Regulations

Article 1. The Organizer

VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON is a sporting event organized by VOLCANO EXTREME SPORTS, LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, set up in accordance with the Spanish legislation.

Article 2. Concept

The VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON events are races on foot and free of pace, with a distance of 250 km divided in 7 days, 6 stages, multi-stage discipline without assistance. Each competitor must carry a backpack containing the mandatory items, food and personal equipment. Participants must follow the route and complete it in the time set by the organizers. They will be provided with a road book, and the route will be marked.

Article 3. Program

VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON Costa Rica will be held FROM APRIL 1 TO 10, 2022, with the following itinerary:

  • DAY 1 – ARRIVAL IN SAN JOSÉ
  • DAY 2 – EQUIPMENT CHECK – CAMP TRANSFER
  • DAY 3 – STAGE 1
  • DAY 4 – STAGE 2
  • DAY 5 – STAGE 3
  • DAY 6 – STAGE 4 (ECO)
  • DAY 7 – STAGE 5
  • DAY 8 – STAGE 6 (QUEEN)
  • DAY 9 – TRANSFER AND CEREMONY
  • DAY 11 – AIRPORT TRANSFER

3.1. Program modification

VOLCANO EXTREME RACES reserves the right to modify the event’s terms and conditions, the race details, and the route (including the destination) in case of force majeure beyond our control or if deemed necessary for the safety of the group.

3.2. Stages and time limits

VOLCANO EXTREME RACES reserves the right to modify the race stages and cut-off times without prior notice in case of force majeure beyond our control or if deemed necessary for the safety of the group.

Article 4. Entry conditions for runners

VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON is open to anyone over 18 of any nationality who accepts the terms and conditions of the race. An official medical report and a ECG report at rest are mandatory and must be dated no more than 30 days prior to the race start date. Registration fees must be paid by the participant before the event.

Article 5. Check-in before the race

The administrative, technical and medical check-up will be done on day 2 according to the established planning. Participants must comply with all administrative and technical requirements (Art. 16 and 17). Any participant who does not meet all the required conditions can be excluded from the race without refund of the paid fees.

Article 6. Time limit and ranking per kilometer

The start for each stage will be in group. Participants must start at the time indicated by the organization. The time limit per stage is 10 hours, and 20 hours for the long stage. During this stage, CP4 (approximately km 60) will close 20 hours after the start. Anyone who has not crossed checkpoint 4 within 20 hours will be disqualified. An official timekeeper will record the daily order of arrival of each athlete. If a participant is over the time limit or stops running at a checkpoint during the Queen Stage, he/she will be automatically disqualified.

Article 7: Course marking and road book

Participants must follow the route marked by the organization; if they do not, they can incur sanctions of varying severity depending on the stage. The route will be marked approximately every 500 meters. There are several natural milestones that will serve as additional benchmarks. The road book will be explained and detailed in the technical talk before the event, and the race will be marked days before the start and in the hours before the start of each stage. You will be penalized if you don’t have your road book during the race.

Article 8: Checkpoints & Bivouac

The checkpoints are at regular intervals (approximately 12 km) at each stage of the race. There are between 2 and 8 checkpoints, depending on the stage distance. Competitors must pass through checkpoints, otherwise penalties will apply. Water distribution points at both the start and finish lines of each stage are mandatory checkpoints. Checkpoints will allow race staff to record times and distribute water, besides medical assistance. Camps will be set up every night, where participants will sleep in tents and will have water for showering in some of them, previously specified.

Article 9: Water Provision

The organization is responsible for supplying water to each competitor. Each participant must manage their own daily water intake based on the established water distribution times and locations. Water will not be supplied at any other time.

Marathon stage: 10 liters on average per person/day

  • 2 liters before starting
  • 6 liters during the race
  • 2 liters after finishing

Uninterrupted stage: 18 liters on average per person/day

  • 2 liters before starting
  • 14 liters during the race
  • 2 liters after finishing

Article 10: Penalties And Disqualification

Penalty reasons – Disqualification:

  • A document is missing in the administrative checks before the event
  • Use of a transport during the competition
  • Do not respect the organizer’s safety instructions
  • Behavior judged by the organization as disrespectful and/or dangerous for the group or the environment.

Penalty reasons – Maximum penalty of 3 hours:

  • Do not respect the weight of the backpack (minimum 6kg/maximum 15kg)
  • Lack of mandatory items
  • Do not carry the road book or itinerary map

Penalty reasons – Maximum penalty of 2 hours:

  • Do not follow the marks 2 hours
  • Miss a checkpoint
  • Failure to respect the environment

Penalty reasons – Maximum penalty of 1 hour:

  • Do not respect the ID marks and/or their positioning (ID and/or patches)
  • Get extra food or water

Reasons for being in the ranking for partial drop out:

  • Exceeding the maximum time allowed in the stage
  • Exceeding time at a checkpoint (only in Queen Stage)
  • Competitor who received supervision, but with a positive medical validation to continue the competition

The maximum penalty will be applied in the event of serious noncompliance with any of the penalizable points. Race management may evaluate the reduction of the penalty from a minimum of 30 minutes to a maximum of 3 hours depending on the breach, kilometers, podium influences, or once the reasons for the noncompliance have been evaluated, it is decided to reduce the penalty for the failure in several points not related to the facts performed by the athlete.

Article 11: Withdrawal

In case a competitor withdraws from the race, they must inform a representative of the organization and give them their bib number. No competitor can withdraw from the race without informing the organization and signing an official withdrawal form as stipulated by VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON.

Several options are available for participants who wish to withdraw from the race:

  • In the case of a serious injury, repatriation can be organized immediately, with own or external means that the organization can manage.
  • A participant who is in an adequate physical condition but wishes to withdraw can choose to be taken to the hotel of reference, having signed an official form of VOLCANO ULTRAMARATHON. This option depends on the feasibility at that time. Accommodation and meals are at the competitor’s expense.
  • Withdraw from the race, but not from the event. The competitor can be transferred by the organization every morning from the starting point to the night camp, being able to volunteer and help the staff.
  • Withdraw from the stage. The competitor can be transferred to the next camp, being able to run the next day if the medical staff and the competitor himself deems it so. This will be penalized in the ranking with double the time of the last competitor to cross the finish line. It has a maximum of two dropouts, the third would result in elimination from the race.

If a competitor does not complete 70% of the race or the entire Stage Queen will not be a Volcano UltraMarathon finisher.

Article 12: Ranking

The time of each competitor is indicated in hours, minutes and seconds. Time ranking: the daily ranking of the race is calculated by adding the time that each competitor has taken to run that stage of the race, plus any applicable penalty. The general ranking is calculated by adding the times of each stage of the race.

Annex Teams Ranking

12.1 Teams consist of a minimum of three or more people of any gender. Each team must designate a team captain and a team name.

12.2 Any action against a competitor that is part of a team shall apply to the entire team.

12.3 Team members must never be out of sight of each other, or in other words, the distance between the first and last team member must be a maximum of 25 meters. Team members must go through the start line, all control points and the finish line together.

12.4 If a team member drops out or is disqualified and this leaves the rest of the team with less than three people, this will result in the disqualification of the rest of the team from the race Team Category.

12.5 If a team is disqualified, each remaining team member can still continue in the race in the Individual Category. If a team has more than three members, they can continue to compete in the Team Category as long as at least three of the original team members remain.

12.6 The organization of the race may impose a time penalty on any competitor if, in their sole discretion, they determine that an unfair advantage will be obtained if the team members continue competing individually.

Article 13: Rewards

Cash prizes:

MALE

  • Trophy + €1,500 + bib 2023*
  • Trophy + 50% bib 2023* VUM Extreme Races
  • Trophy + 30% bib 2023* VUM Extreme Races

FEMALE

  • Trophy + €1,500 + bib 2023*
  • Trophy + 50% bib 2023* VUM Extreme Races
  • Trophy + 30% bib 2023* VUM Extreme Races

TEAMS

  • Trophy + gift lot x3

*Winners in male and female category will get a bib for the next edition (flight not included).

Article 14: Medical Assistance

A medical team specialized in medical assistance in extreme sporting events will be present throughout the race and will have special assistance vehicles. They will ensure that participants do not suffer from physical or mental exhaustion. The medical team can stop a competitor from running and disqualify any participant who feels physically unable to continue the race or needs to receive vital medical attention.

Three types of medical assistance:

  • Race assistance.
  • Camp assistance.
  • Rescue and evacuation assistance during the race.

Article 15: Neutralization, Modification And Cancellation

The race can be stopped if the organization considers it necessary for safety reasons for competitors or staff, considering the total cancellation of the race or of the specific stage.

Cancellation for the reasons mentioned in Article 23 or the following not mentioned:

  • Health emergency
  • Border closure
  • Cancellation of massive flights
  • Pandemics

Article 16: Mandatory Items

The mandatory items and personal belongings of each participant (food, survival equipment, etc.) must weigh between 6 and 15kg. This maximum weight does not include your daily water supply.

Food: Each participant must supply and carry their own food for 7 days. Each competitor must have a minimum 2,000 kcal per day, that is, a minimum of 14,000 kcal, otherwise they will be penalized. Gas stoves are strictly prohibited (check mandatory items).

Article 17: Registration

The registration fee is 2,250 euros for international athletes.

Single payment rate:

  • INTERNATIONAL runners: €2,025 (10% discount on the registration fee)
  • Costa Rican runners: Check

Installment payments rate:

INTERNATIONAL rate

  • Payment 1 – €400
  • Payment 2 – €617
  • Payment 3 – €617
  • Payment 4 – €617

COSTA RICAN rate: Check

LATIN AMERICA rate: Check

Payment methods:

  • Credit card
  • Bank transfer (confirmed by bank transfer slip sent via email to info@volcanoultramarathon.com)

Article 18: Cancellation Policy

Without Cancellation Insurance:

  • Voluntary cancellations made up to 4 months before the event start date will incur a cost of €200.
  • Voluntary cancellations made up to 2 months before the start date will incur expenses of 50% of the amount paid so far for registration.

In no case will the registration fee be refunded after these dates, having the option of postponing the participation to another VOLCANO EXTREME SERIES event as long as the established obligations are met.

With Cancellation Insurance (to be purchased during the registration process):

  • It is possible to cancel the registration at any time with the right to receive 100% of the registration fee, except for the registration platform management fees.

Article 19: Insurance

International runners are required to provide an assistance and repatriation insurance, whereas local runners need a medical assistance insurance for sports events with a minimum duration of 7 days.

The insurance certificate must be provided for storage in the administrative file before departure. Each competitor is responsible for the complete knowledge of the risks that the course of this competition may cause them, and exempts the organization from any responsibility in case of accident or physical problems.

Article 20: Communication

The bib number must be placed according to the instructions of the organizers, and the names and logos of the official sponsors must not be hidden.

Article 21: Image Rights

Volcano UltraMarathon reserves all exclusive rights for photographic coverage of Volcano UltraMarathon. Participants must accept that Volcano UltraMarathon has exclusive use of their individual or collective images for everything directly or indirectly related to their participation in Volcano UltraMarathon.

Article 22: Disclaimer

Each runner will be informed of medical contraindications that may affect their participation in the race and, consequently, acquits the organization of the race (including medical and technical staff) of any responsibility for medical problems or injuries they may suffer during the event.

All athletes are required to sign the Disclaimer document to obtain their bib number.

Article 23: Cancellation of the event due to natural disaster or other extraordinary circumstances

You will participate in an extreme sporting event in an extreme environment, going through dormant volcanoes which can wake up without warning. Both the Volcano UltraMarathon management and the local CP will be in direct contact to solve any awakening of nature that is not in human hands to control, but to protect and evacuate their athletes. That is why VUM reserves the right to cancel the event for the safety of its participants when the security assessment team so requires, together with the decision of the local authorities.

Article 24: Ethics VolcanoUM

The world of extreme races brings together people who not only practice a sporting activity, but also believe and respect important values ​​that constitute the ethics of sport.

Respect for People

  • Respect themselves: no trickery, neither before nor during the race.
  • Respect other runners: help another runner in trouble.
  • Respect the volunteers: they also participate for pleasure.

Respect for Nature

  • Respect the fauna and flora not throwing any waste.
  • Follow the marked routes, without taking shortcuts, to avoid soil erosion.

Team spirit

  • Everyone, participants or volunteers, supports and does what is necessary to offer help in any situation.
  • Supporting a humanitarian purpose invites you to play down your own suffering.

A percentage of your entry will be used to support VolcanoGREEN.