Our health and safety auditor wants to make sure that as adventure racers signed up to our event, you know what you’re getting into. We’ve assured him that you do, but he’s suggested that, just to be sure, we let you in on the introduction to our Health and Safety plan. We’re not ones to question the wisdom of auditors, so here you go–

 

The MAGNIFicent is an Expedition Adventure Racing involving teams of 4 travelling together via foot, mountain bike, and boats (kayaks or packrafts primarily) on an unmarked course, often in remote and challenging terrain. The risks associated with such travel are one of the big draws of the sport, which demands teamwork and sound decision making in the face of significant uncertainty. Teams will often take 4 or more days to complete a course, choosing when they sleep and pushing forward along the course through most weather. 

 

Because there is no marked course (teams are allowed to choose their own routes between checkpoints), the event is spread over hundreds of kilometers and spans up to a week (or more) in duration, and by design it tackles challenging and remote terrain; the primary emphasis in creating as safe an event as possible (given the event aims as stated above) involves four key categories: Participant Responsibility, Mandatory Gear, 2 way communications, and emergency response protocols. 

 

‘Adventure Racing Risks’ include the assumed risks inherent to the sport described above. A partial  list of these risks includes: negotiating challenging terrain (potentially during periods of challenging conditions including extreme heat, cold or weather events), river crossings, open water paddling, whitewater paddling, bluffs/cliffs, high speed descents on mountain bikes over potentially difficult terrain, getting lost, extreme exhaustion and/or sleep deprivation and the potential associated reduction in cognitive function, poor hydration and/or nutrition, waterborne illness, general overuse degradation (blisters, trench foot, tendonitis), and/or acute injuries.

 

Hopefully none of that came as a surprise. If it did, well, now you’ve got time to find a replacement!