Rat Race | Iceland Coast to Coast

Fitness level

A good level of fitness is recommended with competency in off-road riding.

Packrafting experience

You do not need any rafting experience and will be provided with all required equipment.

Pace

This challenge has been designed so that you may travel at your own pace. There will also be some cut-offs, but these will be generous and the team will always look to help you to achieve your goals in finishing this challenge, vs having to pull out. You are given very early starts to allow the very best possible window for route completion. But, if you need to stop for whatever reason, the team is there for you. The absolute key is that you enjoy this amazing journey through some of the most incredible and varied terrain on planet earth, at your own pace and within your own limits.

Navigation

You won't be staring at maps or navigational aids any more than you have to!

Instead of waymarking, you will download a route file onto your smartphone or GPS device. You will follow this ‘line’ and can use this as a back-up at all times. You may augment this with your own device – such as a GPS watch. The route will show the stage start and finish locations of the course each day, plus also show you pit stop locations, so you know exactly how far you are from support along the course. There are some marshalled junctions or key turning points on the hiking stages.

The rafting stage is fully guided and as long as you point the raft downriver, you’re going the right way! 

On the bike, there are not many junctions or route choices. Trust us, it will be hard to get lost but if you do – the support of highly experienced safety crew plus support vehicles is never very far away.

Bike type

You'll need a mountain bike for this adventure - either your own or hire one in-country. Either way, bike transfers are included.

Accommodation

• Hotels
• Cabins
• Camping

A variety of small hotels and comfortable huts will be used. Hotels are typically offered on a double or twin room basis. If you are taking part on your own, you will be paired with another participant of the same sex in a twin room. You will have the opportunity to request to share a room with a fellow adventurer when registering.

Huts offer communal dorm-based accommodation where you will be allocated a bed in a mixed dorm or communal room. When camping you will be allocated a space in a same-sex tent.

All accommodation is of a good standard, sometimes basic, but always practical for the journey-at-hand. It has all been tried and tested.

Meals

All meals are included as standard, at hotels and in camp, cooked up by the expert catering crew

Kit list

A comprehensive kit list with mandatory and recommended kit for all three disciplines (trekking, biking and kayaking) is available.

Season

• Jan
• Feb
• Mar
• Apr
• May
• Jun
• Jul
• Aug
• Sep
• Oct
• Nov
• Dec

Meeting point

Reykjavík
Reykjavík
Iceland

Itinerary

• Day 1 | Travel

  Meet the team in Reykjavik and travel to Blonduous on the north coast, where your adventure will begin.

• Day 2 | Preparation

  After breakfast, the morning will be spent on registration admin and navigation tech. Following this there will be plenty of time for everybody to prep their bikes. There'll be a trial run route and cycle route so you can practice with the tech and give your bike a shakedown ride to make sure everything is spot on ready to start the event tomorrow. Once all this is done, the time is yours to relax, chill, kit-faff and explore as you please.

• Day 3 | Start adventure from Blonduous

  After a hearty breakfast and an early start at a lava beach at Blonduos, cycle inland beside the glacial river Blanda on good roads and good gravel tracks. Once the group has left the coastal area, leave the tarmac behind for good! Climb gradually until the scenery gives way to classic Icelandic ash terrain. This is a big day out on the mileage on this terrain, but it will form a very good intro to Icelandic riding and to the very unique weather conditions. 

  

• Day 4 | A big day on the bikes

  Another day on the bikes today, passing between the two icecaps of Hofsjokull and Langjokull and heading towards the Kerlingarfjoll Highland mountains, using gravel roads and tracks. Reach the overnight location to meet the rafting guides, then prepare to take on the river the next day.

• Day 5 | Rafting the Pjorsa

  The plan A will be to raft the River Pjorsa. Descend the river for approx. 40km (25 miles) max, including portages around waterfalls. Shortly before the river crashes over the dramatic Dynkur Foss waterfall, exit the rafts and then transition back to the bikes. Cycle gravel tracks for approx. 24km (15 miles) over hill plateau scenery, passing through a created realm of new reservoirs and dams to reach the Highland Centre at Hrauneyjar. This is a smart ‘hotel-style’ accommodation complex.

  

• Day 6 | Off the ash and into the mountains

  After a full sit-down breakfast from the comfortable lodgings at the Highland Centre, it's on the bikes for some flat (followed by rough and steep!) gravel tracks including summiting a 1000m hill. There are also some great singletracks to contend with and you will probably find today is the highlight of the biking thus far. After some 80km (50 miles) of riding, come to the Alftavatn Camp/Hut. This is now the world-famous Laugavegur Trail, where the group cycles its singletrack to the Botnar Camp/Hut. This is a further 20km distance (12 miles). 

• Day 7 | The most incredible trekking day you may ever experience

  This is a big foot day but one you will never ever forget. Prepare to have your mind blown by the terrain and by the scenery unfolding all around you. With lightweight packs the first bit of the trail can generally be run (it is mostly descending and undulating). But it’s up to you – chose to run or trek. Pass near a camp/hut in the upper Porsmork area after 20km (12 miles) and enjoy some of the finest scenery in all of Iceland. Porsmork really is like being in the Lord of the Rings. Trek up and out of Porsmork and ascend steeply between incredible glacier snouts to summit a mountain pass, before descending steeply to the stunning Skogafoss waterfall (25km, 16 miles) and journey’s end at the nearby hotel.

  

• Day 8 | Travel

  After a final breakfast with possibly some sore heads, tackle the final leg of the journey. It’s a very flat 8 miles by bike firstly on a main road and then on a sandy trail to reach the famous plane wreck on the black volcanic beach, which marks the Journey’s End back at the sea. After some high fives, ride the 3km back to the support vehicles for the onward transport to Reykjavik. Convene back at the city first, for folk to collect their bike boxes and other gear you may have stored prior to the start of the trip.

Included

• Accommodation

  6 nights hotel, cabins and camping accommodation.

• Meals

  All meals included.

• Transfers

  Includes transfers at the beginning and end.

• Guides and support

  Professional 4x4 support vehicles, safety staff, water safety, medical, mechanical and welfare.

• Safety

  Professional local and UK safety staff, medics, drivers, route safety staff and experts on hand throughout. Audited and accredited to BS8848 expedition safety standard.

• Equipment

  Includes packraft and associated equipment rental.

• Transfer policy

  Flexible event transfer policy up to 12 weeks before your departure.

• Extras

  High quality medal, rat rag and premium t-shirt for all participants.

Trip leader

James is your leader for this adventure. He's a multi-lingual running machine!

Environmental pledge

This adventure has made a firm commitment to really elevate its approach to a sustainable and environmentally aware way of working. Each activity has been assessed to improve its environmental impact, including:

• race t-shirts to be collected at the event and not shipped across the world
• wooden medals instead of metal
• phasing out single-use plastics
• local event catering
• tighter recycling activities

This event is on track to achieve carbon-neutral in its day-to-day business activities and is making progress with carbon off-setting for worldwide travel, including ground-breaking ways to make a difference in some of the host locations.

Age

16 and 17 year olds will be considered on an individual basis, if taking part with a responsible adult.

Instalment plan

eg. Pay £425 in 10 instalments.

Choose how many months you want to spread the cost over, totally interest free. There is no credit check required to use this facility. When you sign up to the instalment plan a recurring payment will be set up and your card will be debited on the same date each month.

Refund protect

Add Refund Protect to your booking during purchase and receive a full refund of your entry fee if you are unable to attend the event due to a qualifying unforeseen circumstance.

Costs

The trip was absolutely incredible, more than I could have hoped for. I loved every aspect of it. Can't recommend it highly enough. Francis 2022

..Iceland - absolutely unbelievable. I'd been on holiday there before, but you only kind of see the edges on holidays. Travelling right through the middle was incredible, with each day getting better. There was one twenty minute segment of cycling where we went over a glacier, past sulphuric springs, over a lava field and had some sweet descent. And the last day, trekking and trail running along Laugevegur trail is beyond belief. Can't recommend it highly enough. Shane 2022

Coast to coast Iceland! WOW a tough adventure but when you’re distracted by the beautiful scenery around you it all makes it worth it! An epic adventure and one everyone should add to their bucket list. Emily 2022

All in all guys, excellent. Very well organised, well run, great staff and local support. Bryan 2022

An absolutely fantastic trip, awesome support team/leaders and a great bunch to share the experience with. Highly recommended, even if it did hurt me at times... John 2022

This was a beautifully brutal adventure which leaves you aching for more!  Well ...and just aching!. Darlene 2022

The mtb leg over the mountain, and the trek / run along the Laugavegur trail, will stay with me forever. Liz 2022