Race Directors

USAOCR is offering free membership and event sanctioning for obstacle races through December 2021. As a member of USA Pentathlon Multisport, a member of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee, USAOCR has unmatched experience and resources in event production and management. Our team has been involved in the Olympic movement since 1980, delivering hundreds of events across multiple sports, including national championships, world championships, world cups and Olympic Games.

Sign up now to access the Race Directors Resource Page.

Participants expect a smooth and safe experience when they register for an event. They should be confident they will have minimal distractions, leaving their focus on racing. Events sanctioned with USA Obstacle Course Racing provide the following benefits:

• Deliver athletes peace-of-mind by ensuring industry-wide safety standards
• Ensure a fair competition meeting industry-standard Competition Rules
• Provide optional Gold Standard insurance protection for the event, athlete, and venue
• Inclusion in national and international rankings
• Event marketing through the global OCR Calendar
• Opportunity to qualify for National Championships, and Continental and World Championships as a member of Team USA.
• Centralized results for all sanctioned nation-wide
• Voice and influence on the development and direction fo the sport int eh Untied States and internationally

USAOCR's mission is representation and engagement of athletes and race directors, a virtuous cycle that promotes the health of the sport and benefits athletes and race directors nationwide.

USAOCR is committed to supporting the health, safety and well-being of race directors, their staff and participants at all OCR events in the United States. We are in regular contact with World OCR (FISO) and USA Pentathlon Multisport, a member of the U.S. Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC), concerning coronavirus (COVID-19), and we are closely monitoring the Center for Disease Control (CDC) and World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines and recommendations. We are also following guidelines from the USOPC Infectious Disease Advisory Group who has infectious disease experts from institutions around the country. These experts are in direct contact with the CDC, WHO, and the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) medical staff to regularly obtain up-to-date information, disseminate this information, and establish policies and event procedures related to COVID-19.

A coronavirus resources page for OCR athletes is available on the World OCR website

INSURANCE

If your event is not insured through USAOCR, please contact your insurance provider. If you wish to discuss insurance products with USAOCR, please contact us.

Athletes claiming they contracted COVID-19 at a sanctioned event

USAOCR’s sanctioned event insurance includes General Liability (GL) and Participant Accident (PA) coverage as standard for all events sanctioned with USAOCR. 

GL coverage will defend the race director from a negligence lawsuit brought by a participant that claims they contracted the Coronavirus at a sanctioned event. Race directors can proceed with hosting their events knowing this coverage is in place to protect them.

If a participant claims they contracted the Coronavirus at a sanctioned event and try to file a medical claim using the PA policy, their claim will not be covered. USAOCR’s PA policy covers accidents that happened during a sanctioned race. It will not respond to standard medical issues such as getting sick, viruses and bacterial infections – all of which are excluded from the USAOCR policy.

Event Cancellation Insurance

USAOCR’s insurance broker is checking the availability of event cancellation insurance related to COVID-19 in insurance market. Carrier are writing exclusions into their policies for COVID-19. Policies purchased after 3/1/2020 will not cover an event cancelled due to the Coronavirus.

OPERATIONS AND PLANNING

Continue as planned until you are informed otherwise by your state or local government

• Operate under the assumption that your event can continue until you are advised otherwise by the local authorities.
• Contact local agencies to ensure they are aware of your event and can assist in emergency preparation and planning.

State and local department of public health

Consult with their experts on prevention strategies and contingency plans for attendees becoming sick at the event.

• Understand their action plan for cases reported in your area and how it applies to your event. Designate responsible parties, their actions and timeline.
• Communicate regularly with participants leading up to, and after, your event.

On-site emergency operations and risk management team

• Have an event emergency operation plan that includes personnel, security, services & activities, functions, and resources.
• Have the team evaluate your emergency action plans and provide guidance to ensure effective communication and handling of emergencies across all related organizations.

Staff and volunteer absences

• Have a contingency plan for who is in charge of important race areas with potentially reduced staff or volunteers.
• Designate who is responsible for reduced race personnel and clearly communicate it to your team.

Cleaning supplies for staff, volunteers and participants

• Portable hand-washing stations, hand sanitizer, tissues and facemasks. Facemasks are only intended for those who start showing symptoms.
• Consult the CDC’s approved cleaning products page for effective products.
• Latex gloves for handling food, beverage and at aid stations.
• Hand sanitizer around the race venue including packet pick up, outside bathrooms, at food service areas, inside the expo, and at the awards ceremony.

Isolation plan

Send suspected COVID-19 carriers EMS. Do not bring them to the medical tent to avoid contamination.

Designate an isolate for patients until EMS is able to attend to them.

Monitor athletes from affected countries/states

• Communicate with participants coming from affected areas.
• Follow the Johns Hopkins global Coronavirus tracking map affected areas.

Event cancellation plan

• Have a plan for the possibility local authorities force the cancellation of your event.
• Consult with your contractors and service providers regarding cancellation and refunds.
• Plan your communication strategy to prepare for a possible cancellation and include an explanation of next steps for participants.

COMMUNICATIONS

Participants

• Communicate early and often on the status of your event.
• Include an overall risk assessment so participants can make informed decisions.
• Promote the use of regular preventative actions:

1. Cover coughs and sneezes with a tissue or your crook of your elbow.
2. Wash your hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds after going to the bathroom, sneezing, coughing or blowing your nose.
3. Clean and sanitize contact surfaces and objects daily.
4. Do not touch eyes, nose and mouth with unwashed hands.

• Advise where to find local healthcare.
• Direct people to the CDC or WHO websites for information on COVID-19 signs and symptoms.
• Advise on self-monitoring for signs and symptoms.

Sponsors, Vendors and Expo

• Frequently communicate the status of your event.
• Review agreements and contracts.
• Consider offering refunds or transfers to future events.

Staff

• Share accurate information with your staff from the CDC, WHO and your state and local health departments.
• Provide clear instructions on what to do if they or someone has been exposed. Have them contact their primary care physician first for advice. 
• People with symptoms of severe respiratory illness, such as trouble breathing, fever, rapid heart rate, low blood pressure, high or low temperature, confusion, or severe dehydration should review information on the Coronavirus Resource Center.

Pre-Race Staff Meeting

• Role changes to cover absent personnel.
• Chain of command and incident reporting protocols.
• Emergency and contingency plans.

Packet Pick-up

Ensure staff and volunteers are prepared to answer questions:

• Participants notification in the event of changes to the race(s)
• Should participants prepare differently than other races?
• Should participants bring cleaning/sanitizing supplies?
• What if a participant doesn’t want to race?
• Offer a registration transfer or refund and what that covers.

Advise Staff, Volunteers and Participants to stay home if:

• They feel ill: Offer a registration transfer to another event.
• They have had close contact (6 feet / 2 meters) with someone who has been to affected areas of the world within 14 days of the event. Use this tool for mapping COVID-19 areas.
• If they have a cough, fever of 100 degrees F (37.7 degrees C) and are short of breath.

Hand washing is crucial! Please review the following websites: www.cdc/handwashing and www.cdc/handwashing/esp/when-how-handwashing