Climb Guyana has officially launched its Republic Race. Slated to begin on February 25 and end on February 26, 2023, the two-day competition will see a total of eight challenges being completed by teams along the way.
This year’s competition challenges include kayaking, sandboarding, traditional scooter racing, lumberjacking, sand castle building, a 17-mile road race from Linden to Rockstone, and much more; all of which are intended to test team spirit, mental and physical strength, determination, and artistic flow of team members.
Climb Guyana has added sandboarding as one of its new challenges this year in order to bring something new to the Guyanese market.
According to its CEO, Amanda Wilson, although Guyana isn’t new to sand-related recreational activities, she wants to introduce the sandboard itself to the Guyanese people.
“Rolling…and skating down the sand is nothing new to Guyana; all we’re doing is…introducing the sandboard itself. So that’s one thing we’re excited about, that’s the challenge that I’m looking forward to,” Wilson told this publication.
She explained that this year she decided to do a shorter expedition, given the large number of persons who wanted to participate in previous competitions, but were unable to do so because of their various working conditions.
“This year, with all the COVID-19 restrictions removed, we decided that we’re going to not wait until November…and instead decide that we’re going to do a Republic Race. Because a lot of people complained that they could not have gotten four or five days off to do the last expedition, I decided to (let it) be a little shorter,” she remarked.
Climb Guyana was founded by Wilson as a result of her passion for adventure and love for hiking. She shared that after relocating to Guyana, she launched Climb Guyana in 2021 to allow people to be adventurous.
“As I’m in the Rupununi and I’m chilling on Kanuku mountains, I’m thinking, ‘You know what? I don’t just want people to come and see the beauty and enjoy themselves, I want them to have a thrill, an adventure’; so, I created Climb Guyana,” she reflected.
Wilson shared that one of her major challenges was launching a business amid the COVID-19 pandemic and getting support from sponsors. She added that given the uniqueness of her brand, it is challenging to move contingents from one place to another in a short period of time.
Wilson boasted that none of her previous events has ever seen major injuries, as medical personnel are always present.
“We’ve never had any major injuries, literally…we’ve always had medical staff on board and we’ve always worked along with local authorities, so we’ve never had any; and we hope that in the future that continues,” Wilson shared.
She also shared that her first expedition was done in partnership with the Guyana Tourism Authority (GTA), and she intends to expand her partnership with this entity as her business grows.
Added to that, Climb Guyana launched a bakery in December of last year. It is located in the Massara Village of the North Rupununi, and is run in partnership with the Massara Women’s Group. This is the first farine bakery in Guyana.
In Climb Guyana’s Republic Race, first-place participants will take home a prize of $300,000, second-place winners will receive $200,000, and third-place winners will be given a total of $150,000.
This year’s race caters specifically to teams of two. The registration fee per team is $50,000, and this fee covers food, accommodation, and transportation. Interested persons can register online via https://forms.gle/JJY6JR8mEw4ZsXo6A
The deadline for all payments is February 20, 2023.
