Here's how it worked:
There were about 100 people competing in this 4 day, 3 night, 12 challenge event. The concept of the race was based on the popular TV show, and teams raced in and around Banff, AB in the heart of the Canadian Rockies.
One of the events was "TRAKing"... racers picked up a kayak and then had to get it the 8 blocks to the water. Teams could get their boat to the water however they chose... this was one of the funniest parts of the event - there were people pulling it, some carried it on their back while running, others hitched a ride from locals and some pulled up in taxi cabs with the trunks flying open! It was a sight to see - I promise you that.
Upon getting to the site, teams had to assemble their kayaks, get it in the water and paddle up the scenic Bow River to find a floating clue, and then pack up their kayak and return it to the pick up point.
Assembly:
We weren't sure what to expect in terms of how fast and how easy people would find the assembly. After all, these were not experienced kayakers, and not a single person had ever assembled a kayak in their life. We had mailed them out an assembly DVD the week prior - and it was obvious that they had watched it, in fact a couple of teams had downloaded it to their iPods and brought it with them. Most teams had their boats together in between 10-20 minutes. There were a couple longer than that, but did admit that they hadn't watched the video. 
These racers were such good sports. All most none of them had been in a kayak before and those who had were sit-on-tops. Upon getting a 2 minute kayak lesson, they were out in the water. And true to form, in about 5 minutes they had an awesome handle of the boat. It's a good thing they had to get on to the next challenge, or I don't think we would have got most of them out of the boats. The smiles were ear to ear!
These racers were such good sports. All most none of them had been in a kayak before and those who had were sit-on-tops. Upon getting a 2 minute kayak lesson, they were out in the water. And true to form, in about 5 minutes they had an awesome handle of the boat. It's a good thing they had to get on to the next challenge, or I don't think we would have got most of them out of the boats. The smiles were ear to ear! 
We had such an awesome time with it - and we know the racers did too. Being part of someones first experience in a kayak is so much fun... especially when they were a little apprehensive to begin with - and then to see them being able to enjoy it so much is very rewarding. Definitely the best part of our jobs!
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