Well, Rat Racers, you were there, and you were steamin’! It was a hot and dusty edition of the Rat Race, with several wet dunkings that kept the heat at bay occasionally. A truly excellent and value packed first outing for the Rat Race rollercoaster; Several doses of Ropes & Boats and, oh yes, a healthy filling of running and biking to connect it all up. All of this delivered from our new, very central, and thankfully shaded venue – Castle Park.
1. Race Director's Report
2. Results
3. Thank You's
4. SleepMonsters Reports and Photos
5. Other Photography
6. Sore Paw offer from www.RatRaceStore.com.
7. Prizes, Series Prize & Spirit of The Rat Race prize
8. Next Events – Entry Offer
9. End Notes
1. Race Director's Report
After four years of basing the event at Cannon’s Marsh and heading predominantly north and west, this year we were able to tap into new territory and head into St.Paul’s, the Dings and other hitherto untouched regions of the city. With the sun beating down on both days, the weather was always going to be a factor in your performance, and we were certainly aware of some very fine self-sufficient efforts to keep your teams performing, fuelled and hydrated as you progressed through the challenges. On Saturday, the area between Castle Park, Cabot Circus, Stoke’s Croft and St Werburgh’s came alive with the patter of Rat Race feet and there were some memorable challenges, from kayaking with no paddles to boxing to climbing to street art. On the Sunday, it wasn’t long before you all reached altitude by summiting the Tump of Maes Hill Fort and could look back over the whole City and the Gorge beneath the Clifton Suspension Bridge. Looking back, we bet that seems a long time ago now! When you look back at the photos, we are sure that you will be tickled once more.
Some safety observations from the course: To make matters safe in your team please ensure that you wear cycling helmets for cycling, and not climbing helmets. That you do not separate your team unless directed otherwise. Otherwise, the infinitesimally small incident count suggests that you are all highly talented adventurers. A credit to the Rat Racing nation.
From the planning and directorial side, it was great to see long time Bristol Planner/Director – Pete James, actually in the thick of the action. This year Gary Vallance (from Hampshire) stepped up to the plate to design the course and activity bonanza, and a brilliant job too. This enabled Pete and his inov-8 teammates of Sarah O’dell and Tarquin Cooper to rampage the Sunday event – they had to do this to recover an outside podium place from the Mean Streets. Even though Pete is a Bristol local, even he admitted to not knowing the ground on this route!
2. Results
Comprehensive results are shown on the Bristol Rat Race results page here. Study and behold the variations and pleasures of the weekend, in an analytical sense that is. The summary is clear and makes for interesting anecdotals;
At the end of the “Mean Streets” event on Saturday night Team inov8 were lying in 4th place, some 44pts adrift of Team Ratio Vivendi, a team who are looking poised to mount a serious challenge to Team inov8’s domination. Team Oarsum, with the addition of Eddie Winthorpe, didn’t form until the registration of the “Mean Streets”– making that particular result fairly spectacular. Overall, 124 teams completing the full “Weekender”, 24 teams competed in the “Mean Streets” only event Saturday, and a further 25 fresh teams completing the Nine2Five only event on the Sunday. The ladies fielded a few teams and Bad News, who were 2nd last year, totally nailed it this year for the win.
Results Summary:
Weekender (Mean Streets + Nine2Five)
Mixed teams
1st inov-8 1394 points
2nd Ratio Vivendi 1382 points
3rd ASports Magazine 1343 points
(4th overall)
1st all Male team
Oarsum (3rd overall) 1356 points
1st all Female team
Bad News (30th overall) 1119 points
Mean Streets (only)
1st Swim Club 347 points
Nine2Five (only)
1st Tangawizi 1000 points
3. Thank You's
This event in particular incorporated some very special operators and venues. We think they are all here in the list below to thank. Take a look back at their websites and give them a call or visit in the future. Great people, great venues, great partnerships, continuing to make the Rat Race the most exciting urban adventure out there.
A to Z maps (a-zmaps.co.uk)
Adventurous Activity Company (adventurousactivitycompany.co.uk)
Action Indoor Sports (actionsportuk.com/index.php)
Beast Clothing (beast-clothing.com)
Bristol Climbing Centre (undercover-rock.com)
Bristol Orienteering Klub (bristolorienteering.org.uk)
Bristol Parkour (bristolparkour.org)
Cabot Circus (cabotcircus.com/website/default.aspx)
Equinox Paddlesports Club (bcusouthwest.org.uk/information/clubs.html)
The Farm public house (thefarmpub.weebly.com/index.html)
Globe 360 (globe360.org/Globe360/Home.html)
HorseWorld (horseworld.org.uk)
Indoor Cricket England (indoorcricketengland.co.uk)
Jolly Sailor public house (jollysailorpub.com)
Laura Butler (action-fitness.co.uk)
Lifecycle (lifecycleuk.org.uk)
Moti running shop (mymoti.com/bristol)
North Avon Canoe Club (northavoncanoeclub.org.uk)
Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft (prsc.org.uk)
Peter Foster (Timing and Scoring)
Riverside Youth Project (freewebs.com/riversideyouthproject)
Severnside Sub-Aqua Club (severnsidesac.com)
St Pauls Unlimited (stpaulsunlimited.org.uk)
St Werburghs City Farm (swcityfarm.org.uk)
St Werburghs Community (stwerburghs.org)
Landowners Mr and Mrs Reakes, Lane and Sweet for access across Maes Hill.
Bristol City, Bath & NE Somerset, South Gloucestershire Councils.
The hard working and resourceful marshals (event crew) deserve a BIG thank you for making it all work on the night, and day.
4. SleepMonsters Reports and Photos
If you want proof of your amazing weekend, you will find yourself talked about and photographed by SleepMonsters. Their expert photographers were all over the finishline on Sunday Nine2Five event, and many parts of the course that day. Go to the SleepMonsters Race Reports here, and their very ordered PhotoSales site here to purchase high resolution photos of yourself, friends, or just cracking general shots for the memory.
5. Other Photography
Also at the event, was local lensman Pete Tiley. If you want to see the action from Mean Streets onwards have a peek at these pics on his Flickr here and his Blog is here. It seems that you gave his pixels a very stimulating time.
6. Sore Paw offer from www.RatRaceStore.com. 
Feet take a hammering on the Mean Streets of Brizzle and looking to try a new footwear combination? We are offering the inov-8 F-Lite 320 PK (the official Rat Race shoe) to Bristol Rats with a free pair of Bridgedale X Hale Speed Demon/Diva socks. Those who use extra cunning and sign up to the Rat Race Store mail list will be able to get an extra 10% discount and free postage. That is £82 of top footwear for £63 - a huge 23% off. This deal is available until midnight on Sunday 12th July. Be quick.
Steps to redeeming this great offer.
A. Sign up to the store mail list here.
B. Select the ‘inov-8 F-Lite 320 PK shoe’ here and add to basket.
C. Checkout and input the mail list promo code we sent you for 10% discount and enter ‘Bristol’ in the comment box to redeem your socks.
7. Prizes, Series Prize & Spirit of The Rat Race prize
Thanks go out to our prize providers the Rat Race Store, Sea to Summit, inov8, Endura, Adventure Medical Kits, Buff and For Goodness Shakes. We will catch up with podium prize winners that did not make it to the prize-giving, and award excellent prizes from these sponsors.
Well done to the podium finishers who are now in the running for the Rat Race top prize for 2009; a full year’s worth of free Rat Racing in 2010.
The time has come to place our vote on the team that really stood out this weekend, and put them forward for the Spirit of The Rat Race prize 2009. Without beating about the bush, and after considering a few tales of fortitude and derring do, the team to go through to the final selection for our Mega £2500 valued Adventure Base prize is.... Oarsum, for their awesome speed-dating skills to form on the DAY of the event and then the battle they rolled out against the clock to achieve a podium finish. We certainly are not focussing on the top table to award these selection places, but this team really were a surprising scratch success and an instant bonding. Who will it be in Edinburgh? Only by getting to the finishline will the future be able to tell us.
Remember also, for the team who does the most Rat Racing in our 2009 season, you will be in the running for the Spirit of the Rat Race prize. Now THERE’S an incentive to come and do another one! We will be announcing the winner at the end of the season.
See http://ratraceadventure.com/page13.asp for the details on the season prizes.
8. Next Events – Entry Offer
Edinburgh is big and looming over you. There are still places if you wish to enter the topographical behemoth that is Edinburgh. Just a short flight away, or a diagonal dash from Carlisle, this stunning City always provides a hoot on the Saturday night Mean Streets, and ‘a most honest day’s work’ on the Sunday Nine2Five. Take your energy shots and come and bag this monster!
Get even more Ratty with our special ‘Double Up Rat(e).’
For those loyal Rats that have already entered a race, purchase another team for any UK event and receive a whopping 20% discount!
Double the fun for less cash. Even if you want to trade in your team mates we’d love to see you scurrying around another city. Offer open to any Rat Race participant that has entered a minimum of one UK Rat Race in 2009. Bag your discount entry now! To book your place simply email us quoting ‘Double Up Rat(e)’ at info@ratraceadventure.com.
See the Offers page here.
9. End Notes
We have had a polite request; "I have accidentally picked up another teams Ortlieb Mapcase and I would like to return it. Is there any way you could put the word out to the teams? It was picked up within the cycle compound next to the team 45 bikes, and there was a red lumocolor pen next to it."
Drop us a line if you can help.
Stokes Croft may be a place you had heard of. The Peoples Republic of Stokes Croft? Maybe not. The incredibly beautiful, skilful, challenging and provocative street art in Bristol’s Cultural Quarter? Perhaps it catches your eye as you cycle or drive by. Well, this year the Rat Race contributed to the palimpsest of art on the official public street art practice wall. See the Blog and Video here; featuring Jake Hayes; honorary marshal with Bristol Rat Race.
That’s all folks. It was a pleasure to see you devouring the adventure in Bristol. Hope to see you at another Rat Race in 2009 and beyond.
The luvvlies at the Rat Race HQ.
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