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Party in the Park

Rob / 19.07.2004

By the time the racers arrived for the midday start to registration Edinburgh was bustling with Saturday shoppers and tourists from around the world. You could hardly move along Princes Street, past the nearby National Gallery and the Scott Monument, and the queue to get into the Castle overlooking them from it’s craggy perch was stretching out down the packed Royal Mile.

Between the Princes Street and the Castle, in the bed of what was once a loch, are the manicured grass and floral displays of West Princes Street Gardens, normally a haven of calm between the architectural highlights of Scotland’s capital. But not today, not with the Rat Race in town, with 312 teams arriving for kit checks and with a range of displays and activities set up for teams and visitors alike.

Sponsors Volvo were showing off their range, Splash and Tickle had set up their mobile health spa by the ornate fountain, there was a climbing wall, you could have a Swedish massage, or relax in the beer tent and look up at the floating big screen, a balloon which resembled a giant white eyeball. The music was coming out of a fire engine - one of the vehicles converted into a moveable Red Bull sound system. All the sponsors were there contributing to a bustling atmosphere and some of the teams were glad to do some last minute shopping.

They were kept busy with registration well into the afternoon though, queuing to get into the secure compound and to complete all the formalities of kit checks and paperwork. Gradually the compound filled with bikes and gear boxes, and there was plenty of help on hand, from the Edinburgh orienteering club for those who’d not seen an orienteering map before, and for those taking climbing and paddling ‘refreshers’.

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