2017 Pre-Race Trail Talk

Transcription

1 2017 Pre-Race Trail Talk Thanks for tuning in to the Ragnar Trail Pre-Race Trail Talk for Rainier 2017! Can you believe it? Next week we will all be there together. Hanging out in the Village, eating great food, Rockin Out and Running up (or taking the Gondola!!!) to some amazing views. Hey, before we get started can you let me know if the audio on this thing is working? If you can hear me let me know in the little chat window on the right over there. OK? Good. Speaking of the chat window, my super awesome Fellow Race Director Kyle Laufiso will be monitoring chat with you guys and responding to any questions you have. Kyle is a wealth of knowledge about our races so please feel free to chat away with her. At the end, she can push me any questions she doesn t know the answers to and I will try to field them. As you can tell, I m really excited that you re going to be joining us at Ragnar Trail Rainier. So today, we ll be going over some race basics to help ensure you have an awesome and safe time at our event. I hope that this podcast will answer any questions that you might have going into the race. If not, feel free to me over the next couple of days but after Sunday I m going to be pretty much out of pocket and tied up with course set up, Village stuff, etc. But before we jump into all of the nitty gritty, I d like to take this opportunity to thank our friends at SALOMON, our presenting sponsor Salomon offers some amazing products, and they will have shoes available for you to demo at the race. You ll also have a chance to try out Suunto GPS watches. So Salomon is awesome and we couldn t put on our races without them. SUSTAINABILITY So sustainability is a big deal at Ragnar Trail. Putting on socially and environmentally responsible events is a founding principle at Ragnar Trail and one that we focus on in

2 almost everything that we do. To that end, we will strive to reduce waste, minimize climate impact, to involve local communities, and to promote health whenever possible and we implore you to join us in those efforts if you choose to do so. There are a few things that you can do to help us with this goal. For example: Water Bottles - Please use your own reusable drink containers. We will provide water, coffee, hot cocoa but we WILL NOT provide disposable cups. Carry your own container in the village and on the trail. Sustainable Gear As you are packing for the race please try to avoid bringing items with excessive packaging. Try to bring items that have more than one use and if they are disposable, they can be recycled. Waste Stations and Compost - There will recycling bins, and trash bins throughout the village and camping areas. When you check in we will give each team a liner for trash and a liner for recycling. Please use them! We will also have compost bins specifically for food waste and compostable plates, napkins, utensils in the dining areas. Please put everything in the right place!! There will be volunteers to help you. Please Leave it better than you found it Your team campsite Please help us by doing a sweep of your campsite and picking up microtrash before you leave. That means all the little wrappers that don t always make it to the trash. These are just a few things but if we all do them, we can make a difference in the impact of this race. Toward that end, we ve partnered with Leave No Trace and the American Trail Running Association to help us educate and promote the sport of trail running in a responsible way. We are quite excited about these partnerships. Tools for Team Captains Have some new tools to assist captains, and runners. These are posted in the runner packet as well as the Race website updates tab The Captain s Checklist - Sets you up for success and make sure little details aren't missed The Captain s Spreadsheet - Keeping your team organized and on the same page (literally) Ragnar Trail s Packing List - What to bring and some lessons learned TEAM CAPTAIN LAST MINUTE TO DOs In addition to the thousand things a team captain has to do to get your team ready to rock, here are some things the Team Captain should do THIS WEEK that will help expedite your check-in process on race day:

3 o Know your team name and team number o Finalize Your Roster (AVOID LATE FEES) - Make sure that ALL runners are added to the team prior to the Online Runner Invite Deadline this Sunday by midnight. The team captain can take care of this via your team page. Any runners that need to be added after Sunday can be added on race day, BUT will need to pay a $20 late runner addition fee per runner at the HQ Tent upon check-in. o Minor Waivers - Minors need to print out and bring a waiver signed by a parent or legal guardian. A copy of the waiver can be found on the last page of the Trail Guide o Verify Team Division and Classification - Be sure you check the division/classification requirements and that you are in the correct division/classification. If you need to change your division/classification please log in and edit your team profile before the deadline (typically 5 days prior to the race). o Volunteers - If you have not done so already, please sign up for a volunteer shift or pay for a volunteer shift by Sunday night at midnight. The team captain can take care of this via the team page. You can sign up on race day but the shifts left to choose from are pretty limited. Regular teams who do not provide a volunteer will be disqualified. Ultra teams are not required to fill a volunteer shift. ARRIVAL Before I forget. There is NO GROCERY STORE at Crystal Mountain Resort. The closest store of any size is in Enumclaw about a 30-minute drive. So you want to be sure to stock up on all of your goodies before you leave Enumclaw. ARRIVAL TIMES Teams will be allowed to enter Lot B at Crystal Mountain Resort parking lot at 4:00 PM on Thursday afternoon. Please do not arrive before this time, as there is no place to wait until we open at 4:00 PM. Cars will be allowed to proceed to Gear Drop starting at 4:30PM. Parking and Gear Drop will remain open until 11:00PM on Thursday and will re-open at 7:00AM on Friday morning. Parking lots and Gear Drop will be closed overnight. If you cannot get to Crystal Mountain by 11:00PM on Thursday, please plan to arrive on Friday morning. Parking NOTE THAT THERE IS NO RAGNAR PARKING IN LOT A at Crystal Mountain Resort (that is the lot closest to the base area) When you arrive, you will be directed into Lot B where you will que up to go to gear drop. The folks who oversee the parking will be charging $10 per car if you come in on Thursday night. (cash only please)

4 We will be sending each Team Captain a Parking Pass with your team name and number on it. Please print these out and have them displayed on the dash of every car you bring to the race. We ask that you carpool as much as possible and try to bring only two vehicles per team to the race. We understand that there are sometimes circumstances where you have to bring more than two, but please try to do what you can. Only cars with Team Parking Passes and Numbers and times written on their windshields by Ragnar Staff will be allowed to go to Gear Drop. Please park in Lot B only. No parking in Lot A or along roads or in front of lodges unless you are staying at the lodge and have a parking pass from them. Camping/Check-In/Thursday Night Fun Check-in will open on Thursday night from 5:00PM 10:00PM and re-open at 7:00AM on Friday. If you don t have time to check-in Thursday night, no worries, as check-in will flow smoothly until the last team starts on Friday during the day. Before you are allowed to check-in, your whole team must watch a 12-minute safety video. After your whole team watches the safety video, only one member of your Team will go to HQ to pick up your Team Bib, Friday Night Meal Tickets, Shirt Tickets, and other goodies. Volunteers and staff will guide you through this process in the Village. CAMPSITE SELECTION - Runners will be allowed to camp at the venue on Thursday and Friday nights. You will be free to choose your own campsite in either the Village Camp or the Meadows Camp Camping is tight at Tahoe so please keep your team's footprint within a 300-square foot space. There are areas at the venue that are closer to the action and some that are tucked away nice and quiet. Ask the volunteers for recommendations. Awards will be given for the best decorated team campsite and almost anything goes so be creative but please also try to be sustainable. PLEASE NOTE: There is no camping allowed on Saturday night at the venue. What to bring - Many runners ask what to bring and how much to bring. Whatever can fit in your 17x17 campsite. Small camping sized propane stoves or lanterns are allowed. Please know and remember that this is a cupless race. There will be plenty to drink, so please bring your Hot and cold beverage cups.! Check out our suggested packing list in the Updates section on our website. Thursday Night Medical Issues o If there is a major medical issue overnight on Thursday, First Call 911. Then go see the security guard in the main village area. He will alert me and my staff and we will do what we can to insure you get the care you need. THE NO RULES FIRE - Team campfires are NOT allowed in the Village campsites during the race at any time. There will be propane fires in the village for warming and roasting s mores for roasting on Friday and Saturday nights. You can bring a

5 propane stove for cooking/coffee making at your own campsite but NO OPEN CAMPFIRES OR FLAMES PLEASE. NO GENERATORS - Generators are not allowed at team campsites. Solar powered cell charging stations will be available in the village. NO DOGS - No dogs on the course. No dogs in the campsite. No dogs at the event. We love dogs too but this is a safety issue for participants and for the dogs. Only certified service dogs with papers are allowed. NO DRONES - No unauthorized drone use during the event SAFETY VIDEO Team Captains and their teammates will be directed to the safety video tent before they are able to check in. You will get information about the race, transition procedure, course, signage, safety, and rules. If a teammate is arriving after the last showing of the safety video. Please notify us and we will be sure they receive a safety briefing by one of our staff. RACE CHECK-IN Race check-in will begin onsite at the HQ Tent on Thursday afternoon at 5:00pm To help avoid long lines and crowding on Friday morning, please check in no earlier than two hours before your official start time. Please do not try to check in early. Late Runner Additions - Any runners added on race day will need to pay a $20 late runner addition fee at the HQ Tent upon check-in. Waivers - All runners that joined the team online automatically signed a waiver. Any runners who were not added to the team roster online will need to pay a $20 late runner addition fee and sign a waiver at the HQ tent upon checkin. Minors need to bring a waiver signed by a parent of legal guardian. A copy of the waiver can be found on the last page of the Trail Guide. Team Division and Classification - The team captain will be asked to confirm the team's division and classification, after this point, not changes to division or classification will be allowed. Volunteer Shift - We will confirm the time of your volunteer shift. You may change the shift, sign up for a shift, or pay for a shift at this time if you have not done so already (more info below). Shirt Tickets and Meal Tickets - The team captain will receive shirt tickets and meal tickets based upon how many runners are on the roster. IE - If there are 6 runners on your team's roster, the team will receive 6 shirt tickets and 6 meal tickets. Goodies - The team captain will receive the team bib, the team race belt, Ragnar temporary tattoos for everyone on the team, Ragnar decals for everyone on the team, and some other great goodies. VOLUNTEERS Regular Team Volunteers - Each regular team is required to fill one volunteer shift. Volunteer shifts will be 3 hours in length, so runners will be able to fulfill a

6 volunteer shift in between running their loops, if they so desire. Teams can also have a non-runner volunteer for their team. Failure to fulfill volunteer requirements will result in disqualification. Ultra Team Volunteers - Ultra teams are not required to provide a volunteer. Registered Volunteer is Different than Actual Volunteer - You can t split up a volunteer shift with multiple volunteers. However, the person who signed up for the shift does not have to be the one to volunteer. Anyone can volunteer for your team. They just have to show up at the correct TIME for the correct SHIFT. If you have a late addition volunteer and they are not a member of your team (friend, family member) just be sure they sign a waiver before their shift. Waivers are available on the last page of the trail guide and volunteer packet or at race check-in. Pay for Volunteer Teams also have the option of paying $120 for Ragnar to recruit volunteers along the course. Ragnar s partner charity/charities will receive a donation when they provide a volunteer for your team. If your team misses the deadline and needs to sign up for a volunteer shift or pay for a volunteer shift, your team captain can take care of it at race check-in. If you still have open volunteer shifts at the time of the trail talk remind teams there are open shifts and they can sign up online until Sunday EOD. Volunteer Check-in - To check-in for your shift please show up 10 minutes early to the orange HQ tent. Thank the Volunteers - Please give a quick thanks to the volunteers when you see them. VILLAGE The village is the cental hub for the race. Ragnar Village is the heart and soul of the Ragnar Trail Relay. Each trail loop begins and ends in the Ragnar Village. It is the start line, the finish line, and the exchange point. After each loop you will return to the support of your teammates and the adulation of the teams around you. It will be filled with sponsors, vendors, food, beer, music, movies, bonfire, silly games and all sorts of entertainment. FOOD!!! Crystal Mountain Resort will be offering Breakfast, Lunch and Dinner for our participants and have come up with some amazing chow for race weekend. On Thursday night, the Bullwheel Bar will be open from 5pm to 10pm and the Fireside Café will be open 5pm to 11pm. We will of course have the FREE Friday night dinner for runners and there are menus posted on the Updates section of our website for all of your other meals. Oh, and they will be selling beer too. S MORES - REI will be helping with S Mores that will be provided FREE on Thursday and Friday night while supplies last. WATER - Potable water will be available onsite but we highly encourage teams to bring their own water in reusable containers. Please do not bring single use water bottles if you can help it.

7 Medic Tent - We will have medical staff on hand. A Medic Tent will be located in the Village and will be open and available at all hours during the race. In the event of a major emergency please call 911, go to the medic tent, and notify the nearest race official. In order to provide the best care possible, our medics are there to focus on medical issues; they are not there to treat minor first aid issues. Teams are strongly encouraged to bring first aid kits and treat their own minor first aid issues. HOW IT WORKS/Transition Tent Green/Yellow/Red Loops on the course. Order of loops. One at a Time - Only one runner from your team is running out on the course at a time. Runner Rotation - Runners must run in the same sequence for each segment of the race, every eighth loop. For example, if a runner runs loop 3, the runner must also run loop 11 and loop 19. Ultra teams can switch runners every loop or run two loops in a row. First Runner - Just before your teams designated start time, your first runner will line up in the starting corral. ALL FIRST RUNNERS SHOULD HAVE ON A GREEN SLAP BRACELET. We will give a countdown and then your race begins. When the 1st runner finishes the 1st loop (Green) they will pass under the arch and into the transition tent. Second Runner - The 2nd runner will be waiting for the hand off in the transition tent. When the 1st runner finishes running they will meet the 2nd runner, and hand off the race belt/bib. The Transition volunteers will take the slap bracelet from the runner that just finished and give a new slap bracelet (YELLOW) to the runner about to start. Third Runner - Note there was a change made to our loop colors about three weeks ago. If you haven t seen the new maps, the course is the same but the colors were changed to reflect a transition at the top of the Gondola. So what is going to happen at Rainier will be very different from any other race we have done. When your Yellow Runner hits about Mile 3 on the Yellow Course, they will trigger a signal to the Village Transition area that will send your Red Runner to the Gondola. They will take a 12-minute ride to the top and meet your Yellow Runner up there for a race bib handoff. Your Yellow Runner will then take the Gondola back down to the base while your Red Runner is running their loop. Team Bib Each team will receive a race belt with a bib. On the back of the bib is your team s timing chip. Be extremely careful with the bib and this chip. Damaging the chip will cause issues with your team s results and the timing

8 system. In order for the timing system to work effectively, the runner MUST wear the bib facing FORWARD, wear the bib OVER all clothes, DO NOT place your bib in a pocket, DO NOT crumple the bib, and DO NOT remove the bib before you finish your loop in the transition tent. o Also on the back of your bib is a place for medical information. Please fill this out if anyone on your team has a medical issue that we and our medics need to be aware of. Please include a description of that runner(s). Timing - Loop times start as soon as the last runner passes through the arch or into the Gondola Transition Station. If your next runner is sleeping and is delayed in getting started on their loop, the clock is already running. Next Runner Not at the Transition - If you finish your loop and your next runner isn t in the transition area leave your racebelt with the Transition Manager while you go find your runner. They will have it waiting for your next runner when they show up. Runner Off Course - If your runner is taking longer than expected, give it some time. Trail running is harder than road running. They may have tweaked an ankle. They may be enjoying the sights of nature. If they have been out on the course twice as long as you would expect them, please go to the Transition Tent and ask for the Transition Manager. WATER STATIONS A water station will be available in the Village, and on the Yellow and Red loops. These water stations will be CUPLESS. Bring your own cup/container/bladder/bottle. Pacing - Runners may run with ONE pacer at any time (humans only, sorry no dog or bike pacers). Pacer and runner should run single file when passing another runner or being passed. Running at Night - You don t need all of the safety gear like running at night on the road but you will need a headlamp. A good one, and check the batteries. We recommend 70 lumens at the least. Carry a Phone -If you feel more comfortable carrying a phone when you run, we encourage this practice. Make sure that you have the phone number for one of your teammates so you can call them if you come across an extremely beautiful vista. (maybe change this??) Personal Music Devices & Headphones o The use of personal music devices with headphones while running is strongly discouraged. Trail running requires that all runners be alert and aware of their surroundings at all times. Wearing personal music devices causes distractions and the inability to hear what is going on around the runner. If you still choose to use them, you do so at your own risk and must meet the following requirements: 1. Be aware of the sounds around you. 2. Be able to hear instructions from course officials when speaking at a reasonable tone (not yelling). 3. Be able to hear on your left. Listen for other runners trying to pass you.

9 o Safe Use Tactics When running you should be able to hear you own footsteps, if you can t your volume is too high. Run with one earphone out and one in, again you should be able to hear your own footsteps. Wild Animals The solitary nature of trail running can be exhilarating but trying to be as quiet as possible is not always a good strategy in the backcountry. Startling wildlife can cause a dangerous situation. Making noise while you are running will help alert wildlife of your presence and keep you safe. If you do see a wild animal, common practice is to make noise and to keep your distance. Remember that the animal is often more frightened of you than the other way around. Keep calm and you can stay safe. In Case of Injury / Emergency - If you are injured while running out on the course, NEVER cut across country as a shortcut back to the Village. Continue to follow the trail markings to the Village or go backwards along the course to get back to the Village. If you can t walk, just sit down along the trail. We will get someone out to help you. If you see an injured runner out on the course please report it when you arrive back at the village. Or if you have a phone, call a team member so they can relay the message quicker. Get ALL the info you can! Location, type of injury, Gender, hair color, team name and number, what they are wearing, etc. Injured Runners During Race - In the event of an injury, any of the remaining runners can replace the injured runner s loops. A 9th member is not allowed to join the team in order to run the remaining loops. Once a runner drops out of the race, he or she cannot enter back into the race. If an IV is administered, the injured runner is no longer eligible to run. CANCELLATION/HOLD Weather happens and we might have to shorten the event, hold teams until the weather improves, or cancel the event. Trail Signage Our signage consists of 5.5 x5.5 ground staked arrow signs. The arrows are highly reflective. The background color of the sign will correspond to the loop. Green Circle = Green Loop. Yellow Square = Yellow Loop. Red Diamond = Red Loop. There will also be a small LED light on many signs that will also correspond to the loop color. Please DO NOT alter any of the trail signage. The only way to get off course is if you zone out and stop paying attention to the signage. Just relax, run, and follow the arrows. There will be volunteers out on the course to help guide runners at difficult intersections.

10 COURSE RULES/ Out on the trail Many of these rules follow the principles of LEAVE NO TRACE. You should know and practice these principles outside of the race, whenever you are on the trails. Take Nothing - Take nothing but photos. Leave Nothing - No littering. Leave nothing but footprints. Stay on the Trail - Run only on designated trail surfaces. Cutting switchbacks or running next to the trail increases our footprint. When multiple trails exist, run on the one that is the most worn. No cutting the course. Call out on your left when trying to overtake another runner and allow other runners to pass you. Run Over Obstacles - Run single file in the middle of a trail, even when muddy. Go through puddles and not around them. Running around mud, rocks, or downed tree limbs widens trails. This course is mostly... AWARDS Awards will be given to the top 3 finishing teams from each category within each division. There will also be an award for favorite team name, best campsite, best costumes, overall favorite team and Instagram contest (details on website). Preliminary results will be posted to the website by Tuesday after the race. Teams have a few days to review the results and requests any questions/clarifications. Final results will be posted to the website Friday after the race. Awards will be sent out after results are made final. Thank you! Thank you for running with us! Thank you for watching this video. Come find us at the race. We love meeting our awesome Ragnar Trail Runners! Chat Q&A Q: Is there a wifi network available? A: Sorry but there is no pubic wifi network available. Q: What about portable charcoal BBQ's? Are they allowed? A: No, propane stoves only Q: Where can we find available volunteer shifts and sign up? A: You can sign up for a volunteer shift via your team captains page. Online deadline is this Sunday. If you miss the deadline you can sign up for a volunteer shift on race day.