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Countdown to London Rat Race Begins

24.09.2007

With a week to go until hundreds of “Rats� are released onto the streets of London, here’s a preview of what promises to be another landmark date in the history of British adventure racing. Although there have been “scavenger hunts,� street-o’s and triathlons in the Capital, this is the first time a full-blown AR has been attempted on the streets of London, or any other national Capital as far as we know.

London is a big place. With an event village based in the centre of the city at Tower Bridge, then the options for the race could be endless. It’s going to be good though – have no doubt about that.

The Rat Race team, which comprises Rat Race creator Jim Mee and chief course planner Nick Gracie, with support from Gary Tompsett and an army of other Rats in waiting, has been planning carefully for nigh on a year. The process began in earnest in January with approaches to various bodies, with the team seeking to establish the concept and present it to the powers that be. Since then, it’s been full steam ahead and a week before the event, the organisers have 750 souls ready and waiting for their adventure into the famous streets of “Old Smoke.�

The Rat Race was established in 2004 in Edinburgh and has since been staged in Bristol and Manchester too. The format is deliberately very inclusive and approachable with two classes offered – Mean Streets and Adventure class. As such the people that take part are very diverse; this is an adventure race – but it embraces many, many more genres too and consequently, the Rat Race starting line is an eclectic mixture of adventure racers, runners, bikers, commuters-turned-sports fans, “armchair adventurers� and even the odd stag party.

Some wear silly hats and some wear AR towing systems. It’s all ends of the skills spectrum. They all have bike bells and they all wear the trademark Rat Race Columbia black race jerseys; meaning that in more senses than one they physically resemble a pack of Rats!

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