Self Supported Race Rules

The self-supported racing genre is predicated on personal responsibility and integrity with an overriding principle to do it all yourself and an equal opportunity for all.  This means that by taking the start you personally acknowledge responsibility for (but not limited to) your own safety, rescue in the event it is required, understanding and following local/regional laws, mechanicals, navigation & geographical orientation, food, water, shelter, and any other needs.  Prepare as though you will not see another human and have a backup/rescue plan in place.   You understand the rules and what it will take to follow them, but in the event you are unable to finish within them have the integrity to own it.

The Dixie 311, Dixie Lite, Trans Utah, and Paunsaugunt Enduro are all self-supported events much like the Colorado Trail Race, Arizona Trail and the Grand Loop. All that is provided is a route, suggested start time, and a challenge. You supply everything else.

You can ride it with the group on the race start, ride it as an individual time trial, or simply use the GPX routes as a basis for exploration in any way you see fit. For inclusion in the results you must follow the race rules. ITT and race results will be separately listed.

 

 

Points of clarification

On route compliance - these routes/events differ from the more established routes in that it is an assembled collection of trails rather than a single through route established and maintained by an organization. The routes are more than 1 or 2 people can realistically keep tabs on. So - if you find yourself in a situation where the GPX track seems wrong, or is leading you into private land marked keep out, or anything else that makes you question the validity of the route, short route deviations may be necessary. Something probably changed on the route since it was initially mapped, in any case there is some wiggle room here.

Teams - riders within a team can help each other in any way, including sharing of gear, planning prior to and during the event, drafting, push/pull/, etc. Self-supported rules still apply to the team as a unit, e.g. no pre-arranged support, water caches, p.o. drops.

Teams must declare their intent to ride as a team prior to the start.

There may be one or more sections where hitting checkpoints is the only requirement (you get to determine the route between them). They will be spelled out on an event by event basis.

If you leave the route for any reason you must re-enter the route exactly where you left it, or earlier (with the obvious exception of the previous 2 route clarification points).

On pre-arranged support - PO drops are not allowed.

Device use: none required, none banned. However, it is STRONGLY suggested you use a GPS. These routes are generally impossible to follow without one (see route clarification above). Racing with either a GPS or SPOT is now common for this genre. Use either a GPS, SPOT, or both if a route record is what you seek. Nothing speaks louder than data should your ride come into question.

On racer interactions - anything *spontaneous* is ok, ie no pre-planned sharing of anything is allowed. Incidental sharing of supplies, moral support, and drafting are all allowed (neither encouraged nor discouraged). We can be both conciencious self-supported racers and good neighbors all at once.

On relegations - this is STRICTLY up to the individual rider. These are self-supported and self-regulated events. If you are happy with your ride and way in which you completed it, I am happy to list your finish in the results.

That should cover it. Thanks to everyone that participated in the rules thread over the winter. It was a difficult process but really forced me to consider from several angles what consitutes a solid set of rules for self-supported events.