The Rat Race Urban Adventure is coming home again to Edinburgh! In just a month’s time when we hit the streets of Auld Reekie for an amazing 7th year in a row to bring you yet more ratty adventures. The same great format will be wheeled out for 2010 with 2.5hrs of Mean Streets madness on Saturday evening, all accessed on foot. On Sunday it’s onto the bikes as we take you on another mystery tour around far flung corners of Edinburgh in the Nine2Five.

As always the course remains top secret but we are 'brewing' another excellent adventure for you to get your teeth in to – yes, you guessed it, there are some clues in the text! From stately homes to seaside resorts, 2010's course has the lot, you'll even get a chance to see the full picture before you continue on your way. For you Nine2Five-ers out there, it’s worth noting that there will be some proper off-road biking this year, so you need a steed that can handle it, with the rest of the course consisting of a mix of gravel tracks & tarmac paths and roads. As for the rest of activity both Saturday and Sunday, well there will be the usual blend of fun and frolics, comedy and cunning, that you've come to expect from a rat-tastic weekend!

We’ve not been shy of maximising the adventure year upon year, take a look back at the Bristol Rat Race reports and photos here and here and get excited for your event in Edinburgh.

Refer a friend: A fiver to spend for every mate you get to join in the fun.
When you entered the Edinburgh Rat Race you qualified for Rat Race Rewards, the scheme we use to give extra value to our repeat customers. You received a code on your confirmation email that provides a 25% discount to any other event produced by Rat Race in the same season. Pass this discount on to as many mates as you like allowing them to enter the Edinburgh Rat Race. Your popularity will not go unrewarded. You will be given £5 credit to whatever you want from the Rat Race Store at the event. Just get your mates to use your Rat Race Reward Code when entering and we will be in touch after the event with £5 voucher.

Location
As always, West Princes Street Gardens and the Ross Bandstand is where you'll find us. A map showing the location can be found here. Here you will find the usual facilities such as bike compound, toilets, Start line and Registration. It is also where you'll pick up your race number & Rat Race t-shirt at Registration. Nothing is sent in the post pre-event. The Ratachino Cafe will be on hand providing drinks and food and The Rat Race Store will also be there for any last minute kit you need. Or maybe just treat yourself from their Aladdin’s Cave of bargains!

Parking
The nearest parking can be found at Castle Terrace NCP car park which is ideally placed next to the Kings Stables Road entrance to West Princes Street Gardens. There are also several other city centre car parks close by. All these car parks charge a fee.

Registration
Please come and register in plenty of time before the start of the event. If you leave it to the last minute - you will be queuing! We will do our best to speed the process as we can. At registration you will:
1) receive your Rat Race T-Shirt - these are given on a 'first come - first served' basis therefore we would strongly suggest coming to registration as early as possible to ensure you get the right sizing. Please note that there will be no t-shirt fitting or exchange once you decide on the size. T-shirts will be on display in each size so you can see how they size up.
2) receive your Race Pack which will contain Race Number, Safety Pins, Wristband to access Bike Compound and Maps.
3) collect your “dibbers” - one per team (electronic timing devices for the event).

Training
Get the edge with 50% OFF the Urban Gym - official training provider for the Rat Race Adventure Series.

Developed by Rat Race routefinders and activity planners, the Urban Gym will see you scamper through Edinburgh's rat-runs, stopping at inspiring or hidden activity locations for resistance and endurance conditioning - simulating the rigours of race-day. Routes, activities and instructors vary, but all sessions are inclusive, with everyone working to their own limits (and beyond).
Hour long sessions run on Mondays and Wednesdays, 6pm and 7:15pm, from Castle Terrace.

Try for FREE first, and if you like it, use promocode RREM50 for 50% OFF any of our training options!

Book you free trial now at www.RatRaceUrbanGym.com

Equipment Hire
Anyone taking part in the Nine 2 Five requires a climbing helmet and harness. If you do no not have any of those items, you can hire them for £8 a piece or £15 a set via the Rat Race Store. They can be collected at the Rat Race Store after the Mean Streets (or on Sunday morning). You can also hire a bike for £49. Included in the hire are: Bike bell, helmet, delivery to the event village for collection, and the services of a bike mechanic before the start to ensure it is set up to your preference.
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, for anyone who might have forgotten anything!

Ropes Activities & Refresher Sessions
As you will know the Rat Race always includes some exciting adventures at height and this year’s Edinburgh event is no exception. We would like to remind all Nine2Five-ers that you should have had some abseil experience before the event and if you want a quick refresher then why not sign up for our refresher sessions based at the event village at 10 or 11 am on Saturday. Within these optional 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 activities you’ll later encounter on the course. You can take part as a team or just on your own. Sign up for these pre-event at the Rat Race Storeon the day or pre-event here at a cost of £9 per person per session. Remember these sessions are popular and spaces are limited!

Timings
SATURDAY
1000 Ropes Refresher Sessions start
1100 Participant Registration open
1200 Ropes Refresher Sessions finish
1500 Participant Registration closes
1530 Participant pre-event briefing
1700 Mean Streets start
1930 Mean Streets finish

SUNDAY
0700 Nine2Five Participant Registration opens
0730 Collect routebooks and more
0830 Nine2Five Participant Registration closes
0900 Nine2Five starts
1400 First teams expected to finish
1700 All teams back – course closes
1800 Awards Ceremony from the stage

Rat Race Store
Looking for something to tempt you to part with your £10 Rat Race Reward store voucher? How about the Multisport Bundle that includes:

-Camelback Octane 8+ or Inov-8 Race Pro 12 pack and bladder
-AMK .5 medical kit
-Sea to Summit dry bags
-AMK emergency bivvy
-Surviva Jak
-Blue Camo Rat Race Buff.

GET READY FOR THE RAT RUN!
We don’t need Dolly Parton to tell us that working Nine ‘til Five is a way to make a living; but when the workin’s over, move over Dolly as it’s time for the Rat Run! Friday 16th July invites you to “Dress Up Friday” as we shake off the working week with a brisk trot around town in our work clothes.

Everyone is invited and it doesn’t matter what you work as – just come dressed for the part. You can even come dressed as “what you want to be when you grow up”! Click here to read more.

Entries are £10 pre event (£15 on the day) including a glass of Stewart Brewing Ale for each finisher from the Event Bar in Princes Street Gardens. Remember that with your Rat Race Reward Code you get 25% off and you get £10 off when shopping online at Rat Race Store.

Click here to enter the Rat Run.

Crewing 
Fancy a day out to see what goes on in a Rat Race? Maybe you have friends taking part? Why not join to become part of our crew! Perhaps forward this newsletter to a friend that might like to help. Be entertained and do a sterling chunk of work for us on the course. Pre-event. During event. After event. Please email us at crew@ratraceadventure.com or check out our crew page here for more information and to sign up.
 
Rat’s it for now – we’ll send you one more mail with a week to go and then we’ll see you on the streets of Scotland's capital city.



Rat Race Team