Rules and Regulations

Last updated: 2006-08-10

Organisation

The Adventure Racing World Championship 2006 (hereafter ARWC2006) is an adventure race organised by Explore Sweden which is owned and operated by Helena Lind and Mikael Nordström, in Örnsköldsvik, Sweden.

The address is:

HC Adventure HB (ARWC 2006)
Fabriksgatan 21
891 33 Örnsköldsvik
Sweden
info@exploresweden.se
+46 660-731 10
+46 70-17 49 681
www.arwc2006.com

The AR World Series and AR World Championship is owned by Geoff Hunt and Pascale Lorre at Southern Traverse Ltd.

The address is:

Southern Traverse Ltd,
PO Box 410,
341 Peninsula Road
Kelvin Heights
Queenstown 9197, New Zealand.
tel: 64-3-441-8215
fax: 64-3-441-8216
Email: admin@arworldchampionship.com
Email: traverse@queenstown.co.nz
www.arworldchampionship.com
www. southerntraverse.com

By entering the ARWC2006, teams agree to follow the race rules, public regulations (e.g. highway code, etc.) and all laws and regulations governing the regions in which the ARWC2006 will occupy, respect the environment through which they travel, and respect any private property crossed during the race.

The ARWC2006 Race Organisation reserves the right to add, amend or remove any of the following Race Rules and Regulations.

Administrative formalities

Registration must be completed on 14th August 2006

Teams have been allocated a time to begin registration. A team will not be able to start the race unless:

• The registration forms have been completed by each team member,
• The entry fees have been paid,
• The team has met the minimum gear and skills requirement.

In case of absolute necessity, a team member can be replaced at the registration as long as the new team member meets the required criteria concerning standard of different disciplines e.g. kayak and can provide a complete registration form, with all the certificates required.

Teams

The ARWC2006 is a competition for teams of 4 people. Each team must have at least one female member. Each team must appoint a team captain. The team captain will act as the interface between his or her team and the Race Organisation. No other team member will be permitted to represent the team in an official capacity. Should the team captain be unable to fulfil their roles and responsibilities as captain, the team members must agree on, and inform the Race Organisation of a vice captain who will assume the captain’s duties.

The team captain will:

• Receive information and inform team mates of instructions issued by Race Management.
• Be notified about decisions made by the Race Organisation
• Advise the Race Organisation of the withdrawal of the entire team at any location on the course
• Represent the team when making any formal complaints or protests.
• Be responsible for the overall wellbeing of each team member.

Your team must contain:

• 4 team members who can navigate with compass, altimeter and topographic map, at night and in all weather conditions and have basic outdoor first aid skills.
• 4 team members with experience in remote back country expedition.

For safety purposes, all competitors must:

• Know how to swim
• Be confident while paddling on a Grade 2 river.
• Have practised the art of anchor change overs with slings daisychains or prussics, and screw gate/twist lock carabiners (the two points of contact rule is mandatory i.e. you must always be attached to the fixed rope system with two points). Abseiling will be done with a back up prussic or mechanical prussic. A thorough check of all competitors competency and techniques will be undertaken during the registration process. Any competitor that fails to pass the minimum standard will not be allowed to participate in ARWC2006.
• Complete a medical form. The medical form will stay strictly confidential and be used only by medical professionals.
• Complete a medical test undertaken by the Race Organisation Medical team.

Individual Responsibility:

• Each competitor enters under their own responsibility. He/she alone can judge whether they should participate in the event. It is the individual’s responsibility to clearly communicate their capacity or capability to their team captain. Nevertheless, the organisation reserves the right to forbid a competitor, or team, from remaining on the course.
• The organisation is not responsible for the behaviour of competitors infringing the laws of the country.
• Competitors must be fully aware of the risks they run by entering the ARWC. They will release the organisation of all criminal or civil responsibility in case of personal accident or damage to property during the event. All competitors will be expected to complete a liability release form for this purpose.
• Competitors must be fully responsible for any equipment loaned to them by the Race Organisation or its associates. Competitors must look after borrowed equipment and return it in the same condition as they received it. All competitors will complete a liability release form for this purpose and a credit card authorisation to cover any damages which may occur.

Competition

The course

• The Adventure Racing World Championship 2006 will be staged in Sweden and Norway.
• The course will be revealed to teams by the Race Director at the race briefing.
• Course maps and a road book will be distributed at the briefing. Competitors will be briefed on weather conditions and other important issues by race officials.
• A Race Guide will be given to each team and will include a team list, rules and regulations and other information.
• Teams will cover 800 kilometres by various means including but not limited to kayaking, trekking, caving, canyoneering, mountaineering, inlines, rope skills and mountain biking. The race will continue day and night without any darkzones.
• Be fully aware that all the roads and tracks for the race are open to public traffic. Traffic in Sweden and Norway travels on the right. You bike and inline on the right hand side of the road and walk on the left.
• The sections that mark the course route may be added to, modified or removed at any time by the organisers due to bad weather, security or other unforeseen circumstances deemed suitable by the Race Director.
• Competitors must follow the course and alternatives designed by the organisation, and must comply with the spirit of the competition. Finding any team off the course or in ‘out of bounds’ areas without any suitable explanation could lead to severe penalties or to disqualification.
• Team members must travel within 100 metres of each other at all times during the race.

Checkpoints, transition areas and gear zones

• The course is punctuated by checkpoints that all team members must pass. A checkpoint is usually manned by event officials and every CP, TA and GZ have a orienteering marker and a punch.
• The checkpoints are placed in locations described in the road book and marked on map.
• Each team member must be present at a TA to check in on arrival and check out on departure with the officials. The team captain must sign the Transition Area sheet to record their passage. This may also require them to sign off on any course change instructions. These are then acknowledged as part of the race rules and regulations, and therefore part of the course.
• Teams must follow the instructions given by officials responsible for the checkpoints.
• All checkpoints, manned or unmanned, must be visited. Missing a checkpoint and failing to return to that checkpoint to punch the orienteering control will result in disqualification.
• At TA and Gear Zones (GZ) your team must sign in and sign out on the documentation carried by race officials sheet and also punch the orienteering control.
• At CP you must punch the orienteering control and on manned CP´s clearly communicate your team name and number to the officials.

Cut-offs

• The Race Organisation reserves the right to impose cut-off times on sections of the race, for logistical and safety reasons at any time.
• Teams who haven’t made the cut off times will be disqualified. Cut-off times will be outlined at the briefing and detailed in the road book.

Course changes

• All instructions relating to course amendments need to be signed off by team captains on a course amendment form held by the race officials. Alternative courses may be put in place for weather options. This route is set in advance and must be followed.

Sportsmanship

• Any team can be disqualified by the Race Director at any time should the team not respect the officials and/ or display unsportsmanlike behaviour to other teams.

Compulsory equipment

Can be found on the Equipment page

Forbidden equipment/items

The following items are forbidden and will earn a team an instant disqualification:

• GPS, pedometer or any navigational and night vision devices are not allowed.
• No additions can be made to kayaks in regard to sailing - masts, sails, sail attachments etc.
• Performance enhancing drugs.
• Any maps not provided by the organisation

Bibs, stickers and sponsorship

The bibs (T-shirt style) provided by the organisation must be worn at all times on the outside of all clothing including life jackets. Teams will not be allowed to progress without bibs. Teams can put sponsor names on team and personal equipment.

World Championship Status

This is a World Championship event; therefore only teams that successfully complete each section of the race course will be recognised as active teams. Any team either disqualified, deemed to be unranked, or who chooses to withdraw must leave the race course as soon as possible after notifying the Race Organisation of their intentions. There will be no unranked or withdrawn teams permitted on the course. Only active teams will be permitted to remain on the course and in contention for race honours.

Withdrawal

• In case of withdrawal during the race, the team captain must inform the Race Organisation by whichever means available and in the shortest possible time.
• If the team fails to notify the Race Organisation of its withdrawal and a search and rescue operation is mounted the team may be deemed responsible and expected to pay for any costs incurred.
• Non-fulfilment of this clause regarding notification could also irrevocably disqualify the competitor / team from competing in any future Adventure Racing World Championship or HC Adventure HB hosted race.
• Teams who have withdrawn due to injury / fatigue / or other reason will not be allowed on any further part of the course. A team which is disqualified will not be allowed back on the course. The organisation is not responsible for a team who has withdrawn.

Safety

• Each team will be supplied with a Mimas GPS which also acts as a emergency repeater. Enable the repeater in the case of extreme peril (serious injury or endangered life). Should the repeater be used / activated during the race, the team will be considered withdrawn, and the Race Organisation search and rescue plan will be implemented.
• Using the radio is a sensible method of informing the Race Organisation of any possible danger, delay, or to express the intention of the team and will not result in disqualification.
• Should any competitor or team encounter a fellow competitor that is in distress, suffering from a medical condition or appearing to require assistance, you are obligated to remain with that competitor or team to provide assistance.
• You may not abandon an injured or distressed competitor. Any breach in the regulations with respect to assistance to persons in danger will be penalised by disqualification.
• Your team will not incur any time penalties as a result of assisting another team. To ensure your team is not adversely disadvantaged, ensure you contact the Race Organisation immediately to inform them of the situation and to record the duration of your support (which will be credited to your overall race time).
• Should the Mimas repeater be activated for a minor problem the competitor or team will have to pay the cost of the search and rescue operation. A credit card authorisation will be taken by the race organisation as an insurance against any abuse.

Timing

• The organisation will start a chronometer at the start of the race. Times will be recorded at manned checkpoints, TAs and when the teams cross the finish line.
• When a team decides to rest at a Check Point, TA or Gear Zone, the clock doesn’t stop.
• Only teams that finished the whole course before 2006-08-23 at 16.00 PM are ranked.
• A 24hr clock will be used.

Ranking

• The winning team will be the active team that completes the entire race in the shortest time.
• Teams will be ranked according to when:
• All members have crossed the finish line
• Teams have completed the entire course

Time penalties/disqualification

The Race Director reserves the right to disqualify any team from the ARWC2006. Reasons for disqualification include (but are not limited to):

• Unfair or inappropriate behaviour
• Use of unauthorised equipment eg GPS
• Abandonment of a team member during a section of the race
• Missing and failing to return to mark a CP
• Non assistance to person(s) in danger
• Use of performance enhancing drugs
• Use of Mimas for minor reasons
• Use of unauthorised means of transport

4 hour time penalties will be issued for the following infringements and includes (but is not limited to):

• Not wearing of helmets or protective equipment where required (you must then obtain the appropriate helmet before you can continue)
• Not wearing your official race bib vest (except when changing in transitions)

2 hour time penalties will be issued for the following infringements and includes (but is not limited to):

• Not following a roping up method in a compulsory zone
• Pollution - dropping of rubbish.
• Not travelling as a team within 100 metres of each other

30 minutes time penalties will be issued for missing team or personal equipment/ gear.

15 minutes time penalties will be issued for every gearbox, bikebox or mandatory items not handed over to race officials before 9am Wednesday 16th August.

This list is not exhaustive.

For any other breaches of rules and regulations there will be a jury ruling to determine the penalty

All time penalties will be served at Gear Zone 6. Any time penalty handed down after a team departs GZ6 will be added to the time recorded when the team crosses the finish line at the completion of the race.

Jury

The jury consists of the Race Directors and officials. The jury has the right to impose penalties, or add bonuses to the team times.

A race jury will view any legitimate protest from a member of the organisation, or between teams.

Team protests must be filed in writing with the organisers within one hour of finishing the section and include information on the time, date and place; name of the complaining team and the description of the complaint and any witnesses.

Information from the team or competitor in question will be considered.

Prizes

The ARWC prize schedule for 2006 is outlined below.

The winning team will gain the title of Adventure Racing World Champions.

Prize money will be paid out upon completion of any enquiries or investigations into race outcomes are completed, these may include (but are not limited to) the outcome of drug tests and in case of controversy (i.e. complaints by other teams).

Officials

A team of various officials, mountain safety staff, and medical personnel will assist with ARWC 2006. Team members must respect the instructions given by the officials and must follow their decisions regarding safety, health, security, or any other decision pertaining to the race and the course in general. Any abuse towards a member of the organisation’s team will entail severe sanctions.

Insurance

All participants compete at their own risk and the organisers will not accept liability for any personal accident or injury during the event. A liability form must be completed and signed by all competitors.

All international competitors must be covered by personal medical insurance for participating in the race.
Evidence of medical cover must be presented to the organisation before racing (with policy number, company name, address, phone number and email address). If copies of insurance are not provided before or on registration, the team will not be allowed on the course.

International competitor’s insurance policies must state that cover for all disciplines during an Adventure Race; including kayaking, rope skills, caving, rafting, mountain biking and mountain trekking” is provided. This should also include repatriation to your home country. A copy of all this information must be retained by the support crew during the race.