350 miles, 85 legs, 40 RATS, 6 days, 4 different disciplines, 2 charities, 1 county, but how long will it take them?  That’s the question the Bude RATS are asking in a special competition they are running alongside their forthcoming Cornish Coastal Relay.

From 4th – 9th August a running and triathlon club from North Cornwall will be pushing themselves, even by their own standards, in an attempt to cover the entire Cornish border in just six days.  The Bude RATS will be undertaking the 350 mile relay, incorporating running, swimming, cycling and kayaking, for two charities – Children’s Hospice South West’s Precious Lives Appeal and Cornwall Air Ambulance – and if you can guess how many hours, minutes, and seconds it will take them to complete the course you could win a fantastic prize as well as help these local causes.

Event organiser Kelvin Turner of Bude RATS explains:

"The brainwave for this event hit me on Christmas day, as we’d not long formed as a club so it was something unique we could do together.  We decided we wanted to do it for two local charities, one of which tourists could identify with, so the Cornwall Air Ambulance and the Precious Lives Appeal were the perfect choice."

The relay around the perimeter of Cornwall incorporates all aspects of the triathlon; running the coastal path, cycling the border with Devon, and swimming the estuaries, with the addition of some sea kayaking.  Starting from Bude on Tuesday 4th August, the RAT run will take place in stages throughout the first week of August and includes some very challenging sections.

Kelvin continues:

"It will be nice if people come and support us en route, make a donation and perhaps have a guess at our competition.  We hope to announce our approach to different beaches, with the aim of getting lots of people involved."

Volunteers from Children’s Hospice South West and Cornwall Air Ambulance will be stationed along different sections of the route to cheer on the RATS and collect donations from supporters.

You can donate sponsorship in aid of the Precious Lives Appeal and the Air Ambulance via

•             Day 1: Tuesday 4th August – 11 legs between Bude and Looe, including a cycle from Saltash to Muttoncove and a kayak from Muttoncove to Cremyll

•             Day 2: Wednesday 5th August – 17 legs between Looe and Maenporth, including a swim from Polruan to Fowey and a kayak from Place to Maenporth

•             Day 3: Thursday 6th August – 17 legs between Maenporth and Marazion, including a swim in the Helford River

•             Day 4: Friday 7th August – 15 legs from Marazion to Godrevy, including a kayak from Carbis Bay to Godrevy

•             Day 5: Saturday 8th August – 12 legs from Godrevy to Padstow

•             Day 6: Sunday 9th August – 13 legs from Padstow back to Bude, including a swim from Padstow to Rock

For full details of the itinerary, log on to the Bude RATS website:

The prizes have been kindly donated and all proceeds will be shared between the Precious Lives Appeal and Cornwall Air Ambulance.  For a suggested donation of £1, you are invited to guess how long it will take the RATS to complete the Blood Sweat and Tears relay course – for further information please coctact Kelvin on tomsend@tiscali.co.uk or 07866 451289.

Click here for the leaflet

Click here for sponsorship forms

Click here for the event poster