|
     |
 |
Tara & Wil urged their taxi driver to drive faster. Chris & Alex fell farther behind. "We got tons of time on them," Tara commented as she looked at Chris & Alex's taxi in the distance behind them.
Tara & Wil arrived at East Fort Baker, jumped out of their taxi and, following a path marked with race flags, sprinted toward the finish line. Several moments later, Chris & Alex also made it and began to run after them.
Approaching the check-in mat and victory, Tara & Wil held the lead, with Wil a good distance in front of Tara. Tara's pace, however, was slower than Chris and Alex's. The two best friends gave it all they had as they began to make up time on Tara and Wil, slowly closing in on the narrow lead. Blake & Paige next made it to the park and began their final run to the finish. ( Blake & Paige would like to travel more in the future)
"I can't do it, Wil," Tara desperately panted as Chris & Alex sprinted past her. Chris & Alex then passed Wil and raced towards the finish line, where the eliminated eight Teams were waiting for them, cheering and clapping them on. In one giant leap, the Boston friends triumphantly crossed the finish line in first place, collapsing together onto the mat in amazement and disbelief. Host Phil Keoghan made it official by informing the champions, Chris & Alex, that they are the winners of THE AMAZING RACE. Alex took a moment to thank all the competing Teams. "I want to say something. These people were the most competitive people in my whole life I had to go against."
A few moments later, Tara & Wil arrived in second place. Wil struggled through his initial feelings of frustration, but concluded that he had done his best. He realized that he and Tara were very different people and would no longer be together; he wished her the best in her life. While Tara expressed second thoughts on the names she had called Wil, she said, "I don't think I could have run [the race] any better." ( Tara feels race is experience of a lifetime)
Moments later, the third-placed Team Blake & Paige arrived on the mat. Paige explained, "I'm not disappointed. I feel like we enjoyed every experience, we got to do everything that the winners did. I'm not disappointed at all, it was great."
The other eight Teams then joined the final three on the mat for congratulatory hugs and acknowledgments.
Summing up the race, Alex concluded, "It's amazing! That's the only word to describe it. It twists you, it turns you. The highs are high, the lows are low. You can't handle it. Sometimes you want to rip all your hair out and bang your head against the wall. Next time, you're clapping--everything's great. There's no other word to describe it but amazing!" ( Chris & Alex reflect on the experience)
|
 |
|
|