First UK Urban Adventure Race For Edinburgh

Edinburgh is set to be the venue for the UK's first ever multi-discipline urban adventure race this summer when the nicely named 'Rat Race' hits its ever so genteel streeets.

It's going to be a one-day event in July, held over an 80km urban course taking in cycling, running, hiking, paddling, rope travel and some 'special urban challenges', it says here. There'll be places for 100 teams composed of three people each and the event will form part of the British Adventure Race Championships.

Although some of the top adventure racers in the UK and from abroad will be competing, when we spoke to organiser Jim Mee, he stressed that sections like the ropework are being kept deliberately straightforward in order to make the event suitable for novices and that he hopes to attract as many newcomers to adventure racing as possible. So even if you've never raced before, don't be put off. Out hot insider tip is that cycling will be a big part of the event, so get out on those wheels now.

The course has been designed by top expedition-style adventure race course designer Gary Thompsett who's been having a lot of fun shaping the urban landscape into a challenging course.

'Imagine Edinburgh as a giant playground,' he enthuses. 'The Capital of Scotland explored and embraced for sport, like no other sport ever created in a city. As well as the incredible built architecture, it has hills, cliffs, canals, sea and sand, and we are going to use them all to create the funkiest weekend a sportsman could ever have.'

The Practicalities

The Rat Race will take place on July 17/18th 2004, with the 'Mean Streets' prologue the evening before. Entry to the event is £60 per person, teams can be either single sex or mixed and you need to be physically fit to take part. The Rat Race is part of Edinburgh City Council's Future Sport programme of events in 2004.

Full details entry form available now from the Rat Race web site.