2021 is the final year for the Ultra Tour of Edinbrugh!

Dawn breaks and in the crisp autumn air of Scotland’s Capital a quite remarkable event gets underway. Enveloped within the beating heart of this most famous of cities, the runners of the Ultra Tour of Edinburgh set off with a Braveheart charge down the most famous street in Scotland – the Royal Mile. Their course then weaves 57km through streets, alleyways, onto hills, up crags, past monuments, museums, seats of Royalty, Government and up and down 3000 feet of ascent and descent.

The Ultra Tour of Edinburgh is unique. Many events claim to be. But this one is an Ultra Run in a city – a city like no other. Rat Race is the UK’s best known adventure sports outfit and our company was forged on the streets of Edinburgh in 2004 with the staging there of our first ever event. It is to our spiritual home that we bring a superlatively ‘doable’ Ultra. 57km on foot is no mean feat but for all those out there who think they can go that extra mile, you can. And what better place to do so than somewhere so hauntingly beautiful, rugged, gnarled and famous in equal measure. 

A journey across the Namib Desert to the Skeleton Coast by foot and fat-bike or foot-only
to reach the most famous shipwreck on Earth…

Namibia means Vast Place. The sand dunes of the Namib Desert and the famous Skeleton Coast are perhaps 2 of the most photographed landscapes in the World – in equal part alluring, evocative, mysterious and foreboding. In the ancient expanse of the Namib Naukluft desert, endless skies merge with towering dunes for hundreds and hundreds of miles. Nothing else. Just sand and sky. And then at the coast, the Atlantic breakers come crashing onto the shore amid colonies of 1000s of seals, rolling in on the cold seas of the Benguela Current all the way from Antarctica.

When we were looking at locations for the Rat Race Bucket List, our eye was drawn to this corner of South West Africa and a stunning photo of a shipwreck landlocked in the desert. You will probably have seen that photo too, but you are unlikely to know much else about it. The wreck is the Eduard Bohlen on the Skeleton Coast of Namibia – perhaps the most famous shipwreck in the World. We were so intrigued that we went to find it; our journey could not have been more spectacular. The route took us across the mighty Kuiseb Riverbed system to the highest sand dunes on Earth in the Namib Naukluft National Park. Then across them to reach the wild Skeleton Coast – exploring abandoned diamond mines and coming across abundant wildlife such as seal, oryx, jackal and the litter of endless whale bones to which the coast gives its name. The place was beyond rugged; beyond wild. And there, sticking out of the desert nearly 1km from the shore, lay the final resting place of the Eduard Bohlen.

A multisport adventure across the entire island chain of the Florida Keys, from Miami to Key West.

The Keys have long been a playground for those who seek the sea – a stunning island chain stretching from the incredible Miami skyline all the way to the southern-most point of the continental United States, Key West.


Our multisport journey will use kayaks, bikes and foot to traverse a superb route along the entire length of the Florida Keys. Commencing at Key Biscayne, the route will start with a sensational open-water kayak crossing to reach the azure and sheltered waters of the uninhabited and protected northern Keys.

A journey between 2 of the most famous glaciers on Earth by foot, bike and kayak.

Patagonia is one of those Dream destinations that is worthy of every adventurer’s Bucket List. Towering mountains form the backdrop to huge glaciers calving off into stunning lakes, interspersed with forest, alpine meadows, steppe and other uniquely Patagonian flora and fauna. This is a huge canvas on which we have painted an extraordinary adventure, taking in some of the most famous sights of the area – at the same time as taking you off the beaten track to experience the very essence of this wild and alluring place.

Our trip features an extremely high level of support, allowing you to enjoy a fully inclusive package including meals, accommodation, Pit Stop support en route, plus mechanical assistance on the bike legs. We have made getting there easy too, featuring a full package of logistics commencing at El Calafate Airport, the gateway to Argentine Patagonia and accessible with several flights per day from Buenos Aires and direct from other international destinations.

100 miles across a frozen lake in the depths of Outer Mongolia. By foot, bike or skates…

In a remote corner of North-Western Mongolia lies Lake Khovsgol: One of 17 ancient lakes in the World over 2 million years-old and which contains the World’s purest fresh water. The shores are lined with ancient stands of boreal forest and packed with Wolves. It is serene, hostile, stunning, intimidating. In winter, the ice freezes across its entire near-100-mile length to a depth of over a metre thick, creating for Rat Race the ultimate adventure challenge course. This is the Mongol 100 – the most surreal, audacious and hauntingly beautiful adventure challenge known to Man. The objective is to traverse the entirety of the lake from north to south, by any means: Foot, skate or bike.

This challenge is open to all comers. It is hard; make no mistake. Perhaps the hardest thing you will ever take on. Not just because of the physical challenge. It is cold. Very very cold. That cold will test everyone; whoever you are and however capable you are. But our mantra is for you to get to the start line and we will help you get to the end. And in so doing achieve something extraordinary.