Rat Race City to Summit
UK's Toughest Triathlon Sees Dramatic Growth in its Second Year
News Release / 07.02.2014
City to Summit is a long-distance Triathlon that was launched in 2013. In its inaugural year it achieved almost cult status as a must-do event on the Tri calendar and was widely praised for both the quality of its delivery and its iconic route. Its difficulty has also cemented a notoriety that is currently seeing hundreds of competitors making a New Year’s resolution to sign up for the second outing, in a bid to join the modest band of 196 who finished the 2013 event. The event takes place on June 31st May and 1st June 2014 from a base at South Queensferry near Edinburgh and finishes at the foot of Ben Nevis in the Scottish Highlands.
The race has been created by Rat Race, the UK’s leader in adventure sports events. The company is currently enjoying massive growth, seeing numbers rocket for their various challenges, ranging from iron-distance Tri to mountain bike adventures, Ultra runs and adventure races. The firm, which was formed by ex-Red Bull events manager Jim Mee in 2004, expects to cater to some 70 000 participants in 2014 making it one of the largest single operators of mass-participation sports events in the UK. Rat Race has also launched a successful online retail store selling endurance sports gear, bikes and Tri kit and 2014 will see the unveiling its first line of own-label sports apparel also.
City to Summit forges a spectacular line between the iconic Forth Bridges near Edinburgh, to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain, Ben Nevis. Starting with a 2.4 mile sea swim in the chilly Forth of Forth, the route swings up into the Highlands of Scotland, with a 118 mile bike stage that passes Gleneagles and continues north-west over Rannoch Moor and into dramatic Glencoe, before terminating on the shores of Loch Leven. The final stage sees a 27 mile run/ trek to the summit of Britain’s highest mountain before returning to the sanctuary of the finish line in Glen Nevis. It is this final stage that sets this event apart from the rest. With snow often found on the upper reaches of the mountain in May, this run is like no other in Triathlon.
The inaugural 2013 outing saw generally fair conditions for the event, but cold temperatures and snow on the mountain proved too much for some, preventing many from completing this arduous test and ensuring that simply finishing City to Summit is now seen as a real badge of honour.
Jim Mee, Rat Race MD and creator of City to Summit explains: “With popularity growing in the extreme Tri market, through events such as Norseman, Celtman and the ever-increasing popularity of Ironman brand events worldwide, City to Summit has been designed to appeal to the growing set of triathletes who want to push themselves to the absolute limit. It is deliberately not elitist however and the event boasts a 2-day option for those who wish to split the marathon into a second day; and a duathlon option for those who do not fancy the icy swim.”
Entries to the 2014 event are open until capacity is reached and cost £275 per person for Solo Entry into the 1-day “Expert” class. More information and online entry can be found at www.ratracecitytosummit.com
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