OUR 2023 EVENT SOLD OUT IN 6 HOURS!
RAT RACE: RUN BRITANNIA
Land’s End to John O’ Groats is perhaps the single-most definitive journey of Britain and it remains a highly-coveted, timeless classic.

LOCATION:
United Kingdom

START/END:
Cornwall, England – John O’Groats, Scotland

DURATION:
36 days / 35 nights
£7950
EVENT DATE:
3RD JUNE – 8TH JULY 2023
1ST JUNE – 6TH JULY 2024
ONLY 2 SPACES LEFT FOR 2024
31ST MAY – 5TH JULY 2025
STATS:
1,000 MILES / 70,000FT ASCENT

35 nights quality
accommmodation

The best Pit Stop support in the business to keep you fuelled on your 1000 mile journey

Transfers from Penzance to Land’s End and back from John O’ Groats to Inverness

Full catering each and every day

Full training hub support from the moment you sign up

Live satellite tracking and
hi-tech navigational aids

Mementos including ‘trilogy’ medal segments and finisher’s buckle

Full professional Medical and safety support throughout
CLICK SECTION TO SKIP TO:
INCLUSIONS / ITINERARY / TRAINING / ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD / FAQS /
KIT LIST / PRICING
OUR 2023 EVENT SOLD OUT IN 6 HOURS!
RAT RACE: RUN BRITANNIA
Land’s End to John O’ Groats is perhaps the single-most definitive journey of Britain and it remains a highly-coveted, timeless classic.
LOCATION:
United Kingdom
START/FINISH:
Land’s End to John O’Groats
DURATION:
36 days /
35 nights
35 nights quality
accommodation
The best Pit Stop support in the business to keep you fuelled on your 1000 mile journey
Transfers from Penzance to Land’s End and back from John O’ Groats to Inverness, allowing connections to national public transport networks
Full training hub support from the moment you sign up
Full catering each and every day
Live satellite tracking and
navigational aids
Incredible mementos including ‘trilogy’ England, Scotland, Wales medal segments and finisher’s buckle
Full professional Medical and safety support throughout
£7950
EVENT DATE:
3RD JUNE – 8TH JULY 2023
1ST JUNE – 6TH JULY 2024
ONLY 2 SPACES LEFT FOR 2024
31ST MAY – 5TH JULY 2025
STATS:
1,000 MILES
70,000FT ASCENT
This is a major physical and logistical undertaking, the entire distance is still fairly seldom attempted on foot in one sitting – and rightly therefore constitutes an enormous lifetime achievement for any runner or walker.
We’ve put together a truly stunning 1000 mile, 70, 000 ft elevation adventure that spans the entire length of this great nation, but not as you have ever seen it. Our route has been put together with painstaking precision, encompassing a real ‘runners line,’ largely avoiding busy roads and packing in huge chunks of off-road terrain. It is a swashbuckling tour-de-force through 4000 years of British History and landmarks, taking you on a journey through the very soul of this storied Isle. We have also managed to weave together several of the UK’s most famous and enjoyable long-distance paths, including major sections on the South West Coast Path, Wye Valley Way, Offa’s Dyke, Clyde Walkway, the Great Glen Way and all 95 glorious miles of the West Highland Way.
The entire distance is still fairly seldom attempted on foot in one sitting – and rightly therefore constitutes an enormous lifetime achievement for any runner or walker.

You will need everything you have in the tank and more to get the job done here, both physically and mentally. There are no short-cuts: It is 1000 miles on foot, over 5 weeks and across hill, mountain, moor and valley. There will be no winners: It is all about completion. This is and always has been the Rat Race Way. As such, we will be with you from the minute you sign-up to get you to the start line and beyond. Our package not only features the best event support in the business, but that support commences from the day you sign up as we look to include major training support to ensure you stand the very best possible chance of getting the job done.
Ultimately this will be a journey into yourself as much as across Britain; The Holy Grail of your running goals. With our expert support it’s now very much attainable and you’ve got 2.5 years to get ready.
Join us for Run Britannia and re-shape the very essence of what you are capable of.
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
See some of Britain’s most famous landmarks en route and experience the full breadth of British hospitality.
Largely off-road route, avoiding main roads and designed by runners for runners
Accommodation provided for all nights across a variety of comfortable styles: Hotels, guest houses, bunk houses and a small number of boutique glamping and camping set-ups.
All food, including Rat Race’s famous Pit Stop provision en route, evening meals, hearty breakfast and all dietary requirements catered for.
Sign-up kit bundle worth over £150
Exclusive 15% discount code for all events and Rat Race Store.
Cross 3 countries, witness the ever-changing landscape across 1000 miles (and hear countless local accents along the way!)
Free entry into Rat Race’ The Wall and Ultra Tour of Arran Ultras (1 each in 2022 and 2023) to assist in your training journey (RRP for these entries £600 for the pair).
Run major sections of Britain’s most famous long-distance paths including The South West Coast Path, Wye Valley Walk, Offa’s Dyke, Clyde Walkway, the entirety of the West Highland Way, Great Glen Way.
Other brilliant extras including Physio and massage support en route and Major training support including dedicated Training Hub, Ultra Expert dedicated email contact, personalised training plans and options to attend Run Britannia training camps (surcharge for training camps apply)
WHAT’S INCLUDED:
See some of Britain’s most famous landmarks en route and experience the full breadth of British hospitality.
Run major sections of Britain’s most famous long-distance paths including The South West Coast Path, Wye Valley Walk, Offa’s Dyke, Clyde Walkway, the entirety of the West Highland Way, Great Glen Way.
Accommodation provided for all nights across a variety of comfortable styles: Hotels, guest houses, bunk houses and a small number of boutique glamping and camping set-ups.
All food, including Rat Race’s famous Pit Stop provision en route, evening meals, hearty breakfast and all dietary requirements catered for.
Sign-up kit bundle worth over £150 PLUS exclusive 15% discount code for all events and Rat Race Store.
Cross 3 countries, witness the ever-changing landscape across 1000 miles (and hear countless local accents along the way!)
Free entry into Rat Race’ The Wall and Ultra Tour of Arran Ultras (1 each in 2022 and 2023) to assist in your training journey (RRP for these entries £600 for the pair).
Largely off-road route, avoiding main roads and designed by runners for runners
Other brilliant extras including Physio and massage support en route and Major training support including dedicated Training Hub, Ultra Expert dedicated email contact, personalised training plans and options to attend Run Britannia training camps (surcharge for training camps apply)

ACCOMMODATION
35 nights’ good quality accommodation across a variety of comfortable styles: Hotels, guest houses, bunk houses and a small number of boutique glamping and camping set-ups PLUS Laundry service to keep you fresh as a daisy.

FULLY SUPPORTED
Fully supported format with bag transfers and all in-event logistics taken care of.

SAFETY
Professional Event Management team with 20 years experience, full medical team including paramedics, mountain safety, physio, sports masseurs (surcharge applies) and Rat Race experts on hand throughout.

MEALS
Hearty fare guaranteed throughout: Breakfast each day, all Pit Stop food for the Challenge itself and evening meal each night after the miles have been done! All dietary requirements catered for including Vegan, Non-dairy and Gluten-free.

EQUIPMENT
Rat Race will provide Satellite tracking hardware that will permit us and your supporters at home to track your progress whilst on the route. We will also provide a GPS-enabled navigational aid to ensure you can follow the pre-defined route at all times. All other equipment will be provided by the participant. See the kit list here.

TRANSFERS
You will arrive at our meeting point at Penzance, approximately 10 miles from Land’s End. You will register to take part and we will provide some welcome briefings and introduce you to the admin systems we will use over the next few weeks. Tonight you will accommodate yourself in the local area, as you may wish to spend the final night before your Epic journey with friends, family or do some final personal kit sorting. The next morning, choose to make your way to Land’s End direct; or choose to meet us in Penzance where we will then seamlessly transfer you and your gear to the event Startline at Land’s End itself. From that point onwards, all transfers required to get you to/ from stage-end accommodation is fulfilled by ourselves for you and your gear. Once the challenge is complete at John O’ Groats, we will overnight and then transfer you and your gear to Inverness, where several options exist for onwards transport by car, rail or air.

AND MORE
Brilliant locally sourced mementos to record this incredible challenge – including collectible trilogy medal for each of England, Scotland and Wales and an overall “Run Britannia” Finishers’ Buckle, T-shirt and Hoody.
INCLUSIONS:

ACCOMMODATION
35 nights’ good quality accommodation across a variety of comfortable styles: Hotels, guest houses, bunk houses and a small number of boutique glamping and camping set-ups Laundry service to keep you fresh as a daisy.

FULLY SUPPORTED
Fully supported format with bag transfers and all in-event logistics taken care of.

MEALS
Hearty fare guaranteed throughout: Breakfast each day, all Pit Stop food for the Challenge itself and evening meal each night after the miles have been done! All dietary requirements catered for including Vegan, Non-dairy and Gluten-free.

TRANSFERS
You will arrive at our meeting point at Penzance, approximately 10 miles from Land’s End. You will register to take part and we will provide some welcome briefings and introduce you to the admin systems we will use over the next few weeks. Tonight you will accommodate yourself in the local area, as you may wish to spend the final night before your Epic journey with friends, family or do some final personal kit sorting. The next morning, choose to make your way to Land’s End direct; or choose to meet us in Penzance where we will then seamlessly transfer you and your gear to the event Startline at Land’s End itself. From that point onwards, all transfers required to get you to/ from stage-end accommodation is fulfilled by ourselves for you and your gear. Once the challenge is complete at John O’ Groats, we will overnight and then transfer you and your gear to Inverness, where several options exist for onwards transport by car, rail or air.

EQUIPMENT
Rat Race will provide Satellite tracking hardware that will permit us and your supporters at home to track your progress whilst on the route. We will also provide a GPS-enabled navigational aid to ensure you can follow the pre-defined route at all times. All other equipment will be provided by the participant. See the kit list here.

SAFETY
Professional Event Management team with 20 years experience, full medical team including paramedics, mountain safety, physio, sports masseurs (surcharge applies) and Rat Race experts on hand throughout.

AND MORE
Brilliant locally sourced mementos to record this incredible challenge – including collectible trilogy medal for each of England, Scotland and Wales and an overall “Run Britannia” Finishers’ Buckle, T-shirt and Hoody.

ITINERARY:
ITINERARY:
TOTAL DISTANCE: 1,000 MILES
PRE-EVENT: ADMIN DAY
Friday 2nd June: Meet at Penzance for kit check and briefing. Accommodation for Friday evening will be at your own expense.
DAY 1-7: Lands End to Bristol / 233 miles
The first week of running sees us taking in a huge chunk of the epic South West Cast path on a route that takes us through Padstow, St Ives, Bude and Bideford, plus a decent stint in Exmoor National Park. This is a big week running with a huge amount of elevation. The perfect warm up for the rest of your journey through the British Isles. We conclude our week in Bristol for our first rest day where you can have friends/family meet you.

DAY 8: Rest day in Bristol
DAY 9-14: Bristol – Preston / 217 miles
The second week sees us briefly cross the border into Wales as we make our way up the country via Offas Dyke to Monmouth, Haye on Wye and Bishops Castle. Towards the end of the week we head out of the wilderness and into Preston for a well earned rest day.
DAY 15: Rest Day in Preston
DAY 16-21: Preston – Abington / 165 miles
The third week takes in a little more road running as we pass through Lancaster, Burnside and Bampton Castle en route towards Carlisle. This week we cross the border into Scotland, and no doubt will celebrate with a wee dram before our rest day in Abington.
DAY 22: Rest day in Abington
DAY 23-28: Abington – Fort Augustus / 182 miles
The fourth week sees us scale Scotland via some of the most beautiful and famous terrain the UK has to offer. We make our way north through Glasgow and on the West Highland Way to Fort William, then towards Fort Augustus on the Great Glen Way.

DAY 29: Rest Day in Fort Augustus
DAY 30-35: Fort Augustus – John O’Groats / 203 miles
The final week is an incredible few days of running taking in the entire West Highland Way via Contin and Bonar Bridge. Expect huge vistas, lochs, bogs and legendary Scottish hospitality as we make our way to the highlands and your journeys end at the iconic John O’Groats.

NB: Detailed work has been done on this route prior to launch. However all distances and elevations are approximate and will remain subject to change at the discretion of the organisers or subject to local factors concerning route choice and suitability. Once you have signed up to Run Britannia you will be able to join our Facebook group and meet other participants, you will also then receive detailed route information including planned daily mileage.
ACCOMMODATION AND FOOD:
ACCOMMODATION
AND FOOD:
Depending on where we are in the country, we will use varying styles of accommodation – and we believe the variety of which will in fact be one of the real draws of our event. In all cases it will be good quality, clean and comfortable. You will need a decent night’s kip after each of our daily stages so we won’t be taking chances on the accommodation. In general, we will choose hotels, B and B or bunkhouse-style digs and often these will be in really great locations. On limited occasions we will be asking you to camp – usually where there are simply no local roofed options. On the plus side, when this happens this generally will mean the campsite will be very close to the stage end/ start. And in all cases where we feature camping or glamping, you will not be required to provide or set up tents – we will do that for you. We have a lot of experience of event camp set-ups and we can and will make these very comfortable, too. Your accommodation is fully inclusive throughout the challenge.
Significant others and supporters: Owing to the fairly full-on logistical nature of this undertaking and the challenges on rooming, we regret we cannot provide supporters’ accommodation packages. We do however welcome supporters to make their own arrangements and we can provide the details of our accommodation providers much nearer the time if supporters wish to book beds in the same or proximate accommodation facilities. See more on supporters here.
Where possible, hotel and B and B accommodation is typically always offered on a double (if you are attending as a couple) or twin room basis. If you are taking part on your own, you will be paired with another participant of the same sex in a twin room. In bunkhouse and other configurations, you should sometimes expect to share with more than 1 other – for example in small communal rooms of 4 participants. This will always be on a same sex basis. Owing to the varying nature of accommodation styles, we regret that there are no single supplements available on the trip as we simply cannot guarantee single room occupancy in all locations.
Meals
Breakfast
You will always get a hearty feed before the off. Each day our crew will prepare breakfast, or it will be provided in the accommodation we are using, in line with their standard offerings. As soon as you hit the trail, we will be standing by with our all-day Pit Stop service to keep you fuelled up throughout. See below for more info on Pit Stop provision.
Dinner
We will always provide you with good, hearty and nutritious evening meals. This may be in a local pub or restaurant or it may be at our accommodation. In all cases, Rat Race will provide a minimum of a hearty main course. Where we eat at a restaurant, you will settle your own drinks bills and alcoholic drinks will always be excluded.
Pit Stops
Rat Race is well known for its Pit Stops. Some organisers call these Checkpoints, but we think Pit Stop is more apt: It’s about you coming in, fuelling up and accessing our pit lane team to ensure you can go back out firing on all cylinders. Our support at these locations is legendary and in many respects will be the backbone of how we help you achieve this monumental challenge.
During the challenge you will have access to our Pit Stops multiple times throughout the day. These will have a minimum of the following food and drink available:
Water – Ensure you leave with water bottles and bladders filled so you have enough to get you to the next Pit Stop
Rat Race’s very own Sports Ration Pit Stop Bars – Yummy flapjacks
Isotonic Energy Drink powder
Hot drinks – we will ensure we have piping hot water supplies and even fresh coffee on offer at selected Pit Stops
Salty snacks – such as crisps and peanuts
Savoury treats – We will feature sandwiches, savoury pastries and other goodies at selected pit stops, around lunchtime
A fruit option – Either oranges or bananas or we may mix it up with some seasonal British summer berry favourites
Sweets – such as Haribo and Skittles
Cake – there is always cake
Watch out for our regional specialities too! Whether it’s a Cornish Pasty, a Scotch Pie, local fruit, a Cumberland sausage or some Wookey Hole cheddar – we will never be far from a taste of Britain on your plate.
Our Pit Stops are there to help supplement any personal sports nutrition plan you may have. If you have any special dietary requirements then please plan for this and pack your kit accordingly. Rat Race aim to offer Pit Stop snacks that are tasty and functional for as broad a mix of needs as possible. We will always have options available that are suitable for vegetarian and vegan diets and availability of this will depend on demand. If peanuts are served these will be in individual portioned bags to reduce the chance of contamination but Rat Race cannot guarantee that the food does not contain contamination from allergens such as nuts or gluten in its preparation or serving. If you want to use Sports Rations Pit Stop products in your training and preparation they can be purchased from www.ratracestore.com. We are told they are pretty good!
Please take care when consuming food with dirty hands. We also ask that you please please please also take care with litter and help us in our aim of leaving our venues and routes tidier then we find them.
REST DAYS
We believe it is important that your rest and recovery is treated as clearly as your daily mileage and progress over the route. For this reason, each week we will have a down day, where you can rest, relax and recharge. You will be able to go to local shops, meet up with supporters or foray further afield for some R and R if you wish. We have tried to design the stages so that the rest days are near to locations of relative scale, such as towns and cities – in order that you can access decent local facilities. Our rest days will also dovetail with our sports massage and laundry services, too.
Shopping requests system
In order to ensure you can keep focussed on putting one foot in front of the other, we will be providing a shopping requests system, where you can ask our staff to run errands for you at the supermarket or other shops while you are on the stages. So if it’s your favourite tipple, a tasty treat or just a clean pair of socks – we will go and forage it out for you while you do the hard yards. We will keep a credit card on file for such discretionary purchases.
FAQs:
We are mindful that people will inevitably have varying distances to travel to Penzance on 3rd June 2023. Which is why we will commence our itinerary from a pre-designated meeting point in the town for our registration and briefings phase (and not Land’s End itself). This will ensure it is as easy as possible for you to get to Cornwall and to connect with our event itinerary from there, given the various transport connections available to get to Penzance. If you wish to arrive in Cornwall earlier, that is also fine and we would ask that you simply make your own way to the designated meeting point at the appointed time in Penzance on 3rd June 2023. On the night of the 3rd June, you will accommodate yourself in the local area, as you may wish to spend the final night before your Epic journey with friends, family or do some final personal kit sorting. The next morning, choose to make your way to Land’s End direct; or choose to meet us in Penzance where we will then seamlessly transfer you and your gear to the event Startline at Land’s End itself.
Upon meeting us on 3rd June 2023, you will carry out event registration and we will carry out some pre-event briefings. On the night of the 3rd June, you will accommodate yourself in the local area, as you may wish to spend the final night before your Epic journey with friends, family or do some final personal kit sorting in your own time and space. The next morning, choose to make your way to Land’s End direct; or choose to meet us at our designated RV point in Penzance where we will then seamlessly transfer you and your gear to the event Startline at Land’s End itself.
After that, we will transport you to/ from the daily stage starts and finishes all the way to John O’ Groats!
If you have your own GPS watch or device, you may choose to use this instead/ as well and we will provide the route files in advance so you can download the routes onto these devices.
You will follow this ‘line’ when on the foot-based route and this will be your main go-to resource for the duration of the challenge.
We will augment this system with our staff and vehicles at certain junctions where we feel there may be a risk of going the wrong way. And each day, we will start the day with a daily briefing that describes the route and what you can expect from the stage at various points during the day.
You will also have phone contact with our support team and a satellite texting device, so you can always get in touch with us if you need to – whether that is to check your routing or to tell us about a problem.
Don’t worry – you won’t get lost. But if you do – support is never far away.
Across the challenge, we will have multiple vehicles at our disposal, plus multiple staff members, snacks and drinks to distribute. So, if it does get too much, if you overheat, get too cold, if you need sustenance, motivational support or otherwise, we will be able to assist. You are in the very best of hands. Our route is well thought out, our plan is heavily developed and our experience in staging this type of challenge is unrivalled.
As such, supporters in small numbers are able to travel independently, book their own accommodation and ‘mirror’ our route, linking up with you at Pit Stops and at stage ends.
It is probably worth pointing out that from our experience, the bonds and support forged between participants and crew on such undertakings should not be underestimated. You will have each others’ backs out there on this one and you will inevitably make friends for life. The support and camararderie that the event itself will be immense.
We will request your t-shirt size and this will be the size you will be given at Registration.
Watch out for a lovely wee locally-sourced and inspired surprise memento’s en route and some informal ‘prizes’ here and there for derring-do and heroics shown along the route!
As part of your entry you can claim a free solo entry in The Wall Ultra 2021 or 2022 and Ultra Tour of Arran 2021 or 2022 to help with your training. To claim your free code for these events please email us on events@ratrace.com after you have signed up and we will issue them to you and your unique 15% discount code for all our events around the world and for the Rat Race store. We will also confirm the address to send your Rat Race kit sign up bundle to which comprises of 1 x Duffel bag, 1 x Great Glen bag and 1 x Merino Beanie, worth £150.