Hello London Rat Racers!
Welcome back for more exploration, exhilaration and pure randomness in the most adventurous capital city in the world. Here’s a sneak preview of what we are about to unleash you on; or rather what we are about to unleash on you!
1.) Course Preview
2.) Event Location and Event Village Facilities
3.) Event Format and Timings4.) Registration Procedure
5.) Skills Refresher Sessions
6.) Rat Race Store / Gear Hire / Special Offers
7.) A fantastic holiday prize that ANYONE can win!
8.) Race for Charity
9.) Jury's Inn offer
10.) Further communications and event information - Urban Gym
1. Course Preview
Saturday night’s Mean Streets will see you being let loose on the streets of central London where you will run, climb, bike (we will provide these where needed for the Saturday night), kayak, jump, leap, sing, punch, kick, dance, eat and swing, all in plain view of thousands of Londoners and enthralled tourists. Be smart, fast and enter the Mean Streets with a good sense of humour and you will come back with some cracking stories and some pretty sore legs too! Sunday’s Nine2Five will get you muddy, (potentially very muddy depending on the weather), but there will be plenty of opportunities to “wash” it all off. Bike bells (1 per bike) and bike computers (1 per team) are mandatory and we would really really recommend mountain bike tyres with some good grip as more than half of this year’s course is off road. You will be exploring the greenest London Rat Race route yet and discovering some hidden gems in this glorious city – it’s going to be an epic.
For the first time in the Rat Race we are introducing the requirement of a bike computer as mandatory equipment (one per team). This has arisen as certain towpaths that we have arranged access to, have a speed limit of 10MPH. We have agreed with British Waterways, that as conscientious users, event participants will obey this speed limit, and that the way to do that is using a bike computer. (Along with the use of your bike bell this will make everything safer). Bike computers start at £10 and are attached to the handlebars, with a wire running down to a sensor on the fork leg, and a magnet or similar fixed to a front wheel spoke, all taking about 15 minutes to fit. There are also some nice wireless solutions. We have linked up some super deals with the Rat Race Store and NiteRider products here. Take your choice and get all computered up (of course, you can find other computers elsewhere). You’ll also find bike computers a fascinating way to check average speed and distance – in fact, we could add a split-distance challenge into the event! Watch out on the day!’
At the event centre, British Waterways will be promoting their canal network and their Two Tings cycle bell campaign. For now, we would like you to have a look at their Code of Conduct here as this we must adhere to, during the event. No secret that we are cycling on some extensive canal network then!
2. Event Location and Event Village Facilities 
This year’s event is again based at the sensational Potter’s Fields Park, right next to Tower Bridge on the South Bank. To view the venue, click here. Access on public transport is best via London Bridge station for surface and tube trains, the latter being served by Northern and Jubilee lines. Waterloo is very close too, as is Tower Gateway tube and DLR on the opposite side of the Thames, accessed via a 10 minute walk across Tower Bridge. If you are driving, you’ll be pleased to know that the Congestion charge does not apply at weekends, (and the venue is just outside the zone anyway). The nearest NCP car park is located on Kipling Street, SE1 3RU. Please note, there is no parking right at the venue and any blocking of the event production road into the site will result in your car being lifted and impounded by the City Council. The traffic wardens in this area are fierce, so please ensure you find some sound off-street parking. This year’s village will again feature our Fuller’s Discovery real ale bar for some post-race pints and we’ll have a full range of food on offer too, including early morning breakfast rolls on the Sunday pre-Nine2Five. The Rat Race Store will be on hand with bargains a-plenty (see below) and we’ll also have the sensational stunt-riding skills of the Rat Race bike demo crew on hand, plus MC and music. Towering above you will be the Extreme bungee crane, offering you and your flock the thrills and spills of a bungee jump with the stunning setting of Tower Bridge in the background. (To check this out go to www.exelement.co.uk).
3. Event Format and Timings
The Rat Race will take place over 2 days and you have the choice to take part in Saturday’s Mean Streets Challenge or Sunday’s Nine2Five – or both! The Mean Streets starts with an explosive mass start at 1700 and finishes close on 1930, and is predominantly foot based. The Nine2Five starts at 0900 with a starburst run challenge to your bikes and for the rest of the day is predominantly bike-based, connecting up several fantastic challenges on the route, with all finishers back by 1700. The Weekender features both the Mean Streets and the Nine2Five component events.
Here are the current timings for the weekend:
SATURDAY
1100 Competitor Registration open
1100 Competitor Refresher Sessions begin (See below for further info)
1200 Music and MC commences from the stage
1500 Competitor Registration closes
1530 Competitor pre-event briefing (Mean Streets and Weekender participants required to attend)
1700 Mean Streets Event starts
1930 Mean Streets Event finishes
2100 Secure Bike compound closes
SUNDAY
0700 Competitor secure compound open
0700 Nine2Five Competitor Registration opens
0700 Collect routebooks and more from Registartion
0830 Nine2Five Competitor Registration closes
0900 Nine2Five Event starts
1200 Event village open to the public
1430 First teams expected to finish
1700 All teams back – course closes
1900 Prize Giving
2100 Secure Bike Compound must be cleared
4. Registration Procedure
It is important that you register as a full team. There can be NO exceptions. Please download the two files that you will need to hand in at registration: Medical Form & Disclaimer and Self Declaration of Mandatory Kit. Both documents are available for download from the website here (right hand side column).
Registartion times
Mean Streets and Weekender: SATURDAY 1100 - 1500
Nine2Five: SUNDAY 0700 - 0830
5. Skills Refresher Sessions
If you feel that you are a bit rusty when you’re on a kayak or can’t remember the last time you put on a climbing harness, or maybe you’ve never done either…never fear…skills refresher sessions are here! These optional courses are available and recommended for those who are not familiar with ropes-based activity or kayaking. Through these short sessions you will be familiarised with the equipment you will be using and taught the basic necessary skills needed to safely complete the ropes-based and kayaking activities you’ll later encounter on the course. You can gain the skills by attending one of the refresher sessions or by attending a session at your local climbing or kayaking provider. You can take part as a team or just on your own. Refresher sessions are run on the SATURDAY at the event village. Those partaking only in an abseil session can book for 11am slots with a those choosing both kayak and abseil sessions have slots at 11am (kayak) and 12noon (abseil). Abseil sessions cost £9 each and you can buy a package of both kayak and abseil sessions for £15. Book them through the Rat Race Store at www.ratracestore.com/store/Refresher_Sessions.html Once signed up on the website please report to the Rat Race Store in the event village prior to your session.
6. Rat Race Store / Gear Hire / Special Offers
For those of you worrying about “what to wear” or those who don’t know their map from their mountain bike, check out our Rat Race Store at www.ratracestore.com. The store will be open at the event too, for anyone who might have forgotten anything! Anyone taking part in the Nine2Five requires a climbing helmet and harness. These can be hired for £8 a piece or £15 a set via the Rat Race Store here. They will be collected at the Store on the day for those of you who order them. The Store also has multi sport helmets for sale, which you can use for climbing, abseiling AND biking. Saving you weight and a cracking piece of kit for multi-sport aficionados. Click here to learn more about them.
‘Rat Pack’ 20% off special offer from the Rat Race Store.
The Rat Pack is a bundle of products to help keep you and your valuables in tip top order during your pursuits. This pack is based around the Sea To Summit eVAC 5litre dry bag that will allow all air to be squeezed out saving maximum room while remaining waterproof. The pack also includes an Adventure Medical Kit .5, a (dry!) pair of Bridgedale socks, and a (fresh!) Rat Race Endura race shirt. Remember, this is an extra shirt to the one issued at the race. There is still room for your cash, phone and keys (You need to supply the last three items!). These items have a retail price of £56.96 but the Rat Race Store is offering over 20% off for Rat-tastic price of £44.99 with free delivery. Click here to grab one.
To get a further ONGOING 10% DISCOUNT on all orders you make though RatRaceStore.com simply subscribe to the Rat Race Store mail list and save more pennies. Click here to sign up and save.
7. A fantastic holiday prize that ANYONE can win!
With great podium prizes and dozens of spot prizes up for grabs from the Rat Race store, you could win just by turning up! But for the winner of our “Spirit of the Rat Race” prize, awarded to the team we feel over the season has shown exceptional fortitude, derring-do extraordinaire or any other superlative attributes, you will be on your way to Chamonix in the French Alps to spend a week in the snow (or fresh, clean summer mountain air – your choice) to stay with our friends at Adventure Base on a £2500 valued holiday for 6 people in their central Chamonix “Iceman” chalet. Check out www.adventurebase.com to check in with your hosts. As a bonus all Rat Racers can use promo code ABRR0609 to receive 10% discount on any Adventure Base offer.
8. Race for Charity
As the UK’s leading children’s cancer charity, CLIC Sargent wants to see a world where all children and young people with cancer live life to the full. CLIC Sargent helps families with the trauma of diagnosis, the often long journey through treatment… and continues to support them afterwards.
CLIC Sargent is there for them…with clinical expertise, emotional care and financial support in hospital, at home and in the community all over the UK. And because we listen and respond, we answer the real needs of children, young people and their families facing this incredible challenge.
There is still time to sign-up for Rat Race with CLIC Sargent and combine the thrills and spills of the race with helping children with cancer. For more information please contact Louise Oakley at louise.oakley@clicsargent.org.uk or call 01173 14 8605
9. Jury's Inn offer
We have a special offer for our Rat Race participants. Simply contact the Hotels directly by phone or email and quote “Raterace” to avail of the special offer. The rates are subject to availability. Here’s the deal for London:
London 26/27 September – Jurys Inn Chelsea £100 BB per twin/Double call reservations on 0207 411 2200 or email jurysinnchelsea@jurysinns.com , Jurys Inn Islington £90BB call reservations on 0207 2825500 or email jurysinnislington@jurysinns.com
10. Further communications and event information
We will be in touch by email the week before the event with more pre-race info. In the meantime feel free to call us on 0845 009 4365 or email us at info@ratraceadventure.com if you have any burning questions.
If you fancy a bit of last minute pre-event fitness training, join us at the Urban Gym this September. See a separate mail coming at you this afternoon with the full scoop!
Rat's all for now!
The Capital Rats
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