Double the thrills and excitement! Borrowed-Item Race prompts
The classic event at sports festivals is the borrowing race, where you quickly find the specified item and head for the goal.
A variation called the “Borrow-a-Person Race,” which changes what you borrow from “things” to “people,” has been gaining popularity at sports festivals.
In this article, we’ll introduce recommended prompts for the Borrow-a-Person Race!
If you’re thinking, “I want to try it, but I don’t know what prompts to use,” or “I want funny ideas,” please use the prompts we introduce here as a reference.
The Borrow-a-Person Race involves even more interaction with others than the traditional borrowing race, making it perfect for deepening bonds with teammates and engaging with members of the community!
Clothing and accessories (1–10)
First up are prompts about things people are wearing! Items like glasses or hats—things you can tell at a glance—are easy to include even when small children are participating.
On the other hand, if you want to make it a bit more challenging, it’s recommended to choose items where you can’t immediately tell whether someone is using them.
Have the audience or your teammates ask around—“Do you have this?” “Do you use that?”—and get them to search, then have them reach the goal together with the item they’re wearing!
A person holding a smartphone with a cracked screen
Smartphones are essential tools in our daily lives, and precisely because we use them so often, it’s not uncommon to drop them and crack the screen.
How about looking around to find people whose screens are cracked or those who are about to get theirs repaired? Simply showing the phone can serve as proof that they meet the criteria, so it’s also important to have them run to the goal while holding their phone.
If they can share stories—like how the screen got cracked or how long they’ve been using it in that condition—others might relate, and the event could become even more exciting.
People holding umbrellas and parasols
Since sports festivals are often held outdoors, it’s important to take measures to block the sun so everyone can enjoy them safely.
As a way to shield from sunlight, try finding people who are carrying parasols—or those with rain umbrellas if they’re thinking it might rain.
The number of people who fit the bill will vary depending on the weather and temperature at the time, so it’s key to judge who seems likely to dislike strong sun or rain.
The more comfortable the weather is, the harder it becomes to find such people—which might actually make the game more exciting.
A person wearing a ◯-colored outfit
It’s a game where you look for people wearing a specified color.
When playing in large spaces like playgrounds or gymnasiums, the key is to focus on spotting the designated color.
You can choose colors commonly used in gym clothes or uniforms as the theme, or make it more fun by assigning a harder-to-find color.
People whose shoe size is ◯ cm
This is a task where you specify conditions for shoe sizes being worn and have people find someone who matches.
Since you can’t judge shoe size just by looking around, proceed by asking questions in an interview style.
By asking “What size (in cm) are your shoes?” it can also serve as an icebreaker to start a conversation.
People who use feature phones
Feature phones saw a drop in production with the rise of smartphones.
Let’s look for people who use items that evoke that nostalgia.
You could call out, “Anyone with a flip phone?” or ask questions in an interview style.
It’s an idea where even the frustration of not easily reaching the goal can be part of the fun.
A person wearing glasses
The idea is to find someone wearing glasses and head to the goal.
Among the tasks in a borrowing race, this is one where you can quickly find a target, so anyone can give it a try.
If there are many people wearing glasses, it’s also fun to add conditions like bringing two people.
a person wearing a hat
A simple yet fun task for a borrowing race: find someone wearing a hat.
Just by looking around, you can see who’s wearing one, so you can expect an exciting, heated game.
It’s great not only for outdoor sports days, but also for indoor settings where fewer people are wearing hats, which makes the search more challenging and enjoyable.
Appearance/Physique (1–10)
Next up are prompts related to appearance and body type! You might think you can tell someone’s look or build at a glance.
But when the prompt asks for something like “a person who looks like this,” and competitors have to choose based on their own subjective judgment, it can get a little nerve-wracking.
Even seemingly straightforward prompts can actually include tricky elements.
And if the prompt specifies numbers—like someone who is a certain height in centimeters—the difficulty goes up even more.
Adjust the difficulty according to the age group of the participants!