Survival of the fittest as Old Town forms obstacle course

Published on Saturday 17 October 2009 11:54

STREETS in Edinburgh resembling an obstacle course is nothing new.

But tomorrow the heart of Edinburgh's Old Town will be a no-go area for all but the most extreme adrenalin junkies.

Thousands of eager participants will be hauling themselves over giant walls, round an army assault course and across an obstacle-strewn building site in the city's first-ever Men's Health Survival Challenge.

The competitors, many of whom are expected to travel from across the UK to take part, will also get to see some of the city's most historic sights, including a run through the ancient Innocent Tunnel in Holyrood Park.

The event is being held on Sunday to avoid any severe disruption to residents, although a section of the High Street between George IV Bridge and South Bridge will be closed off from 4am until 1pm. This will allow the organisers to construct their obstacles and get all the runners safely across.

There will also be marshals at various points on the course helping competitors across the road, although organisers said they had designed the route so that it would have a minimal impact.

The 1,500 competitors will be registered at the event village in Princes Street Gardens before walking to the Royal Mile.

The competitors will be staggered into groups of 250 people, setting off at 15-minute intervals from 10am to ensure the obstacles do not become too swamped.

Heading down the Royal Mile, the first of these obstacles will be a three-metre high wall of straw bales outside the council buildings. From there, the runners will have to endure the energy-sapping climb up Jacob's Ladder, the steep stairs running from Calton Road to the top of Calton Hill.

Once there, they cannot expect any rest, as army instructors will bully them through a brutal assault course before heading to Tolbooth Wynd for the Urban Jungle challenge.

Next up is a water slide down the side of Arthur's Seat before they tackle the spider's web, a rope-matrix being set up on Brown Street close to the Crags Sports Centre, where competitors may face a water cannon.

As well as taking on a genuine construction site at the SoCo gap site in the Cowgate, competitors will face an obstacle challenge before tackling an assault course and the Parkour Zone.

After all that, they will still need to find the strength to scale the eight-foot high Wall of Fame, in front of cheering spectators at the Ross Bandstand, in order to cross the finish line and call themselves a survivor.

Race director Gary Tompsett said: "I wanted to show off the best parts of Edinburgh, because at least half of our competitors will be visitors to the city."

A council spokesperson said: "Edinburgh provides a beautiful backdrop for this great and gruelling event.

"I am sure that even the competitors will be able to appreciate the unique scenery as they tackle this challenging route."