Daughter & mother compete in ‘THE AMAZING RACE’
By John Gregory
Scripps Ranch resident Riley Tejcek Waldron and her mother Ann-Marie Tejcek are competing in the 39th season of “The Amazing Race,” which will premiere on CBS Sept. 30 and Oct. 1 at 9:30 p.m. both nights.
“The Amazing Race” will pit 13 two-person teams against each other to reach locations in different countries over the course of this season. Each of the teammates have a personal connection this time – they are spouses, relatives, friends, etc.
“From siblings to best friends to married couples to my mom and myself – (all) are competing in a race around the world for $1 million,” Riley said.
This is the show’s description provided by the studio: “Host Phil Keoghan kicks off the race from Vancouver, Canada, where he immediately surprises the teams with the first twist of the season: for the first time in ‘The Amazing Race’ history there are 13 Express Passes in play. Each team receives one pass, forcing them to think strategically as they must play it by the end of leg six. Along the route, racers will travel to five continents, nine countries, 13 cities and more than 25,000 miles, where they jump 200 feet off the catwalk of BC Stadium in Vancouver, walk with camels in Morocco and fly a paramotor through the skies of Laos.”
“Everyone has what’s called an Express Pass this season. So, there is a lot of different strategy and involvement that takes place here,” Riley explained. “This is the 39th season and a mother and daughter have never won a season before.”
Each stop during the series is at a different country. The first leg starts in Vancouver, Canada, and there will be many twists.
“You start with clues and tasks that you have to navigate – whether you are driving or on public transportation to different locations,” Riley said. “You take different challenges, whether it’s physical, mental or memorization. You have to navigate the whole course. The team that is last gets eliminated … and then you go to the next country.”
The competition is not for the weak of heart, but Riley and her mother Ann-Marie are fit for the task. Riley is an active duty U.S. Marine who played Division I softball at George Washington University. Ann-Marie is a successful business woman, is extremely fit and continues to train physically. The two teamed up to win a TV game show competition called “Lingo” in 2023, according to Riley.
“My mother just turned 57. … She is my go to adventure buddy in life. We’ve gone skydiving together … travelled the world,” Riley said.
Riley also competed internationally in a completely different sport other than softball.
“I was a college athlete and a Team USA athlete, I competed for Team USA in bobsled,” she said. “I got recruited based on my athletic skills at the age of 22 years for a sport I had never done before. So, I started from scratch at 22 and then I competed for five years for Team USA and competed in two world championships.”
Riley became the Team USA two-person bobsled pilot, and her team travelled internationally for events.
“I competed in Germany, Switzerland, and a couple more,” she said.
While Riley couldn’t disclose too many details about the competition before the new season of “The Amazing Race” airs, she was able to express her excitement about competing with her mother.
“It was absolutely the biggest blessing to be able to spend this time – just me and my mom – to travel the world; to have an experience that very few people get to,” Riley said. “It was absolutely rewarding to represent San Diego, to represent my military community and to show what strong women can do together.”
Riley joined the U.S. Marine Corps following her graduation from George Washington University.
“I had zero idea that I wanted to join the military. It wasn’t until I actually met a Marine Corps recruiter – that really changed my perspective. At the time, less than 5 percent of women were serving in the Marine Corps,” she said. “It was intimidating based on the physical requirements. … I wanted to give back and do something bigger than myself.”
The Marine Corps has provided many things including skills and adventures. Riley is a logistics officer by trade. She was deployed to Baghdad, Iraq, in 2024, and served in operations there. She was once stationed at Camp Pendleton, and is now based at Marine Corps Recruit Depot in San Diego, recruiting officers to join the USMC.
Riley was born in San Diego and moved to Indiana at age 2 with her family. She comes from an athletic gene pool. Not only is her mother amazing, her father, John Tejcek – who grew up in San Diego and attended Mt. Carmel High School – was a professional baseball player. She recently returned to San Diego and has lived in Scripps Ranch for one year with her husband, Danny Waldron, a former Royal Marine.
The couple has a six-week-old son, Miles.
Riley is also a children’s book author, having published “If You Can Dream It, Be It” – available on Amazon. Her second book is in the works.
Her Instagram handle is Riley.tejcek.
