Solving one riddle at a time and picking up the next clue, they traversed through the city and its suburbs for a treasure that awaited them at the end of the race.
Even the sweltering heat did not deter the intrepid women riders from criss-crossing the city as part of the fifth edition of Heels on Wheels, an all-women treasure hunt car ride organised by The Hindu MetroPlus here on Sunday.
The adventure game witnessed the participation of 80 teams, each comprising a driver and a navigator. Organised as part of International Women’s Day celebrations, the teams drove 40 km on one of two assigned routes — Fort Kochi and Kakkanad.
The ride was flagged off by Premjith Soman, Sales Head, Popular Hyundai, at around 10 a.m. at Hotel Crowne Plaza. They had to follow clues at nine points along the route to find the treasure.
In the end, the team comprising Kala and Rashmi, who finished the race in one hour and 23 minutes, emerged winners. The duo of Binitha Sankar and Shalia George K finished runner-up while the team comprising Anne Jacob Silja and Jumana Nahas came third.
Sheel Shafeeq and Shabana Rasheed finished fourth while Anju Anna George and Anju Antony came fifth. Besides the treasure hunt, the participants were also judged on the basis of their outfits and the duo of Reshmi K and Seema Cheriyan were selected as the best dressed team.
While the event ensured lots of fun for the participants, the first three winning teams had massive prizes to take home. The winning team received a purse of ₹20,000 plus fuel coupons worth ₹10,000. The first runner-up was given a cash price of ₹10,000 plus fuel coupons worth ₹10,000 and the second runner-up received ₹5,000 and fuel coupons worth ₹10,000. All participating teams were given fuel coupons worth ₹500.
At Crowne Plaza in the afternoon, a few of the participants got up on stage to exhibit their talents. Giving away the prizes, A.P.M. Mohammed Hanish, Managing Director, Kochi Metro Rail Limited, applauded the spirit of the woman participants.
On the occasion, three women, social activist Dr. Sunil, actor Surabhi Lakshmi and athlete P.U. Chithra, were honoured for achievements in their respective areas of work.
C. Gouridasan Nair, Resident Editor, The Hindu; Harikumar V.M., Deputy General Manager, Indian Oil Corporation; Atmajan Pallipad, Public Relations Officer, Moms Premium Women’s Hospital from CIMAR; and Manoharan K., Regional Manager, State Bank of India, were present on the occasion.
Yono by State Bank of India was the banking partner and Indian Oil Corporation was the power partner. CIMAR was the wellness partner and Club Mahindra the holiday partner.
The gift sponsors were Crocurry.com, V-Star, Soulfull, and Ponkathir. The event was managed by Executive Events.
