Event Rules

It is the participant’s responsibility to understand and follow these rules:

Universal

• Participants must follow the >> universal event rules << applicable to all events organised by Ourea Events.

General

• Race numbers: Participants must display one race number (supplied at registration) on their front at all times and a second race number (supplied at registration) must be attached to their rucksack. Race numbers can be obscured by waterproof clothing only. Race numbers must not be folded to obscure any logos or information.

• Route safety: In some sections a mandatory route is prescribed, but we understand that sometimes the safest course of action might be to deviate slightly, such as at a river crossing. Please prioritise safety and then return to the route as soon as safely possible.

• SOS button: The SOS button on participants’ GPS trackers is for true emergencies only (e.g. a life or limb threatening incident) - if it is pressed in order to alert us to a participant's condition, then it will be assumed that the participant in question will not be able to continue with the event.

• Start times: We reserve the right to mandate start times for any/all runners each day.

• Guidance times & cut-offs: We reserve the right to enforce guidance times as cut-off times at our discretion.

• Race briefing: The briefing given on the evening of registration day before the race starts is compulsory - a register will be taken and any participant not in attendance will not be allowed to start.

• Headphones: Participants must NOT wear headphones or listen to music on any road sections/crossings along the route.

• Food: It is absolutely prohibited for participants to take extra food from the catering tent to supplement their food supplies while out on the course between overnight camps and this will be checked as part of random kit checks.

• Trekking Poles: Participants may use trekking/hiking poles EXCEPT on the scrambling sections on Tryfan and on Crib Goch. Poles must be stowed neatly whenever not in use. When using poles, there should be strong regard for the safety and easy passage of others. This rule will be strictly enforced.

• Healthcare professionals: The event medics must maintain oversight of the health and wellbeing of everyone on the event and keep accurate records of all medical treatments. Therefore, unless it is an emergency situation, any healthcare professional alien to the event’s medical team that provides prescription-only medication (or any other significant medical intervention) to another participant will be disqualified from the event. The participant receiving the medication is also likely to be penalised for having accessed a service which is not available to all participants equally.

• Age: You must be over 20 to enter the Dragon’s Back Race®. Note: U21s should expect their experience to be vetted by the race director.

Dry bag rules

• Dry bag size and weight: Participants must observe the requirement to use the mandated Ortlieb dry bags, and ensure they do not exceed their maximum weights, throughout the event.

• Dry bag identification: ID stickers/tags, provided at registration, must be attached to participants' dry bags for the duration of the event. Any other stickers that may cause confusion must be removed from each dry bag.

• Dry bag handling: Participants must never move or collect other participants' dry bags as this is an important visual safety check that everyone is accounted for at the end of each day.

• Dry bag contents: No glass bottles or breakables are permitted in dry bags.

• Return of your Dry Bag: We will only release a participant's dry bag to that specific participant at the Overnight Camp or Finish. Friends or family cannot collect participants' Dry Bags without the participant present.

Tent Rules

• Under no circumstances may any naked flames or heat sources of any kind be present in the tents - cooking is strictly prohibited.

• Participants must remove footwear before entering a tent.

• Participants must not swap tents without authorisation from the relevant event staff.

• Wet and muddy clothing must remain in the central communal area and must not go into the ‘dry’ sleeping bays.

• To prevent the tents filling with midges or water (from unexpected rainfall), tent doors and nets must be kept closed when not being accessed.

External Assistance Rules

• Participants may only sleep in their designated tent.

• Participants may take advantage of certain facilities that are available to all participants – this means that you may make purchases from shops, hotels, pubs, bars, cafés (where they might occur on the route, and are open). The exception is that you may not purchase or negotiate for showers / cleaning / laundry at any facility.

• Participants may not access any services that are not commercially available to all i.e. you cannot take any support from supporters, public, and stores by friendship, arrangement, bartering or coercion!

• Participants may not leave (or arrange to have left for them) equipment or food along the route.