We Finished the Jansport Super-Sized Summer Amazing Race!

I didn't expect to cap off the summer season by joining a sort of amazing race game but I did -- and it was memorable! Although there was one particular moment I thought I'd literally keel over and die, the rest of the adventure was 99% fun!

Thanks to JanSport, the original outdoor gear brand that provides people with quality backpacks and other travel gear, several friends of mine and I got to join the larger-than-life race at Mall of Asia By the Bay grounds dubbed JanSport Summer Sized Summer last Sunday. Participants went through pulse-pounding activities filled with wacky challenges that really tested our  minds and bodies.

Teams of two had to navigate MOA's spacious area to overcome 10 giant-sized challenges all the way to the finish line. I was glad that hubby was my partner because I'm sure if another person had to put up with me, we might end up fighting. I had to admit I wasn't as fit as I thought I was and had to pause a lot from all the running and the quick movements required to finish certain tasks. Good thing hubby was there to encourage me to go on although there was one time he urged me to already give up because I looked really, really exhausted. 

That was during the darn sack race where we had to get inside a giant JanSport bag and jump our way to and from an orange cone marker that looked like it was positioned a kilometer away. The intense sunlight and afternoon heat didn't help one bit. Thankfully, someone from the organizers distributed bottles of water and, after forty-seven years, we could finally move on to the next challenge.

Our first stop was the obstacle course with the tires, web crawl, hula hoop, and jump rope. It was not so bad. The second stop was the sack race which temporarily depleted my energy. By the time we got to the coin crawl, I was thankful to find out that only one of us is required to do the task. I plopped down on the floor and tried to catch my breath. The short rest revived me enough to give me strength to do the wall climbing challenge courtesy of The North Face. (On the other hand, we regularly do Power Up climbing at R.O.X., also one of the event's sponsors). 

After those, we had to test our wits in a mix and match game, assemble a giant puzzle, and unlock keys tied to huge JanSport bags. My thirst was so severe at that point, I drank a glass of water in one of the restaurants we passed along the way. I was soon to discover how bad that move was because our next challenge was to finish a whole bottle of 1.5L Coca Cola using one long straw! It took us a long time and we were ready to barf by the time we drained the bottle's contents.

The last two challenges composed of the memory game and the giant inflatables were fairly easy. Finally, we made it to the end and finished at 31st place, I think, out of 50+ teams. Well, still not bad for an old couple who raced against young and fit students and yuppies :) 

The first three teams who made it brought home P20k, P30k, and P50k respectively. Congratulations to those fast and energetic kiddos! May you use your prize money well.

Now that summer is officially over, students can go back to school bringing all the fun and energy of summer with funky JansSport bags in colors that capture different aspects of the sunny season. Check out different designs and features. You'll surely find one or more that will capture your fancy. Several captured mine!  

*The Primer Group of Companies, Asia's next retail giant, is the exclusive distributor of JanSport in the Philippines. Be updated on future JanSport events, contests, and other promos by liking their Facebook page.

** Since we were busy racing, we didn't get to take photos of the different pit stops. Photos used in this post are from the blogs of my friends: Myke Soon, Alex Dizon, and John Bueno. Just click their names to also read their posts about the Super Sized Summer event.