No. This is an epic adventure with the challenge of completion in the designated time. Of course, some will always be faster than others but the glory is the same. You will be timed so comparisons and bragging rights can be earned but this is just for your interest and our safety purposes rather than providing a ranking list.

20 hours. The start time is 4am on Sunday 29th July which gives you until midnight to finish. This is no easy day out.

The model for City to Summit is a Half Marathon* followed by a 180km bike ride and a marathon* distance final run section.
In reality the half marathon is slightly long and the marathon is slightly short. This is due to the location of the transitions, which are positioned to give you the best possible service and experience.
The distances for each section of the event may change slightly up and down, but as a guide, these are the anticipated distances for 2018*:

Run I: 14.9 miles – 728 ft
Bike: 114.5 miles – 5,364 ft
Run II: 24.5 miles – 6,764 ft

*The use of ‘standard’ terms such as ‘Half Marathon/Marathon’ is terminology used to give a guide on format. In some cases, true event distance will not adhere exactly to that terminology – in short, these are ‘rough guide’ terms. Distances given in GPX and route map materials will be a more accurate representation the actual route. HOWEVER, we use an online resource alongside some real-life measuring to record distances as accurately as possible and these are as accurate as we will publish. There will always be some variation on the ground. Also, the route and therefore the distance are subject to change right up until (as well as during the day of) the event. We will endeavour to make you aware of any major changes in advance; however it may not be possible to share some minor changes as they occur. Please understand that all distances are therefore, by their nature, as exact as we can make them but can never be truly accurate to the metre.

Yes, you do need to provide your own bike. You can bring your own, hire one locally to you and bring it along, or arrange hire from our hire provider; Scottish Cycle Services. Drop them an email, mention ‘City to Summit’ and make your booking: email: scottishcycleservices@gmail.com.

The choice is yours but it must be road worthy and something you are able to tackle 110 miles of undulating roads with. A road bike is definitely the best choice, a full sus mountain bike or an elliptigo is probably not.

Time trial or TT bikes are BANNED from this event. As are Time trial or Tri bars fitted to a road bike. This is for safety reasons. The ‘head down’ riding style of these types of bikes and bars is not compatible with the traffic conditions experienced along the route. All riders need to take a more ‘heads up’ and alert approach to ensure safe passage. Remember, the challenge is to complete this epic adventure and return to bask in the glory, it is not a race.

Yes, you can leave your car at the Ferrytoll Park and Ride car park. This will be where our post-event bus will bring you back to on Monday. Book your bus here.

The start line is on the Esplanade of Edinburgh Castle. Please arrive having used the toilet and with drinks bottles filled. 

T1 is at North Queensferry Community Centre.

The end of the bike stage is at The Ice Factor, Leven Rd, Kinlochleven PH50 4SF.

The Finish location is located at Lochaber Leisure Centre, Belford Rd, Fort William, PH33 6BU.

The first run obviously starts urban and is on road for about 6 miles before moving to hard pack trails as your edge along the Firth of Forth to tackle a crossing of the mighty Forth Road Bridge. Generally downhill until the bridge provides a real sting in the tail.

Solo entries are not transferable – you can’t give or sell your entry to anyone else. If you no longer wish to take part you can obtain an event credit to the value of your entry fee paid (terms and a fee apply) which you or another person can use towards next year’s event (or any other Rat Race event).

No. We do not offer refunds but we do offer event transfer vouchers, so you can put your credit to another event. We need 10 calendar days’ notice prior to the event to make these changes plus you will need to pay a £15 or 15% (whichever is greater) cancellation fee. Our pricing structure rewards those that commit furthest in advance and we recommend customers hold the appropriate insurance to cover non-attendance for issues such as illness or travel problems. Transfer requests can be made here. You can find full Terms and Conditions here.

Yes, you can race for any Charity of your choice, although there is no obligation whatsoever. See our charity page for some inspiration, including a scheme where you get your entry fee back if you raise £750 for Children with Cancer UK.

The bike route is an amazing journey of ever changing landscapes and vistas. It is constantly undulating which will take its toll on the legs. There are plenty of highlights for you to tick off along the way; Knockhill racing circuit, Gleneagles, Creiff, Loch Earn, Rannoch Moor, Glencoe and finally Loch Leven. There are few better bike rides in the country.

This is where this event gets hard. Really hard. The rugged first 17 miles are just a taste of the challenge ahead. All off road, rough and hilly the west highland way is a challenge at any time but the last 8 miles of this challenge is as tough as it gets in the UK. Up and down Ben Nevis will leave your body in no doubt it’s had a tough day out.

Part of this challenge is to be as self sufficient as possible. We will have several pit stops along the route where you can top up and refuel from our supplies. You will also be allowed to interact with your supporters at these locations which can be viewed here. These pitstops will include:

Run 1 – 1 pit stop; Water and energy drink only.

Expert Bike (Sunday) – 3 pit stops; water, energy drink, snacks (sweet and salty) and Bananas
Challenger Bike (Saturday) – 2 pit stops; water, energy drink, snacks (sweet and salty) and Bananas. There is no pit stop on the challenger day 2 bike leg.

Run 2 – 1 pit stop; water, energy drink, snacks (sweet and salty) and Bananas

Yes. We wholeheartedly recommend this. For such an epic challenge, seeing a friendly face along the way may just make the difference between success and failure. Moreover, your supporter will make the logistics of this one way epic just a whole load easier to sort out. They will be able to collect your bike and bags and then drive you home while your aching muscles start to recover. Please advise your supporter to drive with extra care as they may be using the same roads as the participants.

Cut-offs are an important part of our Event Management Plan and Risk Assessment and so will be rigidly enforced. Cut-off times are applied to your departure from a location and not your arrival. Experts should expect the following time limits:

Run 1 – 3hrs
Bike – 9hrs
Run 2 – 8hrs

The check point at the base of Ben Nevis is critical and relates to the safety of everyone on the mountain – participants and crew; if you make it through this check point but are slow it is likely you won’t make it to the summit check point as we will bring this turn around point down the mountain.

If you fail to make the cut-off you will be transported forward to the finish only.

YES. We offer the facility to have bags moved to and from Transitions and the Finish Area. Please see the Event Logistics page here for details of Expert and Challenger bag movements.

At BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION, bikes should either to given to a supporter or to our transport team who will move your bike to the Finish area at Fort William.

For those wishing to collect their rider’s bike without the rider being present at the BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION or Finish bike compounds, they will need to be presented with a Bike Collection wristband by their rider in advance of arriving at the bike compounds. The participant wishing to use this service will be issued a numbered wristband that matches their bike number upon signing a consent document at Registration.

BIKE COLLECTION FROM BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION
BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION is located at The Ice Factor National Ice Climbing Centre, Leven Rd, Kinlochleven, PH50 4SF. For a supporter to collect a bike then they will need to take the bike directly from the participant or have a Supporters Bike Collection wristband, that the participant signs for at Registration, authorising someone to take the bike. There is no security presence for bikes at BIKE TO RUN TRANSITION after 16:00.

BIKE COLLECTION FROM THE FINISH AREA
The Finish location is located at Lochaber Leisure Centre, Belford Rd, Fort William, PH33 6BU. For a supporter to collect a bike then they will need to have a Supporters Bike Collection wristband, that a participant signs for at Registration, authorising someone to take the bike. There is no security presence for bikes at the finish after 08:30 on Monday morning.

Bike transitions will be fenced and monitored by security until the cut off times. The finishline collection area will be fenced and monitored until 0830 on Monday morning.