REGULATIONS and RULES

Order of CPs passing

The first part of route for each class (SHORT and LONG) is mandatory for passing. It should be passed in specified order: you cann’t change the order of passing of stages and miss any check point at each stage. This part represents almost a half of all possible for passing distance. After overcoming of these obligatory routes the team can pass the additional routes according to its opportunities choosing the check points possible for taking in time left except the several obligatory.

There will be only 3 or 4 obligatory check points for teams of SHORT class after passing of mandatory routes. You can take its only in estimate time period. Besides, the teams can take many bonus check points. Teams of SHORT class can choose any way of moving allowed by the Rules and take in any order so many bonus check points how will be able.

There will be some obligatory check points for teams of LONG class after passing of mandatory routes. You can take its only in estimate time period and using the concrete way of moving estimated by the Route sheet. Besides, the teams can take many bonus check points in any order.
Check points of mandatory routes are connected by the red line with arrows of moving direction on the map. Coastering routes are marked by dashed line.

There will be a swimming lap of 50 m length (near the race center) that is not marked on the race scheme.

! After passing of mandatory route the teams have to come back to the Race Center and download and clear data from their electronic chips at judges of electronic timing. It’s possible there will be organized the additional places of downloading data from the electronic chips.
Each competitor has to obey to all the requirements and conditions specified by these Regulations.
The participant has to follow to instructions and demands of judges and volunteers during the Race.

Registering the Race competitor confirms to follow all the requirements stated in these Regulations.

MANDATORY EQUIPMENT

All team’s members must have personal mandatory equipment when it is specified. Team mandatory equipment also has to be available. The judges have a right to check the mandatory equipment at any stage of the route. It will be a penalty one point for the lack of one of subjects.
Before registration each racer should personally pass the test of mandatory equipment specified by these Regulations. The participants who didn't undergo testing or presented equipment inappropriate to the requirements aren't allowed to the start. The detailed technical requirements for mandatory equipment at fixed ropes stages see in special chapter: "technical requirements for mandatory equipment".

During the whole race all the teams must have the following general team mandatory equipment:
1. First aid kit in sealed package. It includes: Bandage of 6 cm width - 2 pcs. Plaster of min 3 cm width. Anaesthetic (like paracetamol and others). Anti-inflammatory (like ibuprofen and others). Aseptic bandage and cotton wool – 1 pcs.
2. Knife
3. Matches in sealed package
4. Mobile phone fully charged in sealed package

During the whole race all team’s members must have the following personal mandatory equipment:
1. Compass
2. Whistle
3. Light with a double stock of batteries

Personal mandatory equipment for mountain bike stage:
1. Mountain bike with rear red light
2. Helmet
3. Bike gloves
4. Maps (received at Team registration)
5. Team’s number (given by organizers at Team registration) must be fixed at the front of the bike

Recommended equipment for mountain bike stage:
1. Clothing according to the weather
2. Spare tube for each team’s member
3. Bicycle repair kit
4. Food reserve for this stage
5. Bike map-board on handlebar

! Participants must obey traffic regulations.
! It's mandatory to use helmet during the whole MTB stage.

Team mandatory equipment for paddling stage:
1. For teams of 2 racers: Two-seat kayak and pair of paddles.
2. For teams of 4 racers: 2 two-seat kayaks and 2 pairs of paddles. It’s allowed a kayak of any model. The kayak should be equipped with floatation bags corresponding to kayak’s model. The kayak should have all standard details of frame in good repair.
3. Map and route sheet (received at Team registration).
4. Kayak repair kit in case of damage a kayak cover.

Personal mandatory equipment for paddling stage:
1. Life vest
2. Skirt

Recommended equipment for paddling stage:
1. Map-board of А3 format
2. Non-sliping gloves
3. Clothing according to the weather and additional spare set of clothing packed in dry bag
4. Food reserve for this stage

! Participants must wear life vests during the paddling stage.
The both Team’s numbers (given by organizers at the registration) must be placed on kayak so that it was easy to find it in transition area.
International teams can rent a kayak at race organizers.
See information about renting of kayaks in chapter “Rent of kayaks”.

Recommended equipment for walking stage:
1. Clothing according to the forest conditions and weather
2. Footwear with metal crampons
3. Trekking poles
4. Food reserve for this stage
5. Insect repellent. There can be a lot of mosquitoes!
Mesh or mosquito net will allow you to sleep in the forest

Personal mandatory equipment for fixed ropes stages:
1. Harness
2. Helmet
3. 2 lanyards
4. Carabiners 3 pcs.
5. Descender. It’s recommended: reverso, atc and others. Figure-eight descender is admitted.
6. Rope clamp - 2 pcs. It could be a jumar, baisic, croll, pantin. Prusik knots are forbidden.
7. Tradle for jumar
8. Clothing protecting elbows and knees

Recommended personal equipment for fixed ropes stages:
1. Additional sling 80 cm.

Team mandatory equipment for fixed ropes stages:
1. Rope of 30 m long, not less than 9 mm thickness.
It’s recommended static rope. The dynamic is allowed too.

The detailed technical requirements for mandatory equipment see in special chapter: "technical requirements for mandatory equipment".

Recommended team equipment for fixed ropes stages:
1. Cord of 20 m, diameter 4-5 mm.

Personal mandatory equipment for swimming stage:
1. Life vest

Recommended personal equipment for swimming stage:
1. Dry bag

Forbidden equipment
1. GPS-navigators
2. Motorized vehicles

Electronic punching system

Electronic punching system SFR is used at the event. Electronic chips will be given at Team registration, fixed on wrist of each participant and sealed.

! Each member of the team has to punch on CP. Only in this case the CP will be scored.

Time gap between punching of the first and last racers of one team should not exceed 1 minute!, excepting rope stage and special stages. Chip can fail by wrong pressing or shock. Please, see the correct punching in special chapter: "Electronic punching".

There is a small probability that the station of electronic punching system or electronic chips will be out of service or CP will be removed by strangers. Please, don’t phone to organisers according to this case and quietly continue the route. You can inform the judges of electronic timing about it on arrival at the Race Center. This CP will be scored for your team.

Check points – CP

CPs are placed on typical natural or artificial objects. CPs are marked by circle on the maps which center indicates a point where exactly it is located. Red circle – obligatory for passing, green circle – bonus CPs.

CPs performs the white-orange sign. The size of that sign can be varied according to the object on which it is fixed. It's guaranteed that the sign of check point is visible from a point described in the control descriptions but not earlier. There is the station of electronic SFR system close to the sign. All necessary additional information about CP is specified in the control descriptions.

Control descriptions

Control descriptions give the verbal description of the object on which the check point is located. For some CP there could be given the photo of object with arrow indicating the exact location of CP or direction of movement to this CP. Descriptions will be provided in the route sheet.

Route sheet

There are the following information in the Route sheet: order of stage passing, order of CPs passing, control descriptions for all CPs, working time of all transition areas, special order (if needed) or time period of passing through some CPs.

! Test fixed ropes route in the Race center.
There will be a short test route in the Race center prior the race start: rappelling and climbing by rock wall of 12 m height using a team rope. Time limit of the test route’s passing will be limited. Teams don’t stay within race allotted standard which is an indicator of obvious unavailability to passing of rope routes will not be admitted to the both hard rope stages of the Race.

Transition areas (TA)

The change of the activities will take place at Transition areas. Teams can leave their equipment in transition area temporary. After leaving a transition area team should collect all the team equipment to carry on further. Participants have to leave their equipment with the team’s number.

There is drinking water for participants at all transition areas. There are water, hot tea and hot meal in the TA “Race center”.

Organizers will not provide any delivery of equipment to transition areas.

! All transition areas have a limited open time.

Maps

Maps are prepared specially for this race. The symbols of topographic maps and symbols applied for sport orienteering are used.

The maps are based on topographic maps of district in scale 1:50 000, cosmic photos and field works performed during 2015. Maps are laminated from the both sides (matte laminate). There are the maps in different scales for different stages.

Each racer will receive the full set of maps at Team registration. It’s recommended to have a thin permanent marker for route marking on the map.

Cost of CPs (points)

The “cost” of CP is 1 point. So the team result will defined by the quantity of taken CPs in control time.

«Sponsoring CPs»

On some CP the fastest teams can find special plastic tokens (totally about 10-20 pcs per CP).

Each participant can take one (!) token of these on CP. During the awarding ceremony there will be special prizes from the race sponsors for the owners of those tokens.

Safety

Each competitor has to be aware that the race distance is potentially unsafe from the technical, natural and climatic point of view.

Racers should avoid situation at which the attention, coordination and reaction is broken.

Competitor has to refuse overcoming of the obstacle or route if it exceeds the level of its physical or mental capacities.
Each team must have a turned-off charged mobile phone in sealed package for contacting the race organizers in case of emergency. The telephone number for safety communication with organizers will be printed on each page of map.

! Mobile communication in many places of race region is limited or absent. Generally GSM works at the tops of hills and open wide water. In the race area Megafon GSM-provider has much better connection than all other mobile providers.

During the paddling stage all participants must wear life vests.

It is mandatory to use helmet during the mountain biking and rope stages.

There will be a doctor in the Race center.

Organizers don’t accept any financial, civil or criminal responsibility in case of physical injury, financial damage occurred during the race. Participants must have the medical insurance.

Teams ended the race before finish or not finished within the control time have to connect and inform organizers immediately about their status, then come through the finish and return the electronic chips.

Applications

On-line registration will be available at website www.adventure-race.redfox.ru.
The official registration will be opened from 1st December, 2015 up to 18th May, 2016.

If the team’s line-up isn't defined completely or will be changed after the deadline of application it can be solved upon arrival to the Race center. But you should fill the application form anyway.

Payment of the entrance fee

All the registered teams should pay an entrance fee for participation in the Race.

The entrance fee is 2500 rubles (around $32) for each participant regardless race class.

International participants should pay the entrance fee on place of the Race at Team registration.

Team registration process
1. Team informs the organizers about arrival at the Race center, confirms the team’s line-up or makes the changes.
3. Then all team members have to undergo a check of all mandatory equipment.
4. Further team presents a medical insurance. It should be insurance for active sports.
5. Team receive the following: sleeveless sports shirts with numbers, numbers for bike, numbers for kayak, maps, route sheet, Red Fox T-shirt.
6. Team receives the chips of electronic SFR system.
7. Teams ordered rented kayak receive it at responsible judge.
8. Each participant personally signs the agreement on own responsibility for the health and life during the route.

Environmental rules

Organizers reserve to themselves the right to disqualify the teams broken common environmental rules. During the race teams must bring all the trash to the waste-bins at Race center or transition areas.

Sport ethics

Race Rules required teams behave in a friendly and ethical manner to other teams. In case of difficult and critical situations, the teams have to help each other, irrespective of the race results. Human mutual aid is appreciated higher than sport results.

Spectators

The race rules allow only moral support of teams, preparation and transfer of equipment and food to participants. Team can be disqualified for the external physical assistance.

Sponsor recognition

During the race all participants must put on sleeveless race shirts with numbers (Race bibs) received from organizers at Team registration. The shirts with numbers should be always worn over the clothes.

There is a penalty 1 point in case of incorrectly dressed race shirts with numbers.

Penalties, disqualification

The presence of mandatory equipment can be checked any time during the race. For the lack of any of mandatory items team receives the penalty of 1 point.

Team can be disqualified from the race for the following:
- Any external physical assistance
- Using of forbidden transport and equipment
- Breaking of the race or safety rules
- Breaking of sport ethics
- Breaking of environmental rules

The chief judge makes decision for all the questions concerning Race results and penalties. In case of disagreement with the chief judge’s decision, team can submit the appeal in written form not later than 30 min. before the awarding ceremony.

Results calculation

Winners are determined by the sum of the gathered points within control time. «Control time» is 25 hours for Short class and 50 hours for Long class. In case of equal amount of gathered points higher place is awarded to the team with a faster time at the finish line.

In the final ranking the teams missed one or more mandatory CPs will be placed below those who took correct all mandatory CPs irrespectively of the sum of the total gathered points.

Teams breaking the order of passing of CPs are placed below those who took CPs in the right order.

Finish

Race time for team will be stopped after the punching on “Finish” CP. Time is recorded after the last racer of a team passed the finish line. At the Finish of the Race all team members has to download data from their electronic chips.

Excess of control time

Penalty of 1 point is given for every minute of delay.

Crossing the finish line more than 1 hour after control time leads to disqualification of that team.

All teams that don't cross the finish line in control time have to inform organizers immediately.

Awards

Medals and prizes will be given for 1st-3d places in the following 6 nominations:

RFAR Short:
- teams of 4 racers,
- teams of 2 racers ММ,
- teams of 2 racers МW /WW.

RFAR Long:
- teams of 4 racers,
- teams of 2 racers ММ,
- teams of 2 racers МW /WW.

There will be special prizes from the race sponsors for owners of tokens (described earlier).

Amending

Organizers reserve the right to make any changes to this regulation in case of emergency or in force majéur situation.

YOUR TEAM IS WELCOME to the Red Fox Adventure Race 2016!