Rat Race | Scotland Coast to Coast

Complete in One day

Suitable for those who want to go hard and test themselves over rugged terrain. 

• Run 7 miles
• Road cycle 44 miles
• Off road cycle 20 miles
• Road cycle 14 miles
• Mountain trek/run 14 miles
• Kayak to the finish 1 mile

The one-day challenge is a mammoth undertaking. Especially if the prevailing wind tries to blow you back to the start line. Bike selection and your nutrition plan are very important to give you the best chance of completion.

The cut offs are fixed and you will be taking on a very challenging mountain run after a draining cycle ride. Successful finishing times on the one day challenge range from 8 hours in calm conditions to 14 hours in heavy weather.

Complete in two days

Very achievable for people who are looking for the perfect adventure weekend. 

Arrange overnight accommodation around Fort Augustus or Invergarry in advance. There's also an event campsite at the finish line of day 1 you can book.

Day 1

• Run 7 miles
• Road cycle 44 miles
• Off road cycle 8 miles
• Road cycle 1 mile
• End of day 1 finish at Invergarry

Day 2

• Day 2 starts in Invergarry
• Road cycle 1 mile
• Off road cycle 11 miles
• On road cycle 14 miles
• Mountain trek/run 14 miles
• Kayak to the finish 1 mile

Fitness level

This is a tough event. You’ll be taking on a hilly journey that is heavily impacted by weather conditions. You’ll be running, kayaking and more importantly riding into the prevailing wind, so the chances are you’ll find the riding sections tougher than your usual ride out.

You need to be fit and you need to be able to keep your energy levels up with a solid nutrition plan to be able to make this journey. If you put in some training time and arrive kitted out and prepared then this challenge is achievable, but it should not be underestimated.

Bike type

Whether you are entering the two-day or one-day category, you will use the same bike throughout. The perfect bike for this event is a cyclocross bike or a gravel bike.

You could complete it on a mountain bike and for two-day participants this is a viable option, but one-day participants will struggle to get through the road riding miles within the cut off times.

Road bikes are not recommended although they would be possible to use if you add appropriate tyres, good pressures and a dose of skill. It is possible for two-day participants to swap tyres at leisure at the Invergarry overnight location as you could pack these into your overnight bag. 

Season

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

Meeting point

Cawdor Castle
Nairn
Highland
IV12 5RD
UK

Itinerary overview

• Friday 14:00-22:00 | Registration in Nairn
• Saturday | Day 1
• Sunday | Day 2

Included

• Equipment

  Kayak and all associated equipment included.

• Guides and support

  Fully waymarked route. Luggage transport service provided.

• 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.

• Transfer policy

  Flexible transfer policy up to 1 month before the event.

• Momentos

  High quality finishers medal and rat rag.

Not Included

• Bikes

  Bike hire available.

• Coach transfers

  Available to book pre and post event.

• Accommodation

  If completing over 2 days, you would need accommodation at the end of day 1 or camp at the event campsite.

Trip leader

Jim is your leader for this adventure. With over 20 years experience and 500+ events under his belt you are in safe hands.

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 £50 in 5 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 the organisers will then set up a reccurring payment 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