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Mean Streets

Rob / 19.07.2004

At 8.20 p.m, a little later than planned, the first ever Rat Race began with the teams racing to get their control descriptions for the ‘Mean Streets Prologue’ in late evening sunshine. As the park was still open the racers had to watch out for unwary, and startled, pedestrians, and those sitting on the park benches watched in amazement as teams spread out their Edinburgh A-Z’s and matched the points values to the pre-marked controls. Then they jumped up and ran off in all directions, heading out into the city streets. As they did so Cliff Richard began his concert in the castle with ‘Summer Holiday’, but this race was going to be no holiday!

The 30 controls were scattered around the city centre, but also spread out to more distant locations, including the parkland of Blackford Hill, where there were 4 CP’s to complete on an orienteering course, and with one near Murrayfield stadium. Some were on famous Edinburgh landmarks, such as Nelson’s Monument, one was on the entrance to the Scottish Tourist Board, and others were off the Royal Mile between Holyrood Palace and the Castle. Some of these were in the narrow ‘closes’, steep enclosed stairs and courtyards of the old city, and in the quadrangle of the City Chambers there was a climbing tower checkpoint.

Navigating off a ‘Premier’ Street map was a new experience for everyone, and it wasn’t easy as Edinburgh is a city on many levels. There are numerous stairways and bridges, not all marked on the map, and it was possible to arrive at the right location, but on the wrong level. Not all the stairs were marked on the map either, and local knowledge was a definite advantage.

To the North there was a control point in a flooded tunnel, which got a mixed reaction. The experienced races just ran into the calf deep water, but the novice teams were not so confident and hesitated, wondering what to do, nor were they so willing to get wet and some removed their trainers and socks to paddle gingerly in. Those who had stuck with road running shoes were not well served at Blackford Hill though, as it was slippery after the afternoon showers, buy the reward for those who made it that far out was a panoramic view back over the city as night fell.

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