The 2nd Annual College Race, hosted by the College Council of Riverside and sponsored by the Office of the Mayor of Riverside, Rusty Bailey, will be held in downtown Riverside March 3 from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Participating colleges include California Baptist University, University of California at Riverside, La Sierra University and Riverside Community College.
Teams of three Riverside college students compete against each other in a scavenger hunt throughout downtown Riverside.
The race winners receive a scholarship, but all competitors get the chance to discover some of the city’s best kept secrets, and get to know more about their city.
“While I cannot reveal what lies in store for our racers this year, be assured that it will be a run for their money,” said Chelsey Salvador, chair of the College Council of Riverside.
Salvador said that one of the main objectives of the race is for students in Riverside to experience for themselves what the city has to offer outside of their campuses.
“The Amazing College Race is meant to promote Riverside as a college town,” Salvador said.
Some students consider themselves to be a part of the city, but admit to not knowing very much about it.
“I am a student at UC-Riverside but I don’t know Riverside city besides the UCR community,” said Zenia Chamorro, junior sociology and law and society double major. “I feel like (Riverside) has become a part of me so I would like to see more of what it has to offer to make my college experience even more memorable.”
Along with getting students to know the city, the CCOR is trying to use the race to emphasize connectivity among Riverside’s campuses.
“The purpose of CCOR is to encourage cross-collaboration between all four higher education institutions in the city of Riverside,” Salvador said.
“Riverside’s college students represent one of the largest stakeholders in the city, and therefore, CCOR’s mission is not only to facilitate inter-campus events, but also to build relationships with business owners in the region in an attempt to create internships opportunities and potential jobs for Riverside’s students.”
For more information about the race and how to register visit https://www.riversideca.gov/mayor/amazing-college-race/. Registration for the Amazing Race closes Feb. 24 at midnight.