By entering in any of the 2008 Ozark Extreme Adventure Sprints event, the racer hereby agrees to all rules set by the race staff and event related entities.

*Updates to the rules are highlighted.

**The Armed Forces Adventure Race Division will have additional registration requirements, but will adhere to all rules included herein.

General Rules

• Each team must consist of 2 members and must fit within one of the divisions.

• Each racer must be a minimum of 14 years old.

• Solo racers must be a minimum of 18 years old.

• Racers who wish to race with a teammate under the age of 18 may be required to sign an additional waiver. 

• All Racers must complete the courses as marked.

• No outside assistance is permitted at any time.

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On the Race Course

General

• Teammates must stay within 100 feet of each other at all times during the race.

• Teams must stay on the marked course or within the course area. 

• Teams must not cross any off limit areas, private property, or dangerous terrain as designated by race management.

• Competitors must complete the entire course and make sure they have their passport or punch card punched at each checkpoint.

• Teams must use only the mode of travel specified for each leg (i.e. teams cannot cycle during the hiking leg).

• Only human-powered travel is allowed.

• Respect the environment. No littering. Carry out all that you carry in. Time penalties to disqualification may be rendered.

• No outside assistance, other than in specified transition areas may be utilized by competitors.

• Teams may help each other during the race. If a team is in trouble, other teams are encouraged to help. A time bonus may be awarded to the helping team at the race director's discretion.

• Race time cutoffs may be placed on each race. Racers will be informed of all cutoffs prior to race start.

• All racers must obey any and all instructions given to them by the race staff.

• All Racers must complete race course by crossing the finish line as a team.

• All teams must complete a specified number of checkpoints, without altering from the race course or course area, to be considered an official finish. This number of checkpoints will be determined per course and will be announced before the race start.

• (Advanced racers) No electronic measuring or navigating devices allowed with the exception of an altimeter. (ie: GPS, Pedometer, etc.)

• Racers finishing at the exact same time (a tie) will be subject to the Race Directors and Staff in finishing placement and positional awards.

• The use of cell phones, two way radios or electronic devices other than altimeters are not allowed after the race start. Cell phones and two-way radios may be carried to be used for emergencies only. Use of these devices during the race, other than for emergencies, will be grounds for disqualification. (Emergencies are defined as a medical situation or a team is in need of assistance to be removed from the course)

• Event staff cannot assist teams after the race start other than for medical purposes, rules/instruction clarifications or verbal instructions.

Cycling/ Biking

• All bikes must be equipped with a white front light and a red rear light. (Race Management will specify which races will require this.)

• Racers will abide by local and state traffic regulations while riding on public roadways.

• All persons must wear a helmet while in the mountain biking section.

Paddling

• Canoes or Kayaks may not be dragged on the ground.

• Personal Flotation Devices must be worn properly and fastened completely before entering the water.

• Each racer must have an operating glow stick, flashing light, or strobe light affixed to their person while paddling at night (if required).

• Teams must exit the paddling leg with all paddling equipment and kayak in appropriate condition.

Solo Racers:

• A limited number of solo racers will be allowed for each event.

• Solo racers must carry all required gear for teams and individuals.

• Racers must be able to handle a 2 person inflatable kayak with no assistance.

• Solo entrants may be required to complete a pre-race skills test prior to the race.

• Solo racers may be required to carry additional safety equipment. (IE: Cell Phone, FRS/ GMRS Radio)

• Racers will be informed of any additional equipment at the conformation of registration.

Passports

• Competitors must complete the entire course in correct order and make sure they have their passport or punch card punched at each checkpoint.

• Passports must be checked by race staff at transitions, before teams are allowed to continue. Passports will be checked in the order the teams come into transition.

• Passports which are found to have checkpoints out of of order, or punched early, will be disqualified.

• Teams are responsible for having a clean, readable, punch on their passport. 

• Punches which are unreadable, incomplete, or doubled over will not count as a completed punch and will result in a missed checkpoint penalty.

• Incomplete passports or punch cards will be assessed a penalty for each checkpoint missed.

• Teams with incomplete passports will be placed in order of checkpoint completion then by finishing time. 

• Complete passports will be ordered first then  incomplete passports will be ordered in groups by the amount of checkpoints missing.

• Loss of passport or punch card will count as an unofficial ranking and all points for that race will be forfeited.

• Passports will not be re-issued at any time after the race start.

Gear

• All gear must be approved by race organizers. 

• Race numbers must be worn on outside of clothing at all times (Paddling section exempt but must be in possession of the number).

• Picking up and dropping off of gear may only take place at designated Transition Area(s). 

• No personal canoes or paddles are allowed.

• A hands-free lighting system may be required at certain races.

• A white bike front light and a red rear light is required for each teammate. (Some areas require this on roadways, even during the day.)

• Safety gear, as specified for the event, must be on each racer at all times.

Series Points Rules and Awards

• Points are accumulated in all categories, with winners and awards being announced at the conclusion of the series finals.

• Points will now be rated according to the course difficulty. 

• Each course point values will be posted prior to the race start.

• Points will now only be given from 1st place to 10th place ONLY.

• Two of the three races must be completed by the same two team members. Substitutions may be used for one race only to be eligible for the series award.

• Each team is permitted to have only one (1) alternate throughout the series to remain eligible for the series award.

• Teams must have one of the original members of the first race compete in all entered races. An alternate may be used for one (1) race. The alternate must be of the same sex as the person being replaced.

• The series final is worth double the points.

• In case of a tie in the overall Series points, the team with the highest finish in the Series Final will be awarded the Sprint Series Awards.

• Poor sportsmanship or infractions of rules may result in a forfeit of race series points.

• The race director and staff reserve the right to enforce any and all rules and any penalties.

• Any grievances may be given to the race director for review. A decision will be provided to the grieving parties via email or other means.

• Points will be awarded within their respected classes for the series awards.

• Teams must have a minimum of 80 points, before the final series race, to be eligible for the Sprint Series Awards.

• Teams will retain points in the category in which the finish each race.

• Plaques or awards will be awarded to all divisions, first place series teams who qualify, at the Series Final event. 

• Teams may only enter in one category per paid entry.

• Racers finishing in a tie will be subject to the Race Directors and Staff in placement and positional awards.

Points are awarded within their respected classes. 

General Day Race Points will be awarded as follows: (Race point values are now updated for the 2007 season.)

The Ozark Extreme Adventure Sprint Series has series points that are distributed at each of the individual events. Points are accumulated from race to race enabling the advanced teams to compete for the overall series award with the final race counting for double. Winners of the overall Series will be announced at the Series Final (Race #3) in Hot Springs.

Award Rules

• Awards ceremonies will follow the conclusion of each event.

• Medals will be awarded to the top 3 finishing teams at each event in all divisions.

• Awards may be issued prior to the award ceremony at the discretion of race management.

• Awards will be held for a period of four weeks after the posting of event results, after which time they will be discarded.

• Medals are awarded to the top 3 finishers for each of the divisions at all race

• Prizes and swag will be awarded to participants who are present at the award ceremony only.

• Plaques and awards will be presented to the divisional winners of  the series, and will be presented at the series finals ceremony.

Medical Rules

Participants have the right to receive basic medical first-aid without the risk of being disqualified from the event. Teams are only permitted to receive basic first-aid attention by the race staff at the designated Transition Area (TA) or manned checkpoints. Teams requiring immediate medical treatment outside of a TA, and a medic is required to respond, may be pulled from the event (at the Race Director or Medic's discretion) and listed as a DNF  in the official results. Medical Personnel and the Race Director have final say in regards to an athlete continuing on in the event.
       

Inclement Weather 

All races will proceed regardless of weather, with the following exceptions:

Including, but not limited to, lightning, tornado warnings, any conditions that the race staff feels may cause undue injury or affect the race.  

All races may be delayed, at the Race Director's discretion, due to dangerous weather conditions.

In the event of Severe Weather while a race is running all participants will be stopped at a predetermined point and moved to a safe location. Teams will be restarted in the order they arrived at the point. If the race cannot be restarted then race ranking will be assessed from the stopping point back to the race start. Points will still be awarded to teams within their respected rankings.

Withdrawal

Voluntary withdrawals must occur at transition areas or by contacting race staff on the course. All withdrawals must be made to official race staff.

Race Fees/ Refunds

Race fees are refundable, less a $20 administrative fee per person ($40 for a team), up to 6 days before the event. After the 6 day cutoff, fees are non-refundable.

Penalties 

Penalties will be added at the end of the race. Race organizers will determine time penalties for specific rules infractions prior to start of race.

Winners will be the fastest complete 2-person team or solo (including penalties) to cross the finish line with the most amount of checkpoints on their passport. The Race Organizers reserve the right to assess time penalties or bonuses to teams as they see fit. 

Race Cutoffs

The course cutoffs are normally designed to allow most participants to complete the course within the specified time.  Adjustments may be made at the discretion of the Race Directors to the cutoff times (not to exceed 8 hours) and or course to allow for participants to complete the event. Teams will be notified of general adjustments before the race and on course adjustments at staffed checkpoints or transition areas.

Race Cutoffs shall be in place for each event. The race staff will inform all racers of cutoff times and penalties for each. 

General penalties for cutoffs are:

• Teams which finish under the cutoff will be ranked as indicated above in the passport section.

• Teams which finish after the cutoff will be ranked under racers who finish within the time limit.

• Teams with incomplete passports will be placed in order of checkpoint completion then by finishing time after the cutoff.

Race Organization

Race organizers reserve the right to decide whether or not a person or team may continue for health, safety, or other reasons (e.g. inadequate time remaining to finish entire course). Race organizers reserve the right to change the rules or the course at any time.

* Race Rules Are Subject To Change. Racers will be notified of any rule or course changes prior to the race start.