News
Brighton Rat Race Final Details
25 June 2008
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1) Under a week to go, the event timeline and some great clues
2) Mandatory kit items
2) Raise Funds for Teenage Cancer Trust
3) Event Village Location
4) Harness / Helmet Hire
5) Skills Refresher Sessions
6) Race Crew
7) Prize-giving Party and Party party.
1) Under a week to go and the event timeline and some big clues
Howydaydooday Rat Fans. We are into the last week of Rat Race planning, crossing the i’s and dotting the t’s. We’ve been measuring up access for 
the travelling circus that is the Rat Race event village; including the now famous Action Arena, the ever popular Slippery wall and some other titillating and M.A.D. trials that we’ll show you when you get here. You can Register between 2000 on Friday until 2200 and from 0700 Saturday to 0930 and at this time you can collect certain skeleton information and one SI card (dibber) per TEAM, but we retain the exciting and crux Final Routing Data until 1000 Saturday morning. There will be a few marked up maps to help you through this stage, but the important point here is; Register early and clear the decks ready for 1000 rat'o'clock.
The event timeline:
2000 (Friday 27th) - 2200: Rat Race Registration
0700 (Saturday 28th) - 0930: Rat Race Registration
0800-1000: Skills refresher sessions
1045-1058: Rat Race briefing and limbering up
1100: Start of the Brighton Rat Race
1100-1230 approx: Mean Streets Prologue
1230 -1630 approx: Adventure loops and challenges
1630-1900: Mean Streets Epilogue.
At 1045, we will have an all-competitor briefing and then at 1058, Get limbered up on the beach for the start of the Inaugural Brighton Rat Race at 1100. The Endura Peace Statue Beach Groyne Hurdle Sprint (try saying after a few at the post-event party – more later) will take you to the Give Out Values and then straight into the city centre for an hour (and a bit?) of quirky challenges and fun that is the Mean Streets Prologue. Then it’s back to base for either a paddle or the Action Arena. You choose.
We said that the event village was ‘bookended’ by two fabulous locations and the first cycling adventure loop direction is west. Make sure you have enough water to be supping on. Once finished at 
Hove Lagoon, it’s straight onto the wonderful South Downs and to TACTICAL DECISION NO 1. Do you tak’ the high road or the low road. You choose. More points and an extra challenge for more climbing or keep your powder dry for later in the Epilogue Mean Streets.
On your return to the event village, there will be more kayaking (if you haven’t already done so) and challenges before heading off onto cycling adventure loop number two. NB, in order to Take Part at Preston Park, so hurry, hurry, don’t dilly dally. Then it is straight off to a seat of learning, some pavé pleasure and memory testing. Head back again to Rat Race central; maybe this time to re-phewl before heading to mount and overcome the final challenges of the Brighton Rat Race.
East of Brighton, there will be the final challenges of the day. Did TACTICAL DECISION NUMBER 1 pay off or are you’re eyes popping out on stalks as you strain every last piece of energy to make it back with enough time to storm back into the city on the Mean Streets Epilogue before arriving back at the Event Village at 1900. We will have Feel Good Massage Therapies on site to help with any creaks and groans or pings that may develop throughout the day.
Now, this all sounds very exciting, like all Rat Races of course, and just to ensure that you have the best possible day, we would like to draw your attention to the very important Rat Racers Code of Conduct. Please read this and help us prove to the authorities in Brighton that you are the nicest, most considerate Racers on the planet. It's a very busy City for pedestrians and traffic.
2) Mandatory Kit items update
A PAIR OF SMART SHOES FOR POST-EVENT PARTY PROWESS
MOUNTAIN BIKE (SEMI – SLICK TYRES WILL BE FINE)
SWIMMING GOGGLES (ONE PAIR PER TEAM)
See the Full mandatory listing on the website here. We have also uploaded the SELF DECLARATION OF MANDATORY KIT to the website (click here to go to the page). It will save you a lot of time if you print and fill at home and bring it to the registration. It is one form per team.
3) Raise Funds for Teenage Cancer Trust
Why not take part in the Brighton Rat Race and raise money for Teenage Cancer Trust (TCT - the event's official charity partner) at the same time? It’s easy. All you need to do is contact Teenage Cancer Trust (challenges@teenagecancertrust.org) for an official sponsorship form – and you’re off! All donations, however big or small, will be welcomed.
Six teenagers are diagnosed with cancer each day; that’s over 2,000 a year. TCT funds specialist teenage cancer units in NHS hospitals. It costs around £2million to open a new unit, all of which TCT has to raise. Southampton General Hospital has now made a full commitment to build a unit as part of their building plans which will care for patients from across the South Coast. The new unit is expected to be completed by 2011.
4) Event Village Location
The Brighton Rat Race will be based on the future i360 site … we will dance one last time on the future foundations of this mighty tower before the old skate and BMX park disappears forever. The 
event site is an oasis in the sunny flurry of Brighton and is well served by amenities; public toilets, cafe's, shops and bars. Parking is available at multi story car parks all around. Click here to view NCP website. As this is the Nine 2 Five format event, registration is early, and for Brighton Rat Race we are moving the race start time back to 11am, giving more time for registration, skill refresher sessions and general warm-up and orientation. With finishes and the final hour at 7pm. You will enjoy watching the city wake up and you might have the beach to yourselves for the first part of the day, then you'll get the warm satisfied glow as dusk approaches at the end of the day whilst revelling in the hustle and bustle of City Centre life.
If you are struggling to find accommodation in this fine, sunny and outrageously popular City, then look further east at the Camping Site here
Have you completed and printed your medical form? Makes you one less form away on the day. We have uploaded the Medical Form to the website (top of the page). Please print, fill and bring to the registration.
We will have a secure compound for bike storage at the event; however bikes are not to be left in this compound overnight. During the race itself it is mandatory that you have a bike cable lock in order to secure your bikes at certain 'drop-zones' or foot activities.
5) Harness / Helmet Hire
We have limited number of climbing helmets and harnesses for hire and you WILL need both for the race. 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: £8pp
* Helmet: £8pp
* Helmet and harness: £15pp
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 a few sets left.
6) Skills Refresher Sessions .jpg)
Have you booked a refresher course for kayaking, mountain biking or ropes/abseiling should you require it? 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 and 0900 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. Remember that we require all participants to have some experience of abseiling and kayaking prior to the event kick-off. As for mountain biking, good handling skills will always make your day (and life) more exciting. We can confirm that there are steps to conquered in this Rat Race. A long flight of steps!
7) Race Crew
If you are local to Brighton or perhaps bringing a friend or partner, we are always happy to enrol you as event crew. Jobs are varied, but each and every crew member has an important and valued role to play at the event. You will need to be adaptable and hard-working, plus use initiative and be quick-thinking in dealing with situations whether they are at Rat Race Base or in a remote location on the course. The role of an event crew member is demanding... but extremely rewarding at the same time. You will be warmly welcomed by the Rat Race team and you are sure to find your day a most rewarding experience. You will find full info on our Event Crew page. If you have any questions please write to dorota@allinthedetail.com
8) Prize-giving Party
What better way to celebrate your successful completion of the Rat Race Nine 2 Five than an evening of revelry in one of the UK's most fun loving nightspots. Join us for the prizes and partying in a funky bar on the Saturday night. We’ll go at it from when you finish the race until when we finish the party! We are in the VIP suite at The Karma Bar in Brighton Marina so why not come down and join in the fun. No muddy Rat Racer shoes at this venue, so bring some fancy duds to change into!
That’s it for now, more coming soon and looks forward to seeing you on the beach.
Rat Race Team
