Up to 2500 runners will hit the streets of Edinburgh today for a high octane 10km assault course through the city when the hugely popular Men’s Health Survival of the Fittest, powered by Land Rover, returns to Scotland.
Racing as solo competitors from a series of dramatic massed starts on The Royal Mile, both seasoned runners and rookie racers will tackle a tough 10km route up, over, down and through the Old Town. The race will utilise much of Edinburgh’s collection of steep mediaeval streets and wynds including the Royal Mile and Cowgate, as well as passing over scenic Calton Hill with its stunning views north, south, east and west across the city.
Where:
From the event village in West Princes Street Gardens competitors will walk to the start on The Royal Mile (between George IV Bridge and St Giles’ Cathedral).
Obstacles / Features:
The Start – 9 waves of 250 competitors @ 10:00, 10:15, 10:30, 10:45, 11:00, 11:15, 11:30, 11:45 and 12:00
Location – The Royal Mile (close to the top of the Mound and St Giles Cathedral)
Obstacle 1 – Straw Bale Wall scramble – 3 metre high straw bale wall
Location – Royal Mile with St Giles Cathedral as the backdrop
Tourists strolling down the High Street on a Sunday morning will definitely be bemused by the sight of hundreds of ‘Survivors’ tackling their first obstacle in the very heart of Auld Reekie.
Obstacle 2 – For Goodness Shakes Jacob’s Ladder climb – a steep stair climb to Calton Hill
Location – From the entrance on Calton Road (under the railway bridge)
Obstacle 3 – Urban Jungle – Runners will have to climb through a series of wrecked cars littering their path
Location – Calton Hill
Obstacle 4 – Army Assault Course – Cargo nets, rope swings, monkey bars and mud crawls – and a right beasting from the Army!
Location – Calton Hill
Feature – Holyrood Park Waterslide
Location – Roundabout at top of Holyrood Park Road, below Queen’s Drive
Great views of Arthur’s Seat and Salisbury Crags in background
Feature – Innocent Tunnel
Location – a short walk from the Waterslide – follow the runners
Feature – Spiders Web of rope – runners will have to climb over
Location – Brown Street – Close to Crags Sports Centre, 10 Bowmont Place EH8 9RY
Obstacle 5 – Men’s Health At Work
Runners will navigate through a construction site. Crawl through and over pipes, encounter a fenced maze and scale the infamous slippery scaffold ramp – builder’s breakfast optional.
Location: SoCo gap site (what was The Gilded Balloon), The Cowgate
Obstacle 6 – Festival Fun
Thigh splitting stair climb up through the labyrinthine building to the top floor where runners will take part in a surreal pyschadelic work out
Location – The main C Venues Edinburgh Fringe venue (Chambers Street).
Obstacle 7 – Under Armour Royal Mile Challenge – Inflatable assault course
Location – Royal Mile – Close to Hunter Square
Obstacle 8 – Parkour Zone (urban gymnastics over jumps and ramps)
Location – The Grassmarket
Obstacle 9 – The new Land Rover obstacle runners will have a choice of scrambling over two wooden ramps or crawling through pipes underneath a Land Rover Discovery.
Location West Princes Street Gardens (next to the Ross Fountain)
Obstacle 10 – Men’s Health ‘Wall of Fame’ – a sheer 8 foot high construction, which competitors must scale before they are able to officially call themselves a Survivor.
Location – Ross Bandstand, West Princes Street Gardens, the event village.
The event, which is part of a tri-nations series – Cardiff (3/10/10), Nottingham 9/10/10) and Edinburgh, is staged by the world’s best-selling men’s lifestyle magazine, Men’s Health, in conjunction with Rat Race Events and sponsored by Land Rover. Other event partners include Under Armour, For Goodness Shakes and Iceni Water.
Further information can be found on the event website at http://www.mhsurvival.co.uk
