Scots adventure challenge firm makes big splash in US

An Edinburgh-based adventure challenge company is pushing into the US with the launch of 'high-end endurance experiences' in New York and Florida.

Edinburgh-based Rat Race is already a major provider of adventure challenges across the UK. Picture: Contributed

Rat Race, which was founded in 2004, is already a major provider of mass-participation adventure challenges throughout the UK.

It is now setting its sights on the vast American market, following the successful launch of its “Bucket List” series – a selection of one-off endurance events in the Panama jungle, an icy lake in Mongolia and the Namibian desert. A new array of far-flung events is currently in development.

The US events – priced at up to $2,000 (£1,500) per entrant – are set to launch next autumn.

Jim Mee, a former Red Bull marketing executive who founded Rat Race, said: “Our two new spectacular American events, one along the Hudson Valley and the other from Miami along the famous Florida Keys, are a bold new addition for the company but our market research tells us they can become popular annual fixtures, with the capacity to attract significant participation from across the US and around the globe.”