Welcome to the summer and to the Bristol Rat Race 2008! We have a Gert Lush adventure in store for you this 14/ 15 June as we once again prepare to turn Ol’ Brizzle into an urban adventure playground in the name of sport. This year’s event will deliver a powerful punch of action and our planners have been working hard to ensure we liberate the very best of the sights and sounds of the city with permissions for things you just would not normally be allowed to do; prepare to feel like you are involved in a city heist!

1.         Bristol Race entries still open  - Refer a Rat to earn £££
2.         Race Director’s introduction to Bristol 2008
3.         Event schedule – STUDY CAREFULLY
4.         Event Village Location and parking
5.         Refresher Courses available
6.         Harness / Helmet Hire
7.         Further pre-event communications

1. Bristol Race entries still open – Refer a Rat to earn £££
Are some of your mates ratty at not entering in time to enjoy all the Adventure Class shenanigans at standard price? No problem. Why not ‘Refer a Rat’? If you know of a potential team needing a push to enter late in the day then take advantage of the ‘Refer a Rat’ scheme. It’s easy as ABC.

A.      Email info@ratraceadventure.com with the name of the team looking to get involved. We will email back a promotional code allowing your pals to enter at the standard price of £99 per head.
B.      The latecomers use the code to enter the race online at the standard price.
C.      We send you 3 x £10 vouchers to redeem at www.urbanadventuregear.com

2. Race Director’s introduction to Bristol 2008
Bristol has an Olympic theme for 2008. Expect to get wet (pack your swimming costume and maybe your goggles). Expect a cycling challenge or two - the GB team have a strong record at the Olympics. Orienteering is an Olympic sport. Climbing may not be but that won't stop us posing some interesting ropes challenges (that may also get you wet) on both days.

Sailing is another Olympic sport in which GB is successful, and on which we have put an interesting twist for you. We feel that the artistic side of adventure racing is neglected, so you may find that chance you've been looking for to express yourself. And then there's the Olympic Torch...

For the Mean Streets on Saturday night you will need your own bike helmet, but climbing harness and helmet will be provided where required.

For the Sunday event you will as normal require your own climbing harness and climbing helmet, in addition to your bike helmet. A single helmet certified for both bike and climbing (you will know if you have one - it won't have been cheap!) is also acceptable.

Pete James
Race Director

3. Event scheduleThe event will again be based at the Lloyds TSB Amphitheatre and you should aim to arrive in good time to allow you to register and enjoy the pre-event build-up. We’ll have some live music as well as sponsor stalls and there will be food and beverage concessions on hand too, to fuel up pre-event. More info on the event village is contained below. Here is a run-down of the main timings for the event.

SATURDAY0900             Competitor Refresher Courses begin (See below for further info)
1000            Competitor Registration open
1200             Music and MC commences from the stage
1500            Competitor Registration closes
1530             Competitor pre-event briefing (ALL required to attend)
1700-2000     Mean Streets Prologue Race (For ALL racers)
2000-2200     Light carb-based food served for all racers in the event village

SUNDAY0600             Competitor secure compound open
0730             Adventure Event starts at the event village
1200             Event village open to the public
1430             First teams expected to finish
1800             All teams back – course closes
1900             Rat Race After Party begins
2000-2030     Awards Ceremony

At registration we will conduct the following tasks:

• Completion of medical forms – we have uploaded the Medical Form to the website and we strongly recommend that you print it, fill it out pre-event and bring it along with you - much time saved on the day for you
• Collect SPORTident electronic timing chip
• Collect Race Number and Rat Race race shirts
• Collect race goodie bag
• Collection of hire equipment (where requested)

4. Event Village Location and parking
The Rat Race will be based at the Lloyds TSB Amphitheatre, Cannons Marsh, Bristol City Centre.

Underground (pay) parking is available immediately adjacent at Millennium Square and at car parks within Bristol City Centre. There is no parking on site at the event village, so please plan parking accordingly.

The village will feature an adventure gear concession operated by Ellis Brigham; so if you have forgotten something or you just fancy treating yourself to a last-minute treat, then you can! (see www.ellis-brigham.com for any pre event purchases). Also present will be gear on display and for sale from our sponsors Sea to Summit and Adventure Medical Kits, as well as action on the stage from Rat Race favorites Big Hand and commentary throughout the event. Food and drink will be available and the climbing tower will be available for those keen to test their skills. For the Rug Rats, we have some inflatable fun so feel free to bring the family and make a day of it. Who knows, they may get to witness some special (and now traditional) Rat Race “interactive” challenges in the event village! Last year’s giant hamster wheels and the infamous slippery wall have set the tone – what could possibly come next!? The village is also the location for skills refresher courses and there will be an info point for all your Rat-related queries.

5. Skills Refresher Courses

As usual with the Rat Race, we will be offering up kayak and rope-work skills refresher courses on the day of the event (Saturday 14th June) that are run by our instructors and safety crews. They are intended to give you the extra confidence you may need prior to the event should you be rusty on these disciplines. Each course is priced at £10 (session lasting <1 hour) or £18 for both. They are usually popular, so make sure you let us know ASAP if you want in on the refresher action. To sign up, please email info@ratraceadventure.com and state your name and team name and which sessions you are interested in. We offer up these refreshers in "waves" at 0800, 0900 and 1000 on the Saturday so please indicate which time suits you best. We will do our best to accommodate you - but please bear in mind these are popular courses so we may not be able to offer you your first choice of time.

6. Harness / Helmet HireWe have limited number of climbing helmets and harnesses for hire (you WILL need both if you are racing in the adventure class. You don’t need either if you are in the Mean Streets only – any climbing kit you MIGHT need will be issued when you get to the activity). ALL Adventure competitors will need to carry their climbing helmet on the prologue. If you wish, you can also carry your own harness, but at any ropes activities a harness can be supplied. The hire kit will be issued when you register on the Saturday morning in the event village and you will keep it throughout. Prices are as follows:

*        Harness: £8

*        Helmet: £8

*        Helmet and harness: £15

Reservation of this equipment must be made by emailing us on kit@ratraceadventure.com. After we receive your email we will contact you pre-event regarding the payment for these (payment is made over the phone by credit/debit card). Remember - we only have limited number of helmets and harnesses to hire so it will be a first come first served basis for reserving your kit.

7. Further pre-event communications

We’ll get back on touch one week before the event with final information. In the meantime please feel free to call us on 0845 009 4365 or email us on info@ratraceadventure.com with all and any enquiries. We very much look forward to seeing you in Bristol for the 2008 Bristol Rat Race Urban Adventure!

 
Rat’s all from us for now,

Rat Race HQ