To populate the Pursuit, Drambuie held events around the country to entice potential athletes to sign up, and offered invites through the web sites of some media outlets, for whom some of the teams are named.

The resulting mélange of competitive talent was impressive for a group of regular Joes and Janes, highlighted by professional forest firemen, triathletes, marathoners, river guides, at least one SWAT team member, and an actor who played a top NFL draft pick in “Jerry Maguire.”

And aside from one ne’er-do-well who was excused from the trip upon arriving in Glasgow following an especially obnoxious cross-Atlantic flight, there wasn’t a lout in the lot. If you’re eyeing the ’09 Pursuit, hit up pursuitof1745.com for information.

Best Dram Team

Mark Bishop (Albuquerque, N.M.), Travis Stephenson (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Ben Millspaugh (Colorado Springs, Colo.), Tony Roldan (Gilbert, Ariz.)

Their motto: “Aut viam inveniam aut faciam,” Latin for “I will find a way, or I will make one,” according to Millspaugh. Their way involved not staying out to the feckless wee hours of the morn and slamming back Edinburgh’s local brews, leading some to peg this disciplined, fit bunch as a pre-race favorite.

Team Current TV

Brian Cresto (Boise, Idaho), Scott Logan (Los Angeles), Steve Stroud (Boise, Idaho), Alex Abols (Boise, Idaho)

Logan is a native Scot and the rest of the bunch make their livings by jumping out of planes to fight forest fires out West. A prohibitive pre-race favorite by dint of their camaraderie and presumed stamina.

Four Princes

C.J. Wright (Columbus, Ohio), Mequel DeVaughn (Dublin, Ohio), Paida Saburi (Westerville, Ohio), Jamison Float (Westerville, Ohio)

If the race was run on physique alone, these guys might have taken it — but they were hamstrung by, well, a hamstring injury, to DeVaughn. Saburi, originally of Zimbabwe, may drag them to South Africa for the 2010 soccer World Cup.

Team Men’s Journal

Mark McDonald (Atlanta), Jason Graning (Atlanta), Adam Goldstein (Atlanta), Bill Gifford (New York City)

A fine crew, top to bottom, that featured the best cyclist, in Gifford, and perhaps the toughest individual uphill runner, in Goldstein. They finished strong but were impeded by a stomach virus Graning smuggled through customs.

Team National Geographic Adventure

Andrea Minarcek (New York City), Phil Lewis (Austin, Texas), Chris Lewis (Austin, Texas), Reagan Evans (Austin, Texas)

The Austin men were running for a friend of theirs, Justin Whitehead, who died of Lou Gehrig’s Disease — and who used to order a round of rusty nails (that’s Drambuie and whiskey) at last call. A very competitive group; Phil Lewis, who proved to be the field’s best archer, believes the secret to winning rock-paper-scissors is to hate your opponent deeply.

On the Rocks

Matt Patrizi (Austin, Texas), Kristian Watkins (Austin, Texas), Landon Hill (Austin, Texas), Drew Patrizi (Austin, Texas)

An unassuming bunch that didn’t generate much early buzz among the caravan — but fit enough to finish in the top 3. This is especially impressive considering Drew Patrizi’s commitments to his indie rock band, What Made Milwaukee Famous. A rocker who runs can probably take over the world.

Team Penthouse

Brian Chirigos (New York City), John Bolster (New York City), Charlie O’Connell (Los Angeles), Heather Vandeven (Palm Springs, Calif.)

The headliner was Vandeven, a Penthouse model, but O’Connell — a former “The Bachelor” bachelor and player in “Dude, Where’s My Car?” — set the tone. “My archery skills are solid,” he said. “My archery skills, my nunchuk skills, my Chinese stars skills… ”

Pursuit of Glory

Jesse Peralta (West Linn, Ore.), Mike Kirk (Beaverton, Ore.), Jay Kallberg (St. Helens, Ore.), Mason Davis (Beaverton, Ore.)

These guys love Portland. You like music? You should move to Portland. You like the outdoors? Dude, Portland. Come by Portland any time, and they’ll go to a show with you. Mason Davis, a cancer survivor and the emotional leader of the team, was the only competitor whose parents tailed him around the country to the various venues in support.

The Rusty Nails

Cris Stephan (Astoria, N.Y.), Russ Nazrisho (Brooklyn, N.Y.), Jon Reisner (New York City), Dov Calderon (New York City)

A quartet of city boys who admitted they’d never done anything like any of the events contained in the Pursuit. Yes, they did finish in last place, but they almost finished in next-to-last, and “almost” is great training fuel.

Team Jerry

Greg Burhop (Evanston, Ill.), Jill Boyer (Hood River, Ore.), Jerry O’Connell (Los Angeles), Doug Morris (New York City)

Another motley crew led by an O’Connell — this one graced “Jerry Maguire” and the short-lived show “Carpoolers” — and joined at the last minute by Morris, who performed beautifully by surviving the race on so little notice.