After several mishaps including; traffic jams, animals on train tracks, missed flights, upside down maps and little delays, the three teams were pretty much tied in terms of progress. They each had retrieved the very last clue successfully. Upon finding the last note, they were given an address in Croatia to meet at.
The way the race would end would be whichever team reached the destination first, would be named the winner. All three teams were anxiously rushing to get their acts together. So much excitement and adrenaline was flowing, Alex was pleased to see the enthusiasm as each team said goodbye.
The finish line was located in a small museum in Zagreb. Alex was sure to notify the lead reporter from WALK to be ready and waiting at the museum. He wanted the winning team to be filmed live as they won to truly capture the emotion that was being emitted.
The challenge each team faced now was trying to figure out the fastest route from Prague to Zagreb. Wings to Win were very coy and figured they had the best chance at winning, they were sure there would be a flight that could get them from Prague to Zagreb.
The Railroad Warriors immediately rushed to a computer to find rail schedules. After quickly discussing their options, they chose the route that would first take them to Munich, then off to Zagreb. The earliest they could arrive in Zagreb would be the following morning. Quickly, they gathered their belongings and raced off to the train station.
Drive to Survive had a bit more figuring out to do. They needed to calculate the fastest, most practical driving route to get them from Prague to Zagreb. Patrick, as the leader of the team eagerly made some suggestions in which the team could vote on. Again, the main concern was the distance and driving times, however, they also had to consider the route involved. Patrick estimated it was roughly 420 miles from Prague to Zagreb. The team agreed on the route and packed the car, ready to claim their title as the winners of the race!
All three teams were now in full race mode, they all had a strong desire to complete the race first, each racing with a particular family member, friend or co-worker as their inspiration.
Alex was amazed at how well the teams worked together. Each day he would receive footage from each WALK crew member. He was able to watch the group dynamics within each team and it was clear to see that the team leaders were appropriately chosen. During each problem and mishap, the leader of the team would take charge, quickly calming all members on the team first, then coming up with an acceptable, sensible solution. The teams couldn't have been picked any better then what they were. For something that, a few months ago, was a mere dream in Alex's head, he was most pleased with the outcome.
It had been a couple of days since Alex had checked in with the team back home manning the website. He had no idea how much money had been raised with individuals sponsoring each team. He would need to check on these stats as soon as possible, after all, he needed to get a check ready to present to the American Cancer Society at the end of the race.
Lucky for Alex, he had inside connections and had no trouble at all figuring out how to get to Zagreb. He got on the private plane and was off to Zagreb! In just over an hour, Alex was now at the final meeting point. His hotel was directly next door to the museum. He wanted to be nearby the final destination so that he could be there in a flash for when the teams started to file in.
Wings to Win took several hours to decide which flight to get on, by time they made a decision, a storm had developed and all fights out of Prague were delayed until further notice. They were now, essentially, trapped in Prague. Whether it was sleep deprivation or stress from the situation, the team began to turn on each other. Arguments were struck between Joyce and Lloyd, blame was being thrown at anyone who may have spoken up about the flights (which was all on the team), it was a bad situation in the airport terminal.
The Railroad Warriors made their train connection and were officially on the last train (they hoped) for this race. They sat in their seats and took turns sleeping. Thoughts of the past week had filled Jeffrey's mind, he was proud of his efforts, of his team and mostly, of himself. He stepped up as team leader and felt he didn't just do the job, but he did the job to the best of his abilities.
Dawn broke, the sun began to shine. It was morning. Wings to Win was finally able to make their reservations. They would be taking the first plane out which left at 9:05am. The flight was a little longer then they originally expected. Instead of an hour and a half, it would take nearly three hours before they would arrive in Zagreb. The team hoped that some misfortune may have fallen upon the other teams as well.
The car team was in Croatia and had estimated that they were an hour away from their target. They were all in good spirits and had agreed that, yes, winning was important, but even if they didn't come in first, they would not be upset. To have been chosen for this race was the biggest prize they could ask for and they were just looking forward to crossing the finish line, winners or not.
It was nearing 9am, the train pulled into the station. The Railroad Warriors got ready to dash to the finish line. They got off the train and as they stepped onto the platform, Pelagia twisted her ankle. Moving her over to the bench nearby, Jeffrey and Sebastian took a look at the injury while Ainsley ran to a concession stand to get some ice.
This was a minor set back for the rail team, however, they didn't panic. They had a goal, but they needed to take care of their team member first. Pelagia stood up and felt that she was okay to go the distance to the museum. Jeffrey didn't think that was a good idea, mainly because she could further injure herself, but also, she would be limping and that could slow the team up. He knelt before her and told her to climb on his back. The team walked briskly through the street, all eager to reach their final destination, Pelagia riding piggyback on Jeffrey.
Drive to Survive pulled into Zagreb. Now they just needed to find the museum. Unfortunately, in all of their planning, they never looked up directions to the museum. Just as they were looking at their map, Andrew looked out the window and saw the Railroad Warriors. They began to follow the team, figuring they must know where they're going.
With one block to go, the Railroad Warriors began to jog down the street. They were more then excited to cross the finish line, together, as a team. They had been through a great deal in the past few days and were ready to end this chapter.
It was nearing 11:30am, Wings to Win was due to land in about an hour. While they tried to remain hopeful, they were realizing that their chances of winning were pretty slim.
The camera man from WALK was all set up and ready to shoot. He had been given and inkling that the teams were approaching. All of a sudden, the museum door flung open and in raced the rail team. They could see the finish line and raced as fast as they could. Pelagia asked Jeffrey to let her down, she wanted to cross the finish line on her own two feet with the rest of the team.
In a flash, it was over. The race was complete and the winners were ecstatic. A true sense of accomplishment filled the atmosphere and every moment was caught on tape. Drive to Survive congratulated their competitors and shared in their joy. About a half hour later, Wings to Win arrived. They knew as soon as they approached the door to the museum that a winner had been named.
After the celebrating had commenced, there were still a few orders of business that needed to be tended to. There was the check for the American Cancer Society that had to be presented, along with the prize for the winning team.
Alex quickly brought everyone to order for a few moments so he could address everyone.
"Good Afternoon All" he began.
"On behalf of Stay the Night Hotels, I want to first extend my deepest thank you to all of the teams, your hard work, endurance and teamwork over the past few days has been remarkable." Alex commented.
There was a round of applause for the teams and then silence fell once more.
"I have, in my hand, a check for the American Cancer Society in the amount of $187,908,320.00. This represents all of the pledges we received from your supporters. Fans from all around the world that have been following your progress via the website we set up. For the record, the ranking of the teams in terms of support was, Air, Rail and Car. Most people thought the air team would, for sure, beat all other modes of transportation."
The teams chuckled at Alex's last comment regarding the air team.
Alex continued.
"In any case, we see now that, it was the Railroad Warriors that overcame all odds, all mishaps, any obstacle thrown in their path, including a twisted ankle this morning upon arrival."
Alex finished up his remarks on the race and the presentation ceremony came to an end. The three teams were now packed and ready to board their flights home.
The rail team was excited, their prize was $2,000 each and a return trip for a week's vacation, all-expenses paid! The other two teams each got $1,000 to split amongst their team members.
The day after everyone was home, the story of the race made the cover of the newspaper. There was a photo of the three team leaders handing the check to the representative of the Cancer Society. The caption under the photo stated:
At the end of the race, Faith, Hope and Love delivered a check in the amount of $187,908,320.00 to the American Cancer Society to aid in research in finding a cure for cancer.
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