MARYSVILLE — Before they’re let out of class for the summer, students at Marysville Getchell High School are put through their athletic and academic paces.

The fourth annual “Amazing Race” across the MG campus fell on the Friday before Memorial Day weekend this year, so participation was down from previous years, which have drawn between 60-80 participants. However, with nine teams of four students each running back and forth between physical activities and brain-teasers, event organizer Andrea France was still pleased with the turnout.

France teaches at MG’s Academy of Construction and Engineering on campus, and explained that the “Amazing Race” alternates between six athletic and six academic stations, the latter in the ACE building, with clues at each station hinting at which location to head to next. Although it’s not called the “Amazing Walk,” the demanding back-and-forth course between the gym, sports fields and classrooms still takes at least an hour and a half to complete, even at a brisk pace.

France credited Chris Baisch with coming up with the concept, and noted that school staff set aside a couple of hours each year to take part themselves, whether by challenging students in math and science, or playing rounds of ultimate frisbee and three-on-three basketball against them.

The MG PTSA supplies snacks along the way, and the winning team earns gift certificates worth $100.

“We encourage our students to take part in extracurricular activities year-round,” France said. “This is just one more way that we can help ensure that we value a balance between working hard at studying and physical fitness.”