News
Less than two weeks to go and The Newcastle & Gateshead Rat Race is shaping up to be a stonker!
21 August 2008
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1) Race Director’s preview
2) Entries are still open
3) Event Village
4) Event Schedule
5) Harness / Helmet hire
6) Skills Refresher Sessions
7) Race Crew
8) Prize-Giving Party
9) Further pre-event communications
1) Race Director’s preview
After much enjoyable adventure hunting, we have devised two exciting, challenging and varied Adventure Loops that strike out from our Baltic Square base in the heart of the city. However, before heading out you’ll need to complete the prologue… exclusive to this event, the prologue features a concept never before seen at a Rat Race, and to really sharpen your minds, you’ll need to complete it before the Millennium Bridge tilts at midday otherwise you'll have a fair detour to get across the Tyne, and all this excitement after only starting at 1100, one hour earlier. The first adventure loop will have you heading east to the sea - ice cream anyone? – with a number of activities to complete on route - Getting wet is a 'probably', having fun is a 'definitely'. After returning to Baltic Wharf, completing an amazing and iconic abseil, you’ll be heading west for second adventure loop. Finally there we’ll be the classic Means Streets controls to collect towards the end of the day with the epilogue of epic proportions… anyone remember the stairwell race in Birmingham?! Why is this significant? Because the planner of this Rat Race is none other than lungs-on-legs Shane Ohly.
To make life easier for you, you won’t need to carry your 
climbing harness or helmet on the first adventure loop to the seaside but you will need them for the second adventure loop, and of course for the ‘blow your minds’ abseil!
2) Entries are still open
It's not too late to get a piece of the action here in Newcastle and exercise those arms and legs that have been tapping away watching the Olympics. This event accepts entries for teams of 2 as well as 3. Find a mate and get along to one of the most dramatic city centres in the UK, and our base is right in the heart of it all. Go here to sign up for it.
3) Event Village
You couldn't get a more adventurous look at the heart of this great City without the Rat Race. With an event centre at Baltic Wharf on the southern banks of the Tyne (in Gateshead) and looking directly at the Millenium Bridge, The Sage and The Tyne Bridge's. Within 1 minute you can run across to the Quayside of Newcastle, all the time surrounded by iconic structures. The 
question is; is one of these your abseil? The event village will have all the much loved ingredients of a Rat Race centre with massuers, activity, retail, refreshment and action, with Land Rover G4 once again looking for super-adventurers for their G4 Challenge.
Parking in this part of the city is provided by a number of NCP and other car parks. Head for Newcastle Quayside or in Gateshead - The Sage/Baltic areas. Once parked or located near the Baltic Wharf, our actual event site is called Baltic Square, unmissable and immediately west of that building. For accommodation, there are a plethora of hotels and a few hostels within a short sprint distance.
4) Event Schedule
2000 (Friday 29th) - 2200: Rat Race Registration
0700 (Saturday 30th) - 0930: Rat Race Registration
0800-0930: Skills refresher sessions
1030: Routebook handout
1045-1058: Rat Race briefing and limbering up
1100: Start of the Rat Race
1100-1200: Mean Streets Prologue (South)
1200-1500approx: Adventure Loop 1 (East)
1300-1700approx: Adventure Loop 2 (West)
1600-1830approx: Mean Streets Epilogue (North)
1830: Target finish
2000: Prize Giving & Party
5) Harness / Helmet hire
We have a limited number of climbing helmets and harnesses for hire (you WILL need both). 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 only through the UAG Rat Race Shop. Once the payment is made you will receive an automatic email confirming the hire. Remember - we only have a limited number of helmets and harnesses to hire so it will be a first come first served basis for reserving your kit. Please get your order in as soon as possible.
We must also remind you that climbing helmets are not allowable for use on a bicycle. You will need a cycle helmet for the cycling. UAG Rat Race Shop does stock a number of Multi-Sport helmets.
6) Skills Refresher Sessions 
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 30th August) 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 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.
7) Race Crew
If you are local to Newcastle or perhaps bringing a friend or partner, we are always happy to enroll 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
We are a stone's throw from a host of bars and cafes. One of these will be our venue for the prize-giving party and, as is often the case, we move onto to other more demanding night-time venue. It is a Saturday night after all! Expect some very attractive prizes from our product sponsors Ellis Brigham, Endura, Adventure Medical Kits and Sea 2 Summit.
9) Further pre-event communications
We’ll get back in touch a few days before the event with final information, although we've already revealed more about this event than most Rat Racers ever see before kick-off - honestly, we've even told you that you will be heading in all compass directions from the event centre! 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 soon for the 2008 Newcastle & Gateshead Rat Race Urban Adventure!
Rat Race HQ
