Freedom 2026 kicked off early with participants arriving from 5:30am before boarding the coach and heading out to a mystery start location. From there, the challenge was simple (in theory): get back to Bath without spending money on transport.
Teams set off from campus at 6:30am, arriving at Mumbles in Swansea at 8:30am. Just before 9am the pairs started their race and had to rely on hitchhiking, long walks, public generosity, and a bit of luck to make their way back to campus before the 8:00pm cut-off. The final team rolled back into Bath at 7:30pm, wrapping up a full day awesome fun.
Along the way, teams took on a mix of ridiculous and tough challenges, including:
• Running up Bathwick Hill
• Summiting Kelston Round Hill
• Hitchhiking 20+ miles in a single lift
• Climbing trees
• Building sandcastles
• Finding five dragons around Wales
• Convincing someone to do a backflip on camera
• Running 10km in one go
There were also some brilliant moments with the public along the way. Every team managed to track down a hen party bride-to-be, with several racers deciding it was the perfect moment to propose (we’re fairly confident none of them said yes). One pair even ended up meeting the PA of former England footballer Peter Crouch while trying to make their way back.
In total, 18 participants raced across the South West, supported by an incredible team of 15 volunteers who were up from the early morning all the way through to the evening awards ceremony.
Most importantly, the event raised over £3,400 for Student Minds, helping support their work improving student mental health across UK universities.
A massive thank you to everyone who raced, volunteered, donated, or helped teams along the way, Freedom wouldn’t happen without you!
