The Maltese Falcon

The very nature of adventure means that the unexpected can sometimes become part of the journey and that is all part of the experience. While we will always strive to deliver “Plan A”, there may be occasions where operational, safety, weather or environmental factors require us to adapt plans and implement contingency routes or alternative arrangements.

As with all Rat Race adventures, participant safety and overall event delivery remain our highest priorities. We therefore reserve the right to amend routes, itineraries or logistics where necessary, using the experience and judgement of our expedition team to make the best decisions on your behalf in changing conditions. Wherever possible, we will communicate any changes in advance. More often than not, these unexpected moments become part of the adventure itself adding to the stories, memories and unique character of the experience.

Click 'Enter' and sign into your Rat Race account and follow the sign up procedure. If you need any assistance please drop the customer service team an email on events@ratrace.com

Rat Race require you to be over 18 on the day of Registration for this adventure.

If you find yourself unable to join us on the start line of this event, you are able to transfer your entry into an event credit voucher once for use on a new entry into an event of your choice. Transfers must be requested within the qualifying transfer window to be accepted and processed. Credit vouchers are valid for 12 months from the date of issue. Credit vouchers are exempt from the transfer process. To find out more information and how to submit a request, view of full transfer policy HERE 

You are very welcome to fundraise for any charity close to your heart while taking part in the event. Please note, however, that our Charity Refund Offer applies exclusively to participants fundraising for Children with Cancer UK.

You can view our current volunteer positions here. 

Yes, there are cut-offs on the event, but these are based purely around the available daylight hours each day. Our aim is to help everyone complete the adventure, so if you fall behind the required pace and are unlikely to reach the end before nightfall, our crew will transport you forward by car. You are then welcome to restart again the following day. This is not an event where missing a cut-off means your adventure is over.

Add Refund Protect to your booking during purchase and receive a full refund of your entry fee if you are unable to attend the event due to a qualifying unforeseen circumstance. PLEASE NOTE this protection is with our 3rd party partner Refund Protect and NOT Rat Race. In the event you make a refund application this is administered by the Refund Protect customer service team, Rat Race are not privy to the application and cannot intervene on your behalf to influence the outcome determined by their team.

To add Refund Protect (administered by a 3rd party) to your Rat Race booking simply select this option when presented during the entry process. Refund Protect cannot be added retrospectively. Rat Race will then send you name and booking details to Refund Protect in order to protect your transaction with them. If you opt to pay in instalments and transfer your entry before the entry cost is full paid you will be liable to ensure the cost of Refund Protect has been fully covered. This total amount will be deducted from any Rat Race credit due through the transfer process or you will be invoiced by Rat Race for the outstanding amount as Rat Race have paid this on your behalf to Refund Protect at point of entry. 

Yes. Comprehensive travel insurance is compulsory for this event and must cover both general travel and participation in the outdoor endurance activities included within the itinerary. You will also require Evacuation Insurance, which covers emergency extraction and onward medical transport by helicopter or similar should urgent assistance be required in this remote environment.

We strongly recommend arranging your insurance as soon as you enter the event and booking flexible flight options where possible to allow for any unexpected changes. Please ensure your chosen policy specifically covers the activities you will be undertaking during the expedition. There are a number of specialist adventure travel insurers available, including Mann Broadbent.

General advice on heat

The heat of the day as it warms up can be fierce, so a wide-brimmed sunhat, sun-cream and lightweight and breathable fabrics (ideally with SPF protection) should be used. On the kayak stages, you will receive reflected rays from the water, so thorough application of waterproof sun-cream and hat selection is very important. As the sun comes up, sunglasses with at least Cat 3 protection are required. There is not a massive level of shade on Santorini given its fairly barren rocky topography. So as the day heats up, we will be exposed more to the relentless Aegean sun.

The beauty of the support afforded by the vehicles is that we can interact with you many times on the route. So whilst we require you to take a lot of water with you at all times (and always leave a pit stop with full supplies), we can also re-supply you often.

Do not underestimate how much the heat will take out of you. Even if you think you are going well earlier on, as soon as that sun comes up, it’ll start sapping energy. You really do want to ensure you have max sun protection and keep taking on fluids and salts.

THE KIT LIST

Running or trekking

• Trail running footwear

• Shorts

• T-shirt

• Ultra vest or small daypack

• 2L (min size) Bladder or bottles/ soft flasks to the same capacity BUY HERE

• Hat – cap or wide brimmed

• Socks

• Rat Rag or similar

• Snacks of choice

• GPS handheld device capable of following  a gpx file (phone with Garmin Explore App recommended – see below)

• GPS watch

• Headtorch, waterproof to IPX7 standard, minimum 150 lumens + spare batteries or second headtorch. 

• Slow release concentrated electrolyte tables (Like salt sticks tablets)  and dissolvable electrolytes for water are mandatory. Please bring both types, you will 100% need these on this event.

• High SPF factor sun cream – min 30SPF recommended.

• Sunglasses with CAT 3 protection

• Blister care kit

• First Aid kit (small personal kit with a triangular bandage, steri strips and an adhesive dressing as a minimum) 

• Cup – suitable for hot drinks

• Optional kit

• Recommended: Trekking poles – Personal choice but they are highly recommended

Kayak

• All essential and safety equipment is provided by Rat Race; kayak, paddle and buoyancy aid.

• Your shoes will likely get wet when getting out of/ in to the kayak on Comino so changing to wet shoes/sandals may be what you wish to do to keep those shoes dry. Or just stash a 2nd pair of running shoes in your transition bag and put those dry shoes on when you get to Malta.

• A drybag is highly recommended to keep your rucksack dry when it’s stashed in the kayak.

• Optional: Towel

A note about kayaking: The 2 shipping channels the route crosses to get to Malta are always busy. As such, there are rules in place as to when activities are allowed to take place. 1 such rule is regarding wind speed, if the forecast shows a force 4 wind or greater, then kayaking can’t take place and this decision must be taken the day before. We will advise of the decision at the safety briefing. In the event of this happening we will cross both channels by charter boat to get to the run on Comino and then across to Malta.  

Cycling kit

• Padded bike shorts

• Cycling top

• Socks

• Bike shoes

• Helmet 

• Cycling gloves

• Multi tool

• Puncture repair kit and/or spare tubes.

• If you’re hiring a bike, feel free to bring your bike shoes with cleats and pedals to fit to the bike. However, it is highly recommended that you also please bring a decent pair of shoes/ trainers for wearing with flats in case you encounter a compatibility issue here.

• Ultra vest or small daypack  

• 2L (min size) Bladder or bottles to the same capacity 

• Slow release concentrated electrolyte tables (Like salt sticks tablets)  and dissolvable electrolytes for water are mandatory. Please bring both types, you will 100% need these on this event.

• High SPF factor sun cream – min 30SPF recommended.

• Cycling gloves

• Multi tool

• Plenty of sun cream

• Sunglasses with CAT 3 protection suitable for riding

• First Aid kit (small personal kit with a triangular bandage, steri strips and an adhesive dressing as a minimum) 

• Cup – suitable for hot drinks

No - this is a beginner friendly event and our guides will give you enough tips to get going on the kayak.

Yes you can, you can purchase bike hire within your event entry in your Rat Race account.

You have to decide how you want to take on Malta before you arrive on the island. If you choose to bike and wish to switch to running that is no problem, we cannot facilitate a last minute swap the other way as bike hire will not be available close to the event.