Barry and Fran Lazarus (left), contestants on the upcoming season of “The Amazing Race,” will no doubt have their own cheering section in the McDaniel community when the first show of the ninth season airs Feb. 28 on CBS.

Lazarus, a retired urologist and graduate in the class of '64, and his wife dove from an airplane, bungee-jumped, and scaled buildings in their attempt to beat 11 other couples in the 30-day race across five continents. Although the race is finished, the results are top secret until revealed on television in the course of the season.

At every destination, each team competes in a series of challenges – some mental and some physical – and only when each task has been completed do they learn their next destination. Teams that are farthest behind are eliminated, and the first team to arrive at the final destination wins $1 million.

George Gebelein, 1964 class president, takes some responsibility for bringing the Lazarus’ together. The couple had their first date at his house in the early '60s, and they remain friends four decades later.

“The fact that Barry and Fran are going to be on this show is awesome for me and may be the pinnacle of the fantastic adventures Barry and Fran have experienced during their lifetime,” Gebelein says. “I am excited and so proud of them. The suspense is unbearable.”

The couple, now living in Colorado, is keeping details of the show mum for now, but their friend Marsha Cooper says they were thrilled to be picked for “The Amazing Race.”

“Competing with so many younger people was challenging in the physical viewpoint, but the mechanics were probably easier for them,” Cooper says. “They were very excited and called it a life-altering experience. They talk about the friends they have made and say they’ve been surprised in ways they didn't expect.”

Read updates about the couple and check out their bio by clicking here: http://www.cbs.com/primetime/amazing_race9.

Photo above courtesy of CBS.