Episode 3
The race to St. John’s is underway as the five pairs leave the gold rush boom town of Dawson City and head south to the third checkpoint, 2700km away in the province of Alberta - the picturesque resort town of Banff. Perched in the Rocky Mountains 4500ft above sea level, Banff is the highest town in Canada and in this leg, there is a need for speed. The stakes are raised as the team who reach the checkpoint in last place will be ELIMINATED from the race. The threat of elimination means every decision counts, and with next to no public transport once again the racers face a stark choice – hire a car endangering their race budgets or gamble on a car sharing which is cheaper but less reliable.
Sitting pretty are race leaders Trisha and Cathie, who on leaving checkpoint are enjoying a 25-hour lead over their nearest competitors. They are feeling confident about their advantage, and after spending big on hiring a car in the last leg, want to gamble on car sharing their way to Banff. Their strategy gets off to a tricky start when they get stuck in Watson Lake and are ghosted by a guy called Barry. As the race intensifies, Cathie feels the pressure and starts to crumble.
Disaster strikes for 25-year-old Monique who injures herself at the checkpoint causing her and her dad Ladi, a further 3-hour delay. With the elimination looming, the pair curse their bad luck and worry the accident will put their race, and Monique’s continued education, in jeopardy. Ladi then makes a vital decision that could catapult them back into the race…but there is a catch.
The threat of elimination brings out the competitive sides of married couple Zainib and Mobeen who have differing ideas about who is boss. Mobeen gets giddy formulating a new strategy – haul back RVs (a service offered in remote parts of Canada where rental companies ask tourists to relocate RVs to different branches and hire them for free) – but Zainib isn’t so sure. A stop in Edmonton to earn some cash sees Mobeen confess that he feels inferior to his wife.
Continuing to be scared of the unknown, as well as bears, Marc realises he has to face up to his fears if they are to claw back some time and get through the elimination. After a slow start the brothers grow in confidence and a chance meeting with a family gives the brothers a boost - in both the race and their new-found relationship.
Starting the elimination leg in last place, over 45 hours behind Trisha and Cathie, and with the least amount of funds of any team, are the other father and daughter team, Claudia and Kevin. The pair vow to continue their no-frills strategy but start the leg with different priorities once again, Claudia wants experiences whereas Kevin only has the race on his mind. Their situation takes an unexpected turn when they meet a Catholic Missionary called Miriam who could be the answer to their prayers.
The race is on, and the stakes are higher than ever before as the legacy of the pandemic throws extra challenges at our travelling couples who all want to be first to the finish line and win the £20,000 cash prize. As the series unfolds we will see chance encounters, cultural as well as personal revelations and some of the most awe-inspiring locations on the planet. The thrilling unpredictability of the race is sure to change the teams lives forever. The Race Across the World continues.