Basic information

Name: Relay race 345 km „From Tatras to the Danube“ Jasná – Bratislava
Date: August 19. - 20. 2023
Start: Jasná, Demänovská dolina
Finish: Tyršovo nábrežie, Bratislava
Track length: 345 km
Track: 95% asphalt road, roads of 2nd and 3rd class 
Elevation: gain about 3 999 m / decline of about 4 870 m

Organizer: OZ Pohyb ako dar
Based on mandate granted by company Top Koncept s.r.o.
Overseeing director: Štefan Šogor
Production agency: Quinta Essentia, s.r.o.
Executive director: Miloš Zágoršek

Categories

A) ALL 9 and 12-member teams without age, performance or gender division

B) FEMALE 9 and 12-member teams without age of performance division

C) MIX 9 and 12-member teams without are or performance division (number of women must be the same or greater than number of men 

E) ULTRA 6-member teams without age, performance of gender division (ultramarathon)

Unofficial category:

S) SOLO one person team without age, performance or gender division

Race format

Tatras to Danube Race is a team competition. Race can be entered by teams with 6, 9 or 12 members represented by their captain. Captain is responsible for all members of their team. Track is comprised of 36 sections. Each section is a different length and difficulty. All sections span from 7 to 12 km. In case of a 12-member team, every member will run 3 sections. Some team members, who are part of smaller teams, will run 4 sections. Teams in the E) ULTRA category have 6 members, each of who will run 6 sections.

Relay race

Every team runs the entire track as a relay, so each section is run by one team member only. Runners will run in the order set at their registration. ULTRA teams´ runners can run 2 sections following each other. ULTRA teams must determine their members´ rotation before the race start and must follow through the entire race.

12-member teams work as follows: runner with number 1 runs sections 1, 13 , 25… after finishing each section, hands over the relay to the second team member, gets into their car, which is waiting for them and get to the place of another hand over., where the process is repeated with the third member of relay. After the 6th, 12th, 18th, 24th and 30th sections are followed by a so called big relay hand over, at which team cars number 1 and 2 will exchange. After the 6th section, the 7th team member, who is riding in the 2nd car, enters the race.

In case of smaller teams, this order of sections is different and the big hand overs take place after finishing different sections.

Every currently running team member is wearing a reflective bracelet, which is handed over with the relay. The relay bracelet must be visible at all times. The relay hand over is possible only in the marked area and with a representative of the organizer present.

It is not possible for one runner to run continuously several following sections, with the exception of teams in the E) ULTRA category (all team members run 2 sections at once). If the next runner is not waiting at the place of the hand over, the runner cannot continue the race, but must wait for the runner who is supposed to take over for them. The runner taking over can continue the race as soon as they arrive. If the runner, who is supposed to take over the relay, does not come at all, for example, the car gets lost or the place of the hand over is not found, the runner who ran the previous section can continue the relay after a 60 minute break. In this case, the runner must stay in the hand over area for 60 minutes and then start running the next section.

Race track

The track is comprised of 95% asphalt roads of 2nd and 3rd class. Because of runners´ security, running track bypasses the busy roads as much as possible. About 5% of the track is comprised of short sections of unpaved roads and sections of 1st class roads. Because traffic at such a large section of track cannot be stopped, the race is going to be run at full traffic! However, this doesn't mean you will have to worry over too many cars passing by.

The organizer thoroughly characterizes each section of the race – map of the section, picture of the hand over area, elevation profile of the track, word description and section´s difficulty. Each team captain picks up their package with all information in the print version of the HANDBOOK at the presentation. This handbook will also be available online after registration is closed. The organizer can provide team captains, who have paid the registration fees, with the handbook in pdf format in advance. However, this will not be the final version of the handbook. Its official version will be final on the day of the race. The organizer can make any changes necessary until the start of the race. Every team captain will be informed of any changes in print.

Navigation on track

Every team is responsible for their navigation on track. In order to successfully finish the race, it is imperative to thoroughly examine the track, it is difficult to navigate at some points. The organizer will secure appropriate signs and navigators at the problematic sections.

Every team is responsible for the runners to run down the correct race track set by the organizer. Vehicles can wait for the runners at problematic places and show them the way. If a runner goes off the track, they must go back to the place, where they made the wrong turn. Perfect knowledge of their intended sections and the entire track is indispensable for successful finishing of the race.

Team captain is responsible for the division of the sections between all team members. We recommend they test each member´s abilities to navigate on track. During the night, runners are required to wear a head light. It will make navigating easier and make them more visible on the road.

Team cars

Every relay team is transported throughout the entire race in their own vehicles. A team can use a maximum of 2 cars for the transport between the hand overs. We recommend 7 to 9-place vehicles to be used. Each team can decide to use only 1 vehicle for transport of all team members, but we do not recommend this option.

Teams will get labels for their cars, which have the permission to drive and pick up runners at the relay handover. Labels are not transferable. Only one of the labelled team cars will be permitted to enter the handover zone. With the exception of runners who are changing cars. In case of violation of this rule, the team can be disqualified.

Vehicles will drive down the track. Some sections of the track are impassable for cars. These sections will be marked in the track description along with instructions how to get around them. Entering these sections may cause disqualification of the team.

Safety

It is important to follow the rules of road traffic. That´s why runners must wear reflective waistcoats at reduced visibility and run with head lights and other various reflexive items. According to the law about roads, reflexive items are required at reduced visibility, but during the day these are not necessary to be worn. Moreover, at reduced visibility, all team members must wear reflective waistcoats in the handover areas as well as the roads.

Despite all the security precautions taking part in the race is linked with a certain risk, which each team member must be aware of. Every team member must sign a statement that they are entering the race on their own risk, a so called STATEMENT OF TEAM MEMBERS.

Starting numbers

Members of each team are given numbers from 1 to 12. There is the number of the team and the runner´s starting number, e.g. 001 01 to 001 12, on every starting number label. The starting number must be visibly pinned on the top layer of clothing during the section run.

Part of the start number is armband. Each runner must have this armband since its first run until the finish of the last team member to the very end of the race. Number on the armband and start competition number must be identical. The armband must be placed on the hand so it cannot be withdrawn (not too loose - free only for one finger).

There are telephone numbers of competition organizers on all of the starting number labels. You are obligated to call them if you see the race rules being broken, or if the sections of the track are marked incorrectly, or in case you get lost. These numbers are to be used also if a runner gets injured or in any other emergencies.

Emergencies and special situations

In case of a runner getting injured during the race, it is necessary to report it and the injured runner can be replaced by any of the other team members. However, the rule of one runner being permitted to run only one section at a time must be kept. Altogether, all the team members, except from the runner who withdraws from the race, must run the same number of sections +/- 1 section. The injured runner mustn´t run any of the remaining sections of the race. In the category C) MIX both women and men must run the same amount of sections or women must run more sections, so an injured woman must be replaced by a woman, or the team is going to be put into the category A) ALL.

The organizer is not responsible for delay on track, which is caused by an unforeseeable situation or traffic situation, e.g. closed rail crossing, red light on the traffic lights. This delay is not possible to be subtracted from the final time.

Starting time of the team

Team captain is obligated to state the best time of their individual team members on a 10 km track (not older than 2 years). After adding up all the numbers, the average time of the entire team on 10 km must not be more than 60 minutes. 

On the basis of the times on 10 km given and the order of the runners within the team, organizer will calculate the approximate time of finishing the race, factoring in the different lengths of sections, elevation of the track and determines the starting time of the team.

Start of teams is August 19. 2023 from 7 am to 15 pm.

Estimated time of the end of the race is August 20. 2023 from 1 pm to 8 pm.

Teams' presentation

Every team captain must go once through TEAM PRESENTATION, where they are given all the necessary materials for the start:

• August 14. 2023, 6 pm presentation and captains’ meeting in Bratislava 
• August 18. 2023, from 6 pm to 12 pm presentation and captains’ meeting, arrival time can be continuously
• the latest time of presentation allowed is an hour before the team’s start at the starting area of the race.

Captains’ meeting is an opportunity to meet the organizer of the race, or to promote some novelties. It is a forum where rules can be discussed and explained, while you consult the track. If team captain is not able to attend the presentation, he will appoint a different team member to represent them. Team presentation is considered to be finished after team captain has submitted statements signed by all team members and their vehicles’ compulsory gear has been checked.

If the team is unable to ensure both of their vehicles to be present at the start, the second vehicle can undergo this check at the hand over #6 (Vyšné Revúce). However, only if the second vehicle is driving runner #7 to take over the relay there. This is the only exception; under any other circumstances, the second vehicle must be present at the start.

At the vehicle check-in, every vehicle must show possession of following items for their runners:

-    2 head lights
-    2 blinking lights for the arm
-    2 reflective vests

If a team does not have all of these items, they will not be permitted to start.

Compulsory vehicle gear following the road laws (reflective vests for each member of the vehicle crew, first aid kit…) is not the subject of the final vehicle check-in. However, if it is discovered throughout the race that any of the vehicles does not have these other items, the team may be disqualified.

Final team time

The resulting time of the race change continuously, without stopping, ever since the first team member starts until the last team member crosses the finish line. The organizer secures the official timing. Interim results at the individual sections are not guaranteed by the organizer, so they are unofficial times. Team captains have at their disposal a team card, where they fill in the interim times – just to check the results.

The maximum time of the race is 36 hours. After this time, sections of the track will be gradually closed. After closing the individual sections, teams can finish the race, but it will be outside the official race.

Award ceremony

Organizer secures the official release of results only in the finish. Organizer states results in categories – A) ALL, B) FEMALE, C) MIX, E) ULTRA, S) SOLO.

Release of results can take place, if the order of the first three teams is determinable in each category; there is no need to wait for all the teams to finish the race.

Every team member, who crosses the finish line, will get a medal. First three teams in each category will get a trophy.

Protests

Protest is a by-law through which a runner, or any team member, can protest against breaking rules. This by-law allows the organizer to intervene during the race or change the official results. 

Runner, who wants to protest, must do so with the organizer, within 30 minutes of having crossed the finish line. At the protest, it is necessary to thoroughly describe the circumstance or the fact, to which the runner objects, as well as their name and team, possibly along with visual evidence (e.g. a photograph, if available). Protests can be made only by registered members, who have taken part in the race. Organizer will consider the protest and give a statement before the release of results.

Category S) SOLO

Category S) SOLO is unofficial, because it does not satisfy some of the above mentioned criteria in the Guidelines and Rules section.

This is a category for individuals who run the entire track by themselves.

Each runner of this category have their own support teams who follow them around, so the runners wouldn't be dependant on the support of the organizers. The runners register as captains of their teams.

Runners have breaks according to their own individual needs. All runners get a starting number, are instructed just like every other team in the race, runs the track. The runners are welcome to use any of the rest areas along the track.

The solo runners can be accompanied by their team members at any section, however, the members of the support team do not get a starting number.

This category begins the race August 17. 2023 from 6 am. Solo runners keep their own times individually. The time limit for solo runners is 84 hours and the latest they can finish is August 20. 2023f at 8 pm.

Presentation of solo runners is possible just before the start.

Category D) ELITE

The category has been canceled since 2016.