The Adventure Rat Race is an "Urban Adventure" Race event. It is a multi-sport event involving either solo or teams of 2-3 people. ("Rats") Events will consist of: Running, Biking, Kayaking, Climbing, and Ropes; all routed in Navigation - in and around the metropolitan area with multiple check points along the way that will challenge you mentally and physically. We are all "Rats"...living in a Rat Race of a World. Who is the TOP RAT?! -Will your team earn the title as the "Ultimate Rats?"
Find a "Rat Friend." Create your team name. Train like the rats you are...Show up on race morning (with a sense of humor) ready to take on an adventure like none other. Are you in? ??...

 
We will turn your city into our playground for the day….

The course un-disclosed to competitors until the start of the race - race morning will be a journey into the unknown…Participants will only know what disciplines they will need to be proficient in, and what equipment will be needed to complete the course. The rest they discover along the way.

The Rat Race Urban Adventure turns some of the United States greatest cities into an adventure playground for a whole weekend exclusively for you. We'll be unearthing the most weird and wonderful activities and checkpoints and gaining access to iconic venues culminating in an event you will be laughing for weeks on end. Whether you're starting out in your quest for adventure, want to try something new or have The Adventure Rat Race bug, we've got an event you’ll love.

Main Activities:
Running (3 miles)
Biking (10-15 miles)
Kayaking (1 mile)
Navigation (all routes will be up to each team to determine best/fastest way between check points)
Mass Transit -maybe, stay tuned all my Rat friends?
Ropes (Climbing/Repelling - non-harnessed) ***no prior climbing skills needed.
*Above will be referred to as “Legs or Stages”

What is urban adventure racing?
Adventure racing combines adventure sport disciplines, usually including navigation, trekking, mountain biking, paddling, and climbing, in order to cover a variety of outdoor terrain in a metropolitan area. Generally, teams are comprised of two or three people, either all male, all female, or coeds.

The Adventure Rat Race races typically take between three and five hours. Often there are set “break” periods, meaning racers choose if or when to rest. The Adventure Rat Race will make you feel alive!
Teams are required to pass through mandatory checkpoints along the way. If there is to be a change of discipline, such as mountain biking to kayaking, teams will change their equipment at these points, taking what is needed for the next leg and carrying it with them.

In the Adventure Rat Race the route is kept secret, maps and route books containing general, landmark-oriented instructions being supplied in a meeting with teams just 30 minutes before the race commences.

Race Concept:
The Adventure Rat Race is a true expedition, taking teams made up solos, two and three persons through lands and urban areas that athletes rarely get to compete in... Racers receive minimal assistance as they traverse through the pristine metropolitan area by means of running, climbing and related rope work, kayaking, mountain biking, and navigation. They often will cross paths of other Rat Racers competing in the same race/event that are going in the opposite direction…this may not be the same direction that your clue is leading your team-so, you have to wonder if your are heading in the wrong direction, is the other team headed in the wrong direction, or is your team working on searching for a different check point. Competitors advance over and around the downtown urban obstacles, city parks, rivers, lakes and channels; guided only by mind and spirit but driven on by physical stamina and experience.

Every U.S. city features a unique route. Racers will found themselves in the center of some of the most fun and unique cities in the US. The land is diverse, the challenge real, the adventure untamed.
More important than overall distance cover by The Adventure Rat Race, is the adventure and exploration of one of the most fun events that you and a couple of your friends can have, so close to home. The Adventure Rat Race will allow you to experience activities in an urban race setting that you would not normally do…it will change your life.

Our Motivation:
One of our main motivations in developing The Adventure Rat RACE has been to make people aware that as an events company (such as ours), can offer a great athletic event that gives the athletes a fun and exciting race in an urban setting while being able to give back to the city we play in; through a revitalization project co-developed with the host city. It is our goal to provide and protect our environment we live in. We want to show the world that there exists, in this unique event, a tangible and effective way to get project done through volunteer hours where we leave behind great scenic beauty and with a great diversity of personal pride from our event so that we will become a model for other athletic events around the country.