The third series of Race Across the World began airing on 22 March 2023. Unlike the transcontinental races in previous series, the race took place entirely in Canada between Vancouver, British Columbia and St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador. Each two-person team was required to cross the country on a route without using air travel, and was given a budget equal to the cost of the air fare. Contestants were provided a map, GPS tracker, travel guide, and bear spray.
On 28 September 2022, the BBC announced that the programme was due to enter production later that year, and would move from BBC Two to BBC One. In early 2023, the BBC revealed the five pairs of competitors as Cathie and Tricia, Claudia and Kevin, Ladi and Monique, Marc and Michael, and Mobeen and Zainib.
Overview The third series of Race Across the World was set entirely within Canada between Vancouver and Newfoundland, with air travel prohibited. The race had seven checkpoints with enforced rest periods, with contestants only finding the next destination on departure from the checkpoints and the first team to arrive at the final checkpoint at Cape Spear would win £20,000.
Teams were given a budget of £2,498.13 per person – the equivalent air fare for travelling the race route. Contestants were not permitted to subsidise their budgets, but short-term opportunities allowed them to work for money or accommodation. Contestants were not given access to telephones or internet.
Contestants Main source: BBC
Name Relationship Occupation Age From Ref. Cathie RoweLifelong friends Director, local pharmacy 49 Bridgend Tricia Sail Bank clerk 48 Devon Claudia DawkinsFather and daughter Product development and buying 27Southampton Kevin Dawkins Marine canopy maker 53 Ladi AjayiFather and daughter Sport and physical activity professional 52 Essex Monique Ajayi Event manager 25 East London MarcBrothers Lift operator 36 Tamworth Michael Manager, children's services 34 West Midlands Mobeen QureshiHusband and wife Orthopedic surgeon 31 Manchester Zainib Khan Psychiatrist 32 Manchester, originally from Glasgow
Results summary Colour key:
TeamsPosition (by leg)12345678Tricia & Cathie2nd1st1st3rd3rd4th2ndWinnersMobeen & Zainib3rd3rd2nd2nd4th1st1st2ndMonique & Ladi4th2nd4th4th2nd3rd3rd3rdClaudia & Kevin1st5th3rd1st1st2nd4thMarc & Michael5th4th5th
Route The checkpoints in the third series were: LegFromTo1 Prospect PointStanley Park, Vancouver, British Columbia Haida HouseTlell, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia 2 Haida HouseTlell, Haida Gwaii, British Columbia Bombay Peggy's InnDawson City, Yukon 3 Bombay Peggy's InnDawson City, Yukon Sulphur MountainBanff, Alberta 4 Sulphur MountainBanff, Alberta Polar Bear InnChurchill, Manitoba 5 Polar Bear InnChurchill, Manitoba Twin Peaks Bed and BreakfastMindemoya, Manitoulin Island, Ontario 6 Twin Peaks Bed and BreakfastMindemoya, Manitoulin Island, Ontario Le Capitole HôtelQuebec City, Quebec 7 Le Capitole HôtelQuebec City, Quebec White Point Beach ResortLiverpool, Nova Scotia 8 White Point Beach ResortLiverpool, Nova Scotia Cape SpearSt. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador
Race summary Mode of transportation Rail Ship Bus/coach Taxi Road vehicle Self-drive vehicle (paid) RVActivity Working for money and/or bed and board Excursion that cost time and/or money
Leg 1: Vancouver, British Columbia → Haida Gwaii, British Columbia
The race started at 2 pm from Prospect Point in Stanley Park, Vancouver with the first leg finishing north at Haida House at Tllaal, just outside the village of Tlell on the east coast of Graham Island in the Haida Gwaii archipelago.
Three teams opted to cross the Strait of Georgia, from Horseshoe Bay to Nanaimo on Vancouver Island pursuing a strategy that would involve multiple sea crossings to eventually reach Graham Island. The remaining two teams chose to remain on the mainland, favouring an overland route with an eye to crossing the Hecate Strait by catching a ferry to Graham Island departing from Prince Rupert.
Tricia and Cathie spent several hours trying to get out of Stanley Park and into the city. With daylight fading, they spent their first night at a hostel in Vancouver, only a few miles from the starting point. On Day 2 they chopped logs on a farm in Merritt in exchange for bed and board.
Having hitched a lift into Vancouver, Zainib and Mobeen opted to take a coach to Whistler. Discovering that there was no longer any public transport from the resort onward to Prince Rupert, they considered backtracking to Vancouver. Whilst in the resort, they worked in a shop and took a skiing lesson.
Claudia and Kevin missed their coach by 45 minutes and became stuck in Campbell River on Vancouver Island. They decided to take a very expensive long-distance taxi to Port Hardy, and made back some money by cleaning a boat on Day 3. With another day before the sailing, they chose to experience the wilderness looking for bears before they caught the ferry to Prince Rupert. They took another long-distance taxi ride once they arrived on Graham Island, reducing their starting funds by almost a quarter.
Marc and Michael headed south after their first night in a motel on Vancouver Island. They worked the land on a farm for a couple of days before securing a ride northwards. In the meantime, Monique and Ladi spent some downtime whilst in Telegraph Cove observing aquatic wildlife.
All five teams boarded the same ferry crossing the Hecate Strait from the Port of Prince Rupert to Skidegate, Graham Island on Day 6. The leg culminated in a race to the first checkpoint, with all teams arriving at Haida House within a few minutes of each other.
OrderTeamsRouteHours behind leadersMoney left1 Claudia & Kevin Stanley Park → Horseshoe Bay → Nanaimo → Campbell River → Port Hardy (Great Bear Rainforest ) → Prince Rupert → Skidegate → Tlell 78%2 Tricia & Cathie Stanley Park → Vancouver → Merritt → Prince George → Prince Rupert → Skidegate → Tlell 2 minutes 91%3 Zainib & Mobeen Stanley Park → Vancouver → Whistler → Cache Creek → Prince George → Prince Rupert → Skidegate → Tlell 4 minutes 88%4 Monique & Ladi Stanley Park → Horseshoe Bay → Nanaimo → Campbell River → Telegraph Cove → Port Hardy → Prince Rupert → Skidegate → Tlell 15 minutes 85%5 Marc & Michael Stanley Park → Horseshoe Bay → Nanaimo → Victoria → Port Hardy → Prince Rupert → Skidegate → Tlell 17 minutes 85%
Leg 2: Haida Gwaii, British Columbia → Dawson City, Yukon
The race continued from Tlell to former gold rush town of Dawson City almost to the north, in the Yukon.
At the start of the second leg, all five teams had to backtrack to Prince Rupert on the mainland using almost the same means of transport as they had used to reach Tlell. With only a matter of minutes separating their restart, they all arrived on the mainland on the same ferry at the same time on Day 10.
Tricia and Cathie took a bus to Terrace and hired a car onward to Whitehorse. They stopped en route in Jade City to work dismantling an old shack for free bed and board. Marc and Michael also rented a car from Terrace, but detoured to go rafting at Haines Junction on the Dezadeash River before continuing to Whitehorse.
The other three teams hitched lifts with vehicles travelling north. Monique and Ladi secured rides all the way to Whitehorse but stopped en route at Bear Glacier Provincial Park.
Zainib and Mobeen were the first into the Yukon, but detoured to Burwash Landing to work cleaning a light aircraft in exchange for a flight in it over Kluane National Park. Claudia and Kevin also decided to take a job, cleaning at some kennels for free bed, board and sauna. Both teams found themselves at the same fuel stop on the outskirts of Whitehorse attempting to hitch a lift northwards on the Klondike Highway.
OrderTeamsRouteHours behind leadersMoney left1 Tricia & Cathie Tlell → Skidegate → Prince Rupert → Terrace → (Jade City ) → Whitehorse → Carmacks → Dawson City 73%2 Monique & Ladi Tlell → Skidegate → Prince Rupert → Kitwanga → (Bear Glacier Provincial Park ) → Whitehorse → Dawson City 25 76%3 Zainib & Mobeen Tlell → Skidegate → Prince Rupert → Kitwanga → Dease Lake → Burwash Landing → Whitehorse → Dawson City 26.5 72%4 Marc & Michael Tlell → Skidegate → Prince Rupert → Terrace → (Haines Junction ) → Whitehorse → Dawson City 45 65%5 Claudia & Kevin Tlell → Skidegate → Prince Rupert → Meziadin Lake → Watson Lake → Whitehorse → Dawson City 46 61%
Leg 3: Dawson City, Yukon → Banff, Alberta
The race restarted on Day 15 from Dawson City to the Rocky Mountain resort of Banff in the province of Alberta, some distant, with the team finishing last facing elimination.
All teams found that they must head back south along the Klondike Highway. Leaders Tricia and Cathie were first to depart, doing so before the final two teams had even arrived in Dawson City. Their lead allowed them time to earn money working at the Grande Prairie Stompede, but they found themselves stranded there for a further 22 hours.
Whilst in Dawson City, Monique suffered an injury requiring stitches. Struggling to walk properly, this delayed her and Ladi's restart by three-and-a-half hours. Despite the setback, they headed to the same RV hire company in Whitehorse as Zainib and Mobeen, where both teams managed to secure RVs that needed repositioning to Edmonton at no cost. En route, Monique and Ladi took casual cleaning work at Grande Prairie, and Zainib and Mobeen worked preparing dough for Green Onion Cakes in Edmonton.
Claudia and Kevin had a free one-way self drive towards Edmonton courtesy of a family with whom they had hitched a ride from Dawson City to Whitehorse. They camped at Muncho Lake before heading towards Fort St. John to work at a craft brewery.
OrderTeamsRouteHours behind leadersMoney left1 Tricia & Cathie Dawson City → Watson Lake → Fort Nelson → Grande Prairie → Jasper → Lake Louise → Banff 58%2 Zainib & Mobeen Dawson City → Whitehorse → Edmonton → Calgary → Banff 4 61%3 Claudia & Kevin Dawson City → Whitehorse → (Fort St. John ) → Spruce Grove → Banff 5.5 49%4 Monique & Ladi Dawson City → Whitehorse → (Grande Prairie ) → Edmonton → Banff 7 62%5 Marc & Michael Dawson City → Whitehorse → Watson Lake → Fort Nelson → Dawson Creek
Leg 4: Banff, Alberta → Churchill, Manitoba
Now reduced to four teams, the race continued from Banff to Churchill on Hudson Bay in the far north; an isolated location without any road connections to the rest of Canada. Despite the seven-hour time differential between first and last place, all four teams left within an hour of each other at dawn on Day 23 because of the danger of bears during the hours of darkness. They soon learnt that the only way to reach Churchill was on the twice-weekly Winnipeg–Churchill train traversing the Hudson Bay Railway, with the next departure from Winnipeg in three days' time.
Three teams selected a route along the Trans-Canada Highway via the large cities of Calgary and Edmonton. Tricia and Cathie headed on to Saskatoon to work on a farm, while Monique and Ladi opted to work in a bait shop in Prince Albert National Park with the aim of kayaking later on nearby Waskesiu Lake. In the meantime, Zainib and Mobeen opted for a route across the prairies of Saskatchewan to work at a rodeo ranch near Moose Jaw. They eventually intercepted the train at Canora, where they met two other teams – Claudia and Kevin, having arrived in Canora earlier that day, had spent their down-time gardening to earn money. Further along the route at The Pas, all four teams were reunited when Monique and Ladi board the same train.
As with Leg 1, all teams arrived at the destination at precisely the same time and the leaderboard was determined by a race to the checkpoint.