Welcome to the Nokia Coast to Coast…

Update from Event HQ
Hello and welcome to the inaugural Nokia Coast to Coast, taking place this September 18th and 19th between Nairn and Glencoe. There’s been a stunning response to the event so far, with over 800 of you already entered. If you have friends who still want in on the action, tell them to enter soon as this event will sell out (capacity in year 1 is set at 1000 participants). Keep an eye on the website at www.scotlandcoasttocoast.com  which is being updated regularly and check out the brand new Nokia Outdoor Series site, on which Nokia have teamed up with adventure racer Bruce Duncan to provide top training advice to help you prepare for the Nokia Coast to Coast. Also at the Outdoor Series site you can sign up for the interactive course guide to be the first to receive this feature, that allows you to view the course and receive advice on how to tackle the key features en route. We’ll be updating you monthly between now and the event by email, so keep a look out in your inbox for fresh news.

Update from the course
For those of you that know the Highlands, you’ll know the stunning qualities of this area and for those that have yet to visit, then you’ll be stunned. Get excited! The course is designed as a fluent and engaging journey through these lands. Starting on the Saturday with a true coastal feel at Nairn – a very friendly and accessible town – you will take part in a mass start from the Links and complete a beautiful trail run right past the front door (drawbridge) of Cawdor Castle to pick up your bike. (This trail run is offered as a stand-alone event so a great little offering for friends, supporters and family that may have come to follow your efforts on the main Coast To Coast event). Click here to see more on the “Coast to Cawdor Castle” run.

The cycle route to Fort Augustus will take you through some flat lands initially, then rising into the rolling hills around Inverness, before ducking under the A9 and entering the less frequented and serene landscapes of South Loch Ness. These roads eventually summit at nearly 1300 feet. With views of Loch Ness on the way, it ends with a gift of a descent* to Fort Augustus, and it’s not over there. A short flurry of activity in this bubbling town and will have you running and kayaking in Loch Ness on an entertaining circuit to complete your first day of the Challenge.

*Expert Category have a committing kayak stage on Loch Ness from Foyers to Fort Augustus. Racers and Experts will pass straight through Fort Augustus on their mammoth mission to cross Scotland in a single day!

The cycle from Fort Augustus to Fort William will raise a few questions on your bike selection (see below) but rest assured that the off-road sections are not a mudfest, nor is it an overly challenging MTB rider’s route. It’s a long way, sure, but it’s stacked with variety and beautiful stages. Canal towpath, undulating singletrack, road, forest gravel road, and more road again to get you to the back of Fort William. This final road is where the Highland views really open up, as you look across at the Munros of the Grey Corries, the Aonachs and Ben Nevis rising above them all.

Perhaps you’ll be relieved to drop your bike and start on foot towards Loch Leven. This is the final hurdle ahead. A tough run on great trails up beautiful Glen Nevis and through forests on the West Highland Way. Then on other paths and over the highest point of the route at nearly 1550 feet. If you are a Challenger participant, take a look back over your shoulder, as the Racers and Experts will be approaching and converging with you on the finish. Then it’s the steep descent to the shores of Loch Leven and your awaiting kayak. This final trip across the water will have your chest filling with pride at your accomplishment of country crossing, and it’s then just a short run to the finish line. Enjoy the rest and sustenance, with friends and family at the fabulous Isles of Glencoe Hotel.

All that remains is a euphoric prize-giving party and to be reunited with your bike, access accommodation and the return to home, fulfilled.

Training
We’ve had a number of enquiries into the office about suggested training plus requests for some training courses. We have responded to this by developing a programme of weekend training opportunities during the summer for those who want to get to grips with some of the basic skills involved in the event, plus get a helping hand from the experts as well as some insight from our Event crew. You will receive a further email following this one which details in depth these training opportunities. All the info has also been posted to the training section on the website, HERE. To view some training advice from adventure racer Bruce Duncan click here.

For those of you who are apprehensive about taking part in an event of this stature and who might be worried about the physical challenge that lies ahead, keep thinking positive! Get out on the bike, dig in for some 5 – 10k runs and try and take and it off road where you can. Make sure at some point you get into a kayak and have a splash on the water. A base level of fitness is required to complete the Nokia Coast to Coast Challenger event and this is what you should work on. Use the training opportunity to get into the hills and really enjoy the sights and sounds of the outdoors with friends – this is the essence of Nokia Coast to Coast.

We run a number of events throughout the summer, so if you want a taste of multi-sport why not come and try one of our famous Rat Race Urban Adventures, the Wan Day event near Edinburgh or if you are based in the South of England, one of our Rat Race Green Belters – our Bracknell event also features some special kayak taster sessions too. All of these events feature the 3 disciplines of running, biking and kayaking you will face in Nokia Coast to Coast, as well as being great fun to boot. Remember you also get an automatic 25% off any of our other events with our Rat Rewards Scheme. More on this in our training mail to follow.

Travel and Accommodation
We’ve had entries from far and wide, including some from the other side of the World. We’ve developed a handy guide to travel in Scotland and uploaded it to our website HERE to help you understand where places are and how you can get there and away. Remember that Nokia Coast to Coast is a one-way journey. You are going to finish 100 road miles from where you start and you’ll need to think about how you get there and away. We have developed some travel options to help you, including a bus transfer after the event for those who want to return to Inverness or Nairn after the event. You can book this either when you enter the event, or separately to this after you have entered by emailing us. The bus transfer info is contained here.

Those of you who have booked accommodation packages with us simply need to check in on arrival at the hotels. Your rooms will have been pre-paid. We will email you approx 4 weeks in advance of your arrival with contact details and directions for the hotels.

If you are still looking for accommodation options please visit: www.visitscotland.com/guide/where-to-stay/. For accommodation options specifically around Nairn, try www.visitnairn.com and for accommodation around the finish line area, check out www.outdoorcapital.co.uk. If you are doing the Challenger category, you receive free halfway camping as part of your event entry, which is situated adjacent to the transition area at Fort Augustus.

FAQ
We’ve created a handy guide with some FAQs, featured on the website here. Have a wee look on the website HERE.

Bike Choice
Here are some tips on bike choice and riding surfaces. This will help make your ride as comfortable as possible. If you own one bike then perhaps this has already dictated your thinking, but we also have hire options and ideas that will help you decide if you want to try a different bike. For the Challenger and Racer Categories you must use the same bike throughout. The off-road sections are all ride-able. The only section(s) that might require you to dismount are one or two short and sharp ascents of 50 metres or so.

• A road bike is suitable for the first bike stage
• A mountain bike is suitable for the first bike stage
• If choosing the latter you might choose to fit faster, ‘semi-slick’ tyres
• A road bike is less suitable for the second stage as this has off-road riding. There is very little mud or slippery sections but pinch punctures are distinctly possible on the stony paths.
• A mountain bike is most suitable for the second stage
• A hybrid bike is OK for the second stage too. The ultimate bike for CTC Challenger/Racer all conditions is a Cyclo-Cross bike.
• We predict that the most common bike for the event will be a mountain bike with faster rolling tyre choices.
• We ask that you fit a bike bell, and use it

Bike Hire
Bikes are still available to hire for those who want to but they are being snapped up fast at Rat Race Store. The hire fee of £85 includes a full logistical package, with the bike transported to the Transition area at Cawdor Castle for you and uplifted from the final Transition area at Glen Nevis, so you need not worry about it at either end of the event.

Bike Transitions and getting your bike to and from the event
We have uploaded some substantive information in the FAQ section of the website which gives some commentary on the transitions, HERE. Unless you are hiring a bike from the event, it is your responsibility to get your bike to the transition at Cawdor Castle at the beginning of the event and away from the Isles of Glencoe Hotel at the end. Please remember that Cawdor Castle is NOT at Nairn; it is some 11km to the South West and therefore you should expect to take your bike to Cawdor Castle the day before your event starts and return to Nairn for the start of the event. We will have a shuttle bus service running for those who want to cycle their bikes to the transition area and return to Nairn via the bus. This will be available at a £6 charge if you require this service. Alternatively you can drive to Cawdor Castle.

For those who want to use their own bike but who are struggling to get it to Scotland with them, we suggest you let us know, and we’ll offer some guidance. Couriering (posting) your bike to Cawdor Castle and uplift from Isles of Glencoe might be possible, and we can offer advice in that regard, but it could be rather stressful – reliability of the courier/carrier etc. Remember that this would require the packaging to travel from Cawdor Castle to Isles of Glencoe – it would need to be a robust packaging medium and require venue participation. So email us HERE with ‘Post the Bike’ in the subject line, if you see this might be your chosen solution. Of course, we are hiring and handling the hire bikes throughout, so perhaps this is the slickest solution for some of you.

Expert Category Specifics
This category allows all manner of bike and kit support, although this is only allowed at the Start/Finish areas and the 5 specified transition points; Cawdor Castle, Foyers, Fort Augustus, Fort William and Loch Leven. We are asking that Experts have British Canoe Union 2 Star qualification or verifiable equivalent, and will be asking for you to send us proof copies at the time of the next newsletter in June. Boat specification is going to be pretty relaxed but we’ll specify this soon. Full details of the Expert Logistic Rules will be given in the next newsletter also. Remember there is a limit of 50 racers in the Expert category. We are currently at 40 entered into the event.

One helpful tip for your support team planning is that it should be possible for one vehicle to support 2 participants. As long as the participants are travelling at a similar rate. Of course, even Experts can buddy-up. In effect, Experts can buddy-up with transition logistics.

OK that’s all for now. Have a rummage through the updated info on the website and get some training under your belt where you can. Remember that a separate Training Options Email will follow this one for those who would like a helping hand. We’ll be in touch again in early July with more event news.

The Nokia Coast to Coast Team