Knaresborough 6 January 2013 – For those wishing to take part in the 2013 Great Knaresborough Bed Race entry forms are available on the event’s website, www.knaresborough.co.uk/bedrace, say the Knaresborough Lions.
The period for entry runs from January until the last day in February and forms have to be completed and fees received by then.
Bed Race chairman Alan Walgate said:
Entry fees have been kept to the same level as last year: £100 for adult teams and £60 for juniors.
There have been some rule changes but nothing to affect the fun of the racers and spectators.
We’ve had more than our fair share of unusual events and people in Knaresborough, but we want teams to explore the widest possible meanings of the theme so that we get a truly diverse Parade.
The 2013 Bed Race will be staged as usual on the second Saturday in June; the 8th this year. The theme for the fancy dress pageant element is Myths and Legends in a nod towards the Town’s involvement in tales of the unexplained.
Held annually since 1966, Bed Race is part pageant, part gruelling time trial and is a volunteer event held to raise money for good causes. The field is of 90 teams of six runners and a passenger. Hundreds of people parade with the teams and 250 volunteers turn up on the day to provide marshalling, crowd control, safety and other services. The whole town of Knaresborough is galvanised.
Runners race with their beds along the scenic gorge in Knaresborough, up and down the steep cobbled streets of the ancient market town, and finish with a swim across the River Nidd. An estimated 20,000 people came to the 2012 event despite difficult weather.
The Knaresborough Lions have organised Bed Race since the 1990s and welcome volunteers from the wider community to help them stage the event. The club is part of Lions Clubs International, a volunteer organisation that exists in 180 countries across the world to aid community groups and individuals most in need. More information on Lions is available on www.lionsmd105.org/
