-it type of challenge, and after that, they run back towards the Waterfront for the final challenge.
“It’s a lot of fun and it raises money. But the reason we do it is the same reason we do everything with the foundation,” Facer said. “We bring positive change for people and families for generations.”
The CEI Foundation, started in 1992, raised funds for scholarships when CEI was known as Eastern Idaho Technical College, but it has expanded to do more over the years.
Facer said the funds raised during the Great Race for Education still go to scholarships, but they also go to items like supplies and equipment and fund capital projects like the Future Tech Building.
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The fundraiser part of the race involves a Facebook Live auction the day before the race, where teams can buy advantages or disadvantages for the other teams.
Facer said these include starting early on race day or causing the other team to be delayed during a challenge.
An example is that a team could get a ride in a CEI vehicle but be dropped off far from the next challenge site.
However, teams can pay more to send the disadvantage to another team instead.
“We started that version of it in 2001, some of our participants came up with a cool idea,” Facer said.
Facer said a new thing done last year was dressing up in the theme of the race, which can give an advantage at the event’s start.
Overall, the fundraiser attached to the event has raised around $90,000, and Facer hopes to reach that amount again, if not more, this year.
“This is really just a fun event,” Facer said. “We’re so excited to have the support of the community.”
Teams must register by June 15, and the fee is $250. A clue package is optional, but it will cost $500. Facer said sponsors for the event will need to be solidified by June 1.
Volunteers can sign up to help with the event. Facer said around 80 to 100 volunteers are needed to set up and clean up after the race.
Find more information here.
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