Article content“Immediately, I was like, OK, he didn’t say we were eliminated yet,” she said. “So, I was just hoping he was going to say it wasn’t an elimination, right? You just pray.”Article contentStanding on the mat beside Chayla Rain and Chyana Marie Sage, the team they had grown close to during the race, made the moment even more bittersweet for Richards.Article content“It was heartbreaking and devastating, of course, because it was a shock to us,” she said.Article content Cordelia Richards and Dana Martin-Kelly said the experience of racing across Canada together was one they would not change. CONTRIBUTED by CTVArticle contentStill, Richards said she would not change the way they went out.Article content“If we’re going to go out one way, it’s got to be the most dramatic way possible,” she laughed.Article content“I wouldn’t change a thing, because that episode will go down in history.”Article contentA learning curveArticle contentThe experience also made Richards look at the pressure she puts on herself.Article content“I knew going into this, I don’t generally work well under pressure,” she said.Article contentArticle contentShe came away from the race knowing she needed to be kinder to herself when things did not go perfectly.Article content“I really need to not be so hard on myself,” she said.Article content“I think I really beat myself up. I put way too much pressure on myself, and I need to realize that there’s going to be times I will make mistakes, and it’s not that big of a deal.”Article contentAn anxious waitArticle contentFor Martin-Kelly, watching the episode air Tuesday night, July 21, brought its own set of nerves.Article content“I had a lot of anxiety before the show aired,” she said.Article contentShe had been particularly worried about how viewers would respond to the memorization challenge, which she found difficult.Article content“I struggle with memorization. I always did, my whole life,” she said. “And that was a hard one for me.”Article contentBy Wednesday, she felt the pressure beginning to lift.Article content“It feels like there’s 100 pounds lifted off my shoulders,” Martin-Kelly said.Article contentShe added that the response from viewers had been overwhelmingly compassionate, although she had also come across negative comments online.Article contentArticle content“I really have to walk away from that,” she said.Article content“The negative comments, you know you’re going to get them. Everybody on the cast is getting negative comments, but you have to focus on all the good stuff.”Article content‘I was really proud of her’Article contentMartin-Kelly said the race gave her plenty of moments to be proud of her daughter.Article content“At the beginning, when she went up that hill, she flew in front of everybody,” she said.Article contentAnd when Richards took on a climbing challenge, despite being afraid of heights, Martin-Kelly watched from below.Article content“Watching her climb up that mountain was wicked,” she said.Article content“She flew. I couldn’t believe how fast she was going, and she wanted that so bad. I was really proud of her.”Article content Dana Martin-Kelly and Cordelia Richards are just the second mother-daughter duo to compete on The Amazing Race Canada. Photo by The Amazing Race CanadaArticle content‘He’s definitely with us’Article contentThe final leg of the race was dedicated to Richards’ grandfather, whom the pair called Poppy.Article contentMartin-Kelly had his ashes with her in her backpack, and the pair woke on that final morning feeling calmer than they had throughout the competition.Article contentThen, before boarding the Rocky Mountaineer train, they met a man who was missing two fingers on the same hand as Richards’ grandfather.Article contentIt was the first time they had ever seen someone with the same injury.Article content“We were like, ‘He’s definitely with us today,’” Martin-Kelly said.Article contentThe moment stayed with them throughout the day.Article content“I really think, you know, the reason for it is that he was there, telling us, ‘You’re going to be all right.’”Article content
Wabush mother-daughter duo’s Amazing Race Canada elimination was ‘heartbreaking and devastating’ but proud of their run
