Excitement is building as the countdown to the 2022 Great Knaresborough Bed Race begins. The event, to be held on Saturday 11 June, is reviving the annual extravaganza that started in 1966 but which suffered cancellation in the past two years due to the pandemic.
In the build-up to the event there will be special briefings for the teams and the volunteer marshals at the Knaresborough Working Men’s Club, starting at 7pm on 18 May.
This year’s Race will have 85 teams compete on the 2.4 mile course, taking them through parkland and the Nidd Gorge, up steep climbs and breathtaking descents, culminating in a 40-yard swim through the ever-icy waters of the River Nidd.
The Race follows the spectacular gathering of the decorated beds at Knaresborough Castle and the Parade of beds, racers, helpers, marching bands and dance groups through the streets of the town.
The event begins in the morning. The Parade is at 1 pm and the Race itself starts at 3 pm as a series of time trials, with the teams setting off at 10-second intervals.
The fastest teams complete the course in around 13 minutes; the slowest in about twice that time.
It is expected that 20,000 to 30,000 people will come to watch this iconic event. There will be extra train and bus services, and there is a free park-and-ride service operating from Knaresborough Technology Park and ALM in the east of the town to the High Street.
Roads will begin closing from 10.30 am in the centre of Knaresborough and parking will be suspended all day on the race route. Organisers of Bed Race, the Knaresborough Lions say that it is hoped that road closures will be lifted from around 6 pm.
Shops, cafes and pubs in Knaresborough will be open, and there are attractions in Conyngham Hall Field for children. The cost for entry to Conyngham is £3 per adult, with those 16 and under getting in free.
The theme of this year’s Great Knaresborough Bed Race is ‘The Environment: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle’.
The volunteer Knaresborough Lions Club organises Bed Race to raise funds for charities and local good causes. It has become an iconic event over the years and has spawned other bed races all over the world.
More information is on the event’s website: www.bedrace.co.uk
