Teams of two will race around campus today, searching for clues and mimicking the reality television show “The Amazing Race.”

The amazing race will begin in the King Memorial Commons for instructions and the first clue from 6 to 7 p.m. The race will last for three days. During the next two days the teams will be meeting in the fields behind Barsema Hall for the new clue. This is the third year the event is taking place at NIU.

There are seven teams represented by color. The teams are formed by organizations such as sororities and fraternities and the honors society, said Kristen Bard of public affairs.

“Teams have to complete a task to get to the next place,” said Becky Harlow, assistant director of Student Involvement and Leadership Development. “[The tasks] are physical as well as mental.”

The race is based on points. The team with the most points wins. For first place is 25 points, second place is 20 points, and for third place is 15 points. The team has to have the lowest time while finishing a task. If a team needs help or goes over the time block, then the team will receive time penalties, Bard said.

The amazing race will include physical activities, skill tests and trivia that is represented in the clues. The clues will be spread around campus. After the clue is found, the team will be directed to another location.

The Campus Activities Board staff will be the monitors at the various locations of the clues. The teams have to check in their time with the monitors. Harlow was a monitor for last year’s race.

“I was a monitor at the Campus Rec. I remember it was pouring rain. I had to give them [the teams] a piece of paper, which was the clue for the next task,” Harlow said.

An example of a clue or riddle is solving a Sudoku puzzle. After the team solved the puzzle they showed the monitor and they received the location of the next clue, Harlow said.

“This is an event that makes students explore the campus and to have some fun,” Harlow said.