Dust off your bowler hat and set your watch to the chime of Big Ben. Cor Blimey Guv'nor - it's the London Rat Race!

The summer is fading (what summer!?) but the Rat Race most certainly is not - our hotly anticipated London event is looming on 29^th and 30^th September 2007 and it promises to be a corker. We really want to tell you where it's headed but we can't - but we are going to give you one hell of a weekend on the streets of London. We'll just whet your whistle below and let you do the guessing...

1.London Rat Race teaser – ENTER NOW!

2. London Volunteers

3. Edinburgh Prize Winners

4. Race Photos

5. Dates for 2008

1. London Rat Race – 29^th/ 30^th September 2007

From an event village in the epic location of Potter's Field Park in the shadow of Tower Bridge the event is poised to take competitors in any direction across the capital. The course is ready and waiting and although in the great traditions of the Rat Race we will not be telling anyone where it's headed before the day of the event, we thought we would share some facts and figures with you all. The Rat Race is famous for some unique features...and in London we will be sticking true to these roots. We can tell you that:

• There WILL be cycling down steps
• There WILL be cycling off-road
• Teams WILL be getting wet
• We WILL be seeing some famous places
• We WILL be visiting a stadium...ooh there are so many in London...which one do you think it will be?
• We WILL be travelling through 14 London Boroughs

The job of planning this event has been an epic task and with the support of multiple agencies across London, the Detail team and course planner Nick Gracie have sought and gained some quite remarkable permissions for the upcoming event. If you still want to enter, there is just about still time. Log onto www.ratarceadventure.com/london and check out the trailer movie. This is one you will NOT want to miss and is an adventure racing first; a full-blown AR on the streets of London town.

2. A Call to Volunteers in London

As with any of our events, The Rat Race London will be relying on a number of volunteers to help ensure the weekend runs smoothly and is a success for all. There are many roles that the volunteers undertake from being course marshals to keep the event running smoothly to working in the Event Village and making sure everyone gets through registration and to the start line on time. It will be hard work and a long day - but brilliant fun, working in a great environment with a really cool team spirit. There will also be the Rat Race party after the event on Sunday where you can let your hair down and enjoy a couple of pints of Fuller's Discovery beer - sponsoring the event.

So if you know of anyone that would like to come along to The Rat Race in London (perhaps a family member) and help make this weekend one to remember for all, have them send an email to mailto:volunteerandbeahero@allinthedetail.com  or call 0845 009 4365. Include name, age, and any skills that may be relevant to helping out over the weekend and we will be in touch.

3. Edinburgh Rat Race - Scottish Apartments

At this year's Edinburgh Rat Race Scottish Apartments were kind enough not only to lend us an apartment for a Mean Streets checkpoint, they also ran a competition to see which team could draw the most accurate Scottish Apartments logo. It turns out that most artistic team that visited the apartment was The Lazy B@stards consisting of Jeremy Fox, Christina Henness and Robert Milne. For their prize they won a 2 night stay in the Harbour Duplex Apartment. Congratulations guys!!

4. Race Photos

As you have been abseiling buildings, paddling down canals and running through the streets, you have probably noticed various photographers popping up from the undergrowth and from around corners capturing you at you at your rugged best (or flustered worse). These photos can be found on the Sleepmonsters photo site http://www.sleepmonsters.co.uk/photoshop.php or on Andy McCandlish’s site http://www.andymccandlish.com/stock/index.gallery.php?gid=4 and are available to buy. Please note, they are only on these sites for a limited time so you need to be  quick if you want to buy a lasting momento of your 2007 Rat Race. For the upcoming London event, there will also be photo sales for those taking part.

5. 2008 dates

This year has seen Detail Events run over 20 races from one end of the country to the other. As the race season draws to an end, we have two more events in 2007. The London Rat Race takes place on 29^th/ 30^th September and the autumn Polaris Challenge “Light and Night; event will be on the 06^th/ 07^th October. To sign up for this one, go to http://www.polarischallenge.com/.

For 2008, the Rat Race calendar will be announced this autumn in 3 waves. We will be announcing dates for our existing events and opening entries in October. and then we will also be announcing some new UK events in November. Entries for all events will open over the course of the autumn with the first events opening in October (Bristol, Edinburgh and London). Closer towards Christmas, we will bring you news of our first international events too. In all sense, the Rats are breeding for 2008…!

Thanks for supporting us so far in 2007 and we look forward to those who will join us in London for our Rat Race season finale on 29/ 30 September - in only 2 weeks time. We are looking forward to letting the Rat out of the bag for the first time on the streets of Old Smoke. To enter, log onto http://www.ratraceadventure.com/ and experience quite possibly one of the most exciting and surreal weekends available in sport!

May the Rat be with you…

The Rat Race Crew