ABC of Running News Feed

Every Woman's Duathlon to be Held in Bushy Park

This September 7, women from all walks of life will gather for this year's Every Woman's Duathlon to be held at the Bushy Park located in Hampton, Surrey, at 9 am. The course consists of a 2.5-kilometer walk/run, a 10-kilometer bike, and will be capped off by another 2.5-kilometer walk/run.

The multi-sport event for women emphasizes not only the competitive race but a chance to take part in a fun and enjoyable activity which will benefit various charities. Entry fee of �30 includes registration for the event and a goody bag for the race, with 25% of each participant's entry fee to be forwarded to two chosen charities - the Ovarian Cancer Action and Against Breast Cancer.

The day will start off with a Pre-Race briefing at 9 am, with start time at 10 am at the Football Field by Hampton Hill Gate.

For more race details, visit www.everywomansduathlon.co.uk.

Labour Day Weekend 8K to be Held on Aug. 31

British Columbia, Canada - The Labour Day Weekend 8K is set at 8:30 in the morning on the 31st of August. This will be Race Number 14 and the final event to cap off the Timex Road Running BC Series which began last January. The race starts and ends at the Steveston Community Centre at Moncton Road, with the course running along the Fraser River.

After the event, refreshments will be served at the Community Centre, to be followed by Draw Prizes from product sponsors Forerunners and Adidas. Medals will be awarded to the top three male and female winners in 14 age groups. Entry fee costs $23, with late registration at $28 and race day registration at $33.

For more details, visit www.kajaks.org.

Epilepsy Action's Alice's Run on August 31

WEST YORKSHIRE, UK - Epilepsy Action's Alice's Run is set for the 31st of August at the scenic Mytholmroyd countryside, near Hebden Bridge. Now on its 3rd year, the 10-kilometer race is in memory of Alice Redmond, a student who worked at the Epilepsy Action. She died in 2005.

The race will commence at Brearly Field at 10:30 am, and will finish at the Calder High School Field. Prizes will be given to the first three male and female finishers. Aside from the 10-kilometer race, a one-kilometer children's fun run will be held during the day, happening at the Calder High School Field. A one-mile Junior Trail Race will also be part of the day's activities, with the trail race for kids aged 8-11 and 12-14.

For details on registration, fundraising, and sponsorship, visit www.epilepsy.org.uk.

No Fuss Announces Awesome Autumn Event Schedule

Faster. Tougher. Harder. No Fuss Events ensure we are properly back to school with an autumn programme of challenges combining the most breathtaking scenery in Scotland with heart-racing endurance courses. All events are enough fun to break in beginners yet still test the toughest athletes in the country. From the beginning of September to mid-October, hundreds of swimmers, runners, and riders are set to flock to the Outdoor Capital of the UK for a Fort William frenzy in the fall. It's time to turn over some new leaves...

Fort William Downhill Endurance - September 7
The Fort William Downhill Endurance will be staged on the internationally renowned downhill track at Nevis Range near Fort William - home to the 2007 Mountain Bike World Championships. As one of the longest and most physically-demanding courses on the international mountain bike race circuit, riders of this grueling event will need physical strength, quick reflexes, superb bike control, and an unerring eye for the right line as they speed down the 2.82-km track. They will also need huge amounts of stamina in order to ride the track as many times as possible in six hours!

The Nevis Range Downhill course is a full-on, flat-out, no-compromise charge down the face of Aonach Mor, the 9th highest mountain in the UK. A succession of big jumps and bumps, berms, drop-offs, rock slabs, and technical natural sections provide plenty of challenges for the riders, all the way from the gondola station (at 655m) to the magnificent finish section above the Nevis Range car park.

The Big Ben Nevis Triathlon - September 20
Probably the toughest triathlon on the UK circuit, the Big Ben Nevis Triathlon is not for the faint-hearted. Iron men and women used to smooth roads and calm waters are in for a shock. This epic triathlon raises the stakes pitting entrants against the choppy waters of a freezing cold highland sea loch, the long, loose climbs and fast singletrack descents of Glen Nevis, and the final, monster challenge - a hill run, up (and then back down) Ben Nevis, UK's highest and most feared mountain. Competitors will need not only great fitness levels, but also the skills to handle a 90km mountain bike ride on loose, fast trails and the resilience to make it safely up and down the Ben, a constantly changing mass of loose rock. The Big Triathlon will be demanding enough to challenge even the fittest multi-sport athletes, yet will be accessible for weekend warriors or recreational riders and runners with good fitness levels.

Gallop 'N' Grind - September 27
Gallop 'N' Grind is a fourteen-mile duathlon - a three-and-a-half-mile run, jog or walk followed by a nine-mile cycle (any combination counts!) - on some of the most scenic trails and roads in the Outdoor Capital of the UK - in aid of Highland cancer care. This health-promoting event has been the inspiration of Sharon Fraser, a 39-year old mother of four boys, including three-year old twins, who was diagnosed with breast cancer in October 2006. Her treatment and battle to regain full health has often required long stays in The Belford Hospital, Fort William and the Oncology Ward of Raigmore Hospital, Inverness. Gallop 'N' Grind is a health-promoting event that can be enjoyed by everyone regardless of fitness level. There are four classes (Elite, Sports, Leisure, and Walk Only) to suit all ages, experience, and fitness levels.

Relentless 24 - October 11
Relentless 24 is a cross-country mountain biking marathon to test all types of riders. Beginning with a Le Mans style racing start, more than 400 riders from across the UK and beyond will battle it out on world-class trails, from Saturday lunchtime deep into the night, with the event concluding at 12 noon on Sunday, 12th. From 'weekend warriors' to recreational riders and cross-country whippets, the Relentless 24 will test physical fitness, stamina, and mental toughness on a technical, but achievable route, which will take in sections of trail specially constructed for the 2007 UCI Mountain Bike & Trials World Championships by trail-building guru Mark Hedderwick.

The above events are just a selection from a grueling series of open endurance sports events organized by Fort William-based adrenaline junkies No Fuss Events. The No Fuss programme combines testing challenges of endurance and skill with a sense of fun and friendliness attracting first timers, families, and elite athletes to Scotland's finest trails, waterways, and singletrack. As with all No Fuss events, the emphasis is firmly on participation enjoyment and fun for all involved, whether riders, family members, spectators or support crew. The event organizers go to great lengths to provide good quality facilities, camping, food, and entertainment from start to finish and promise an experience for all to remember.

For more information on these and other events, check out www.nofussevents.co.uk.

Rodent Invasion Down Under as Rat Race Goes Global

The Rat Race Urban Adventure Series has formally launched its inaugural Australian event in Melbourne for November 22-23, 2008. The cult urban adventure phenomenon, which started in Edinburgh in 2004, has officially 'gone global' and organizers, Detail Events, promise more international (and Southern Hemisphere) dates to follow soon.

Staged in an urban landscape, the Rat Race is a multi-disciplined team challenge of navigation, endurance, mental agility, running, climbing, mountain biking, kayaking, and abseiling, combined with surreal sporting tests and obstacles at different checkpoints across some of the most challenging terrain.

The Melbourne Rat Race is sure to pack an awesome punch and event crew promise a rip-roaring ride through the very best Australia's sporting city has to offer. Melbourne is a city literally 'built on Sport' with Olympic Games legacy, more stadiums than the entire Premier League, and a Grand Prix racing circuit in the city centre! The Rat Race is sure to make the most of this cornucopia of sporting and urban delights.

Stepping up to the plate are superstar local outfit IDQ, who have partnered with Rat Race Adventure Ltd to deliver the Australian events. Boasting an Everest Mountaineer, coaching credentials with AFL clubs, and the Australian national netball team, ex-competitive triathletes, and Victoria Police Tactical Operations personnel, IDQ is a sporting and performance training agency thirsty for Rat Race action.

Speaking at the Rat Race launch in Melbourne Docklands last week, Andrew McTrusty from IDQ, said: "If ever a city was built with the Rat Race in mind, it is Melbourne - with a staggering amount of places to get wet, dirty, and ratty, Melbourne is set to become the most intense Rat Race on the planet. No doubt we have some surprises in store for locals and guests alike and if you think you've seen it all, think again..."

The Rat Race has now been staged in cities including London, Edinburgh, Manchester, Bristol, Brighton, Belfast, and Birmingham and closer to home, this month sees the first Rat Race taking place in Newcastle, with an inaugural Republic of Ireland event being staged in Galway on September 6. It's then the British Isles season finale in London on September 27-28, 2008 for a Capital showdown, complete with the new Outward Bound youth class event taking place alongside the main action.

The challenge then moves Down Under for Melbourne on November 22-23 and further Southern Hemisphere dates are promised for early 2009, which will see more Australian events take place, together with indications of events in other territories, too.

Rat Race founder Jim Mee said: "Melbourne is a venue that the Rat Race feels right at home in. Both myself and Rat Race chief course planner Gary Tompsett have recce-ed a good few times now with IDQ and this will be a supercharged event. We have found the right location and the right partners for the first event out - with the British Isles. Setting up our stall on the other side of the Earth was always going to happen and we wanted to ensure all the pieces of the jigsaw were in place. They are - a great venue, a superb partner, and we know we have Rat-tastic course. From five years of Rat Racing, we have now carefully packaged the Rat Race as a Joint Venture proposition and I would encourage others interested in this opportunity to get in touch. We will actively be growing our global reach throughout 2009 and beyond. Prepare to be ratified."

Those contesting the overall 2008 UK Series title will be fighting for a place on the starting grid in Melbourne. The winners of the 2008 UK Series will be announced after the London event on September 27 and 28 and will join the Aussies on the start line to fight the corner for UK adventure racers; with their obvious Rat Racing experience, up against tough competition from local adventure heavyweights. It promises to be quite a battle in the heat of the Australian summer.

The full scoop on the new Melbourne event is shown on the Rat Race website - ratraceadventure.com.