Terms, Conditions and Rules

We ask that those entering Race To The Castle (R2TC) have read, understood and agree to the following:

1. Event open to paddlers 18yrs old and over.

2.A. All paddlers must register for the event attend the safety briefing for their wave on the day of the event.

2.B All paddlers must have familiarised themself with the published route, points and hazards ahead of event day.

3.A. You have the necessary experience, skill and stamina to take part in the event

3.B. You have the ability to paddle unaided for 40km in a varied (possibly choppy) conditions.

3.C. You have experience paddling on a river.

4. You have understood the pacing, timings and cut off times for your specific category.

5. You understand and acknowledge that SUP can be potentially dangerous and that there are inherent risks, which may result in serious injury to yourself. You also understand that water and general weather can act in a sudden, unpredictable and changeable way. You declare that you can confidently swim a minimum of 100 meters unaided in a PFD and can self rescue and have the ability to repeatedly remount your SUP Board without external assistance as a result from a fall.

6. You agree to carrying the following Mandatory Kit

Mandatory Kit List

This will be checked on registration, Gunthorpe Check Point and at the end (not because we are dictators and rules for rules sake….but because if sh*t goes down, we want you to have access to some basic stuff that will help you). You can of course add more items, that suits your needs and strategy.

6.A. Emergency Kit

The following 4 items below MUST be carried on your person, in your PFD pocket or bum bag.

* Fully charged mobile phone, with access to the internet and in a dry bag. You will have the Race Director, Deputy and Head of Participants Welfare telephone number pre programmed in your phone. You will have joined the event day WhatsApp group and have notifications on loud. This information will also be on a sticker that you have attached to your board. Your event tracker is via the webscorer app that you will have downloaded, opted in on that will be running in the background on your phone.

* Foil Blanket - The Marathon style one. (Something like this)

* Sugary snack & spare hydration.

* Cash / Bank card.

6.B. Equipment

* Inflatable Board Only, fin, paddle, leash, personal flotation device (PFD). Your PFD must be body worn at all times when on the water. Inflatable waist PFDs are not permitted.

6.C. Clothing

* Suitable clothing that is reactive to the weather.

* Footwear must be worn at the locks. No barefoot portaging/walking.

* Consider sun protection, rain, cold temperature.

* Full change of clothing available at the end of the race. We will transport this for you.

* Access to change / spares during the event (spares on board?)

7. Hydration & Nutrition

7.A. Paddlers are required to begin the race carrying their own water. We highly recommend using a hydration bladder in your PFD or wear the rucksack type on top of your PFD rather than relying on a water bottle on your board. At all locks and at the finish there will be access to free drinking water and snacks to help re-supply paddlers with water.

We ask you to consider and plan your fuel needs ahead of event day. Our coaches will be providing a free online zoom training session mid March to support you in your fuel needs.

7.B. Agree not to drink/have drunk alcohol or to take/have taken prohibited drugs before or during this event.

7.C. For the safety of all participants there will be a mandatory 10min break for all racers at Gunthorpe Lock. You’ll arrive at this checkpoint/cut off point and then your 10min will begin. Here, our team of volunteers and first aid support will welfare check you and get you ready for your next stage. You can of course have a longer break, but you need to manage your timings to meet the next cut off check point.

8. Communication on event day

You will have preprogrammed the Race Directors & Head of Participant Welfare contact details into your phone and have their numbers on a sticker attached to your board. There will also be an event day WhatsApp group that all communication will be shared in. Your event tracker is via the webscorer app that you will have downloaded, opted in on that will be running in the background on your phone.

9. Retirement from the event

9.A. I have had fun day, but I want to retire from the race

Our aim is to see and cheer you all in at The Castle in Newark, but we aren’t the boss of you. If on event day you decide you have had enough fun and you want to retire from the race early, that is Aokay. Gunthopre Lock Check Point (16.4km) is the easiest and preferred place for you to retire from.

Here you must phone and inform the Head of Participant Welfare and inform them of your retirement. This number will be stored in your mobile phone. Once contacted, feel free to make your way to the castle or back to Nottingham for the celebrations. If you are concerned about not making these cut-off please have your own transportation organised. The race will not provide shuttles from these points. If you leave the course and fail to notify event officials, you will not be permitted to enter the race in the future.

9.B. Cut Off Times & Welfare Checks.

These are designed to keep you paddling at a pace and to ensure everyone participating has the skills, stamina and strength to complete the event. For your safety and your wellbeing if you are unable to meet the required cut off times you will be asked to retire from the event, return your bib and disable your tracker. Additional to this, if our professional first aid team at Gunthorpe have concerns over your health and well-being, they too will ask you to retire from the event. If you are concerned about not making these cut-off please have your own transportation organised. The race will not provide shuttles from these points.

Our safety team has the full authority to revoke the option to continue paddling past the checkpoints, and they can insist that a paddler retires from the event if they deem the paddler unfit to continue. This may be due to extreme fatigue, poor nutrition, injury etc. If the paddler does not appear coherent/appears confused/losing coordination/motor skills/etc., our team has the authority to insist the paddler stop paddling. Please accept this with grace. These cut-off times are for your safety. 

10. Drafting

10.A Race Fleet. From the start line at The Suspension Bridge to Newark Castle Lock, this section is OPEN DRAFT. “If you can catch it, you can have it” this means you can draft any board, any class, any sex. Except for those paddlers in the Adventure Fleet who have opted out. This paddler will be identifiable by a No Draft Sticker attached to the back of their board. The last section. “The Royal Finish” is a NO DRAFT ZONE.

10.B Adventure Fleet. You have the option, you can opt in to drafting, or opt out of drafting. This will be identified with a sticker on the back of your board. If you opt in, same rules apply as race fleet. If you opt out. No paddler will draft you and you will not draft other paddlers.

10.C The Royal Finish, once you have reached the Newark Town Lock. This last section no drafting is permitted.

10.D Time penalties will given for breaches of draft rules.

11. Paddler etiquette

We ask the R2TC24 community to be respectful and supportive of all paddlers. Any paddler found to have behaving with poor etiquette, unsafe and in an unsporting way, will be disqualified.  See below for definitions. Race Director Decision will be final.

11.A If you see a paddler in distress, you must stop and offer support. We will make any necessary time adjustments.

11.B At the locks. The wave start time will help ease congestion at the locks, but we do ask of the support of the R2TC Community of paddlers to ensure the smooth and respectful exit & re - entries onto the River. If there is a queue at the locks, this means no shoving, clambering, jumping the queue. You must wait your turn. Use these known points in your event strategy, take a rest, stretch, take something to eat. If there is a queue at the locks.

11.C A reminder that we will be sharing the waterway and tow path at the start, finish and locks with members of the public and to follow all event directional signage. All portages will be keep right on the tow path and no running with boards at the locks. This will allow a safe shared space.

11.D All paddlers must portage all locks. Going through the locks is not permitted.

11.E. Further unsporting / unsafe behaviour is defined as:

• Using the board, paddle or body in order to block a fellow paddler from forward progress, turning, drafting, starting or finishing.

• Purposely impeding the ability of a fellow paddler to paddle, turn, dismount, start or finish.

• Behaving in an excessively aggressive way through conduct or speech towards the event officials, other paddlers, spectators and the general public,

• Repeated contact with another paddlers boards (particularly from behind whilst drafting).

• Not adhering to the “opt out” drafting with the adventure fleet.

  
  12. Photography

You authorise the event and any third party acting on its behalf to take photographs & video during the event and that these may be used for any future advertising or marketing purposes.

13. Insurance

13.A Race to the castle is a fully insured and permitted event. Whilst the organisers take all necessary precautions to ensure the safety of all participants in the activity, unfortunately accidents can occur. Each participant should familiarise themselves with the hazards and try to minimise these by complying with the Organisers risk management guidelines outlined in these terms and conditions. The Organisers accept no responsibility whatsoever for any loss or injury resulting from any person’s accidents or injury caused by such accidents. Furthermore it is understood and agreed that individuals participate at their own risk and take responsibility for any third party liability insurance should they wish to have it for their own equipment.

13.B You hold a current license for your board. Click here for details.

14. Refund Policy

We appreciate that circumstances can change after paddlers have registered, we have the following refund policy to support you. If you cancel:

Before 27th March 2024: Full refund OR transfer of place to the following year.

After 27th March 2024: No refund.

Requests must be submitted via email to racetothecastle@supfitness.co.uk. All refunds may be subject t administration and booking fee charges.

15. Event Organisers Cancel

In the unlikely event that we need to cancel the event:

Before 27th March 2024: If the event organisers have to cancel the event, refunds will be discretionary once expenses already incurred have been paid.  

After 27th March 2024: In the event the race is cancelled due to extreme weather, fire, or for some other unforeseeable event outside of our control, we cannot offer refunds.