Arrow's Amazing Race

In an effort to drum up new customers for solutions based on Hewlett-Packard products, distributor Arrow ECS held an Amazing Race competition this year for its HP reseller customers. VARs competed in five categories, and the winners, those with the most individual sales to new customers between May 1 and July 31, got to send teams to participate in a whirlwind competition of mental and physical challenges that took them from the heights of Las Vegas' Stratosphere Casino to Hollywood Boulevard, to the shores of Catalina Island to the Golden Gate Bridge.

The teams are ready! Solution providers sent two contestants for each team who were paired with an Arrow teammate. First stop, Las Vegas where team members had two hours to see who could gamble their way into the most cash using $250 and before being sent to do a timed flight in a wind tunnel.

Team Agilysys is ready for flight! Team members were (left to right) Don Born from Arrow, Chris Gordon-Wylie and Donald Maynor.

The OnX team, with Ed Vos, Scott Bailey and Arrow's Karen Doerrie, were way more excited about the wind tunnel flight challenge than the other teams.

The team from Nth Generation: Brandon Hughey, Clare Conway and Arrow's Dave Brodeen. Nth Generation had taken a company-wide vote to see who would represent the solution provider in the Amazing Race. Conway -- an experienced marathoner -- volunteered immediately.

Team STA, Cindy Hughes and John Conroy, and Tom McDonnell from Arrow, stands in front of the Pig 'N' Whistle after the Scavenger Hunt challenge in Hollywood, Calif. During the hunt participants had to photograph themselves doing an absurd variety of tasks, from choreographing 3 strangers in a sidewalk line dance to hugging a UPS driver to playing Duck-Duck-Goose with the L.A.P.D.

Next stop: Catalina Island.

The OnX team is transported via helicopter to Catalina Island where more challenges await.

Racers, including Tom McDonnell of Arrow ECS on the STA team, had to ride to the Wriggly Memorial Gardens on Catalina Island to find a clue.

Team CompuCom, Jackie Groat and Justin McCraken, show what they've got in the kayak challenge on Catalina Island.

From the warm sands of Catalina Island, the teams traveled to foggy San Francisco where the toughest challenge awaited them. Here the teams prepare for the final challenge: crossing the Golden Gate Bridge on foot while learning bridge trivia AND keeping a spoonful of Rice-a-Roni from spilling.

OnX's Ed Vos said the wind made keeping the Rice-a-Roni on the spoon a challenge, but OnX managed to pull it off and win the competition.

Following the Golden Gate Bridge challenge, the teams went to the offices of HP's founders and met CEO Mark Hurd. The winning team also received 42-inch HP HDTVs.

It wasn't all fun and games for Vos and his fellow racers. After returning home, "you start reflecting on how you approached the different challenges versus how you run your business You have to work as a team, discuss the strategy, make sure your team is aligned, and actually have the passion to work together. I think it taught us there are a lot of parallels between the Amazing Race and running a business."