Procedures and Protocols

1. Mandatory Action Item:
   1. You must print, sign, and bring this updated waiver to race.
2. Start/Staging Location:
   1. Start / Staging:
      1. University Settlement Camp: 724 Wolcott Ave, Beacon, NY 12508
      2. Google Maps pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/734EtzYvW57VGH9GA
   2. Parking:
      1. South entrance near disc golf course signage and across from mansion
      2. Google Maps pin: https://maps.app.goo.gl/PqSmWC6ft1TSWVyX9
3. Wave Start Format:
   1. We will use designated times for both check-in and start to facilitate social distancing. Runners are asked to not check-in ahead of their designated time. Arrive early? Hang with your car, stretch, relax...but please don't make your way into the check-in area until your designated window.
   2. While checking in, please maintain 6 foot separation if in line
   3. We will start three runners every 2 minutes beginning with the marathon at sunrise / 6:35 am. The order will be fastest runners first in order to maintain if not increase spacing among participants.
   4. We will move to a 10 hour cutoff time for the Marathon.
      1. We need to make this change secondary to the slowest predicted marathoner starting nearly 2 hours later than our traditional start time, and 90 minutes behind the fastest ranked in the mix. As we need to insure all runners and volunteers are clear of the course ahead of the 7:09 PM sunset, a strictly enforced 10 hour cutoff ensures that all will be in by 6:15, leaving a small window for error, and for our sweeper to get in ahead of dark.
      2. We will use UltraSignUp's time projections as this basis. We cannot allow anyone who US predicts to be over 10 hours into the 2020 running.
   5. The starting and check-in wave times will be found here and with changes made up until a few days prior to raceday.
4. General Protocols Mandatory to Read / Understand / Agree To
   1. Masks
      1. Entrants will be required to wear masks (covering your nose and mouth) at check-in, at the staging area (pre and post) unless actively eating / drinking, and while in all aid stations unless more than 6 feet away from another individual. You must pull up your mask when entering all Aid Stations!
      2. Volunteers required to wear masks when in close (within 6 feet) and/or sustained contact with entrants or other volunteers, or while in contact with any shared equipment
      3. Entrants and volunteers will be provided buffs to use as masks (note, these are not medical-grade or N95 and will not prevent spread), but with both permitted and encouraged to use their own and of preference.
      4. Entrants are not required to wear masks while running / hiking, but to be considerate while passing others.
   2. No spectators
      1. In an effort to reduce numbers on course, entrants are not permitted to have spectators or crews supporting them on course. Friends / Family are welcome to plug in as a volunteer w/ the event as an opportunity to see their runners on course, and help the event work in a volunteer-challenging year. Please have them email Ian@RedNewtRacing.com to request plugging in as a volunteer.
   3. Surface-contact
      1. The event will have a pump jug of liquid hand sanitizer at check-in and each aid station for the use of entrants and volunteers.
      2. Runners and volunteers are strongly encouraged to bring their own hand sanitizer, using pre / post contacting any common surfaces and very much including porta-johns.
   4. "Hot-Spot" States and Communities, Exposure, and Risk:
      1. Any entrant with fever, persistent cough, or with exposure to an individual who is / was COVID positive within 7 days of the event are asked not to race this year, and will have registrations rolled into 2021.
      2. Any entrant deemed at heightened risk for complications due to exposure are encouraged to differ their entry to 2021.
      3. Per our NYS Permitting, we are only allowed to run entrants who are residents of New York State. While we can't check the authenticity of all entrants, we'll go off of entrant's UltraSignUp address and hold to the honor system. Per NYS regulations, entrants who have spent time in States deemed by NYS to be "hot-spots" are not able to participate unless quarantined within NYS 14 days or more prior to the event.
         1. As of July 15th, the list of those states are:
            1. Alabama, Arkansas, Arizona, California, Florida, Georgia, Iowa, Idaho, Kansas, Louisiana, Minnesota, Mississippi, North Carolina, Nevada, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Utah and Wisconsin.
         2. Entrants who have visited or spent time in communities outside of those States which are experiencing "hot-spot" or significant case rises are asked to consider pushing their registrations to 2021.
5. Registration and Check-In:
   1. No race-day registration.
   2. All registrants must pre-print, sign, and bring updated waiver to check-in
      1. Waiver can be found here: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1FuXkK_qr3XKJ2SlIyU_IMWD2iUYTCAV6rGlGiiNWak4/edit?usp=sharing
   3. All entrants will be assigned mandatory check-in times which will be approximately 35 minutes prior to their assigned start wave, and with check-in held at the Settlement Camps northern pavilion. If the weather is favorable we will have check-in outside of the pavilion.
6. Start Time Format / Procedure
   1. Each event will have staggered start-times with 3 runners sent off every 2 minutes. Note: the event is chip-timed, so while we'll try to get as close as we can to planned / recorded start times, actual start and finish times will be accounted for when runners cross the start and finish mats.
   2. Starting times will be assigned based on UltraSignUp Ranking which is only marginally accurate, particularly for newer runners who do not have finish histories in UltraSignUp, or those who have run more competitive races with deeper fields than others.
7. Course Configuration
   1. We're currently at work blending prior year's configurations with the intent of:
      1. Eliminating cross-traffic where we can, and to ensure that where it is, has sufficient room to pass.
      2. Being mindful of prior year's hotspot / confusing intersections
      3. Being mindful of sections of the course where markings have been vandalized in the past
      4. Reasonable distance between aid stations and at points outside of higher traffic areas where possible.
      5. We will post the finalized course configurations and gpx files here when we have them.
8. Aid Stations Provisions and Protocol:
   1. Aid Stations will provide only water and Tailwind Hydration drink mix. We may have some ice on hand for heat and injury related issues, but to be used for those purposes only.
   2. Volunteers are not to handle entrant's bottles or hydration bladders and are to maintain distancing between themselves. Entrants needing fluids will be required to unholster their own bottles or bladders, remove caps, and hold while volunteers fill bottles or bladders with jugs.
   3. Entrants required to be as self-sufficient as they can in terms of supplies, including carrying enough fluids to make through up to 7+ miles without refill, and enough food / calories to get them through their entire race.
   4. Updated Aid Station Charts including Cut-Off Times (note, Cut-off's are running-time based rather than Time of Day per the Staggered Start Format) will be inserted here once the courses are finalized.
      1. Aid Station Grids: Marathon
      2. Aid Station Grid: Half Marathon
9. Swag
   1. Swag will be provided at check-in and include:
      1. Buffs serving as intended finisher's items and ensuring that all entrants have masks.
      2. Custom event beanie
      3. Additional shirt and/or trucker if purchased as add-on to registration.
10. Awards
    1. Although we've had a good time w/ some creative awards in years prior, there will be no Awards or ceremony this year in an effort to reduce crowds around the finish.
11. Finish Times
    1. Timing will be chipped and as managed by Ben Drew. While we'll do our best to insure accuracy, and timeliness of results, please let Ben (drew.ben@gmail.com) know re: questions / corrections, and with a GPS log / track / time to verify questioned finish times. He will do his best to have finish times uploaded to UltraSignUp by Wednesday, September 16. We will post that update when it happens to RNR's Facebook page.
    2. Runners are strongly encouraged to note their start and finish times just in case chips misread.
12. Post Race Food
    1. Post-race food will be provided, but in to-go style containers set out between the start / finish and catering prep-truck. They will mark containers by meat or veggie. We're hoping, for at least a chunk of the time, to have a volunteer (entrant's family) run communication between your finish, food preference, and the caterer.
    2. We will not be doing post-race beer in order to minimize cross-contact on tap. We will have fluids at the finish, but ask that you follow aid station protocols in having volunteers fill, but not contact your bottles.
    3. Finishers are for sure welcome to decompress and connect at the finish for a bit, but encouraged to keep a distance from one another where possible, and to not stick around post-race too long.
13. Photographs
    1. It's the hope to have Ron Heerken's Jr. and Goat Factory Media on course taking photos. Please note that while Ron takes a ton of photos, you are not guaranteed to be in one, nor will there be full sets of finish line photos. Please allow for at least a week, if not two, for him to process and load the many many photos. His website is here: https://galleries.goatfactorymedia.com/
14. Course Marking
    1. I'll be outsourcing course marking this year to a crew who have both staged their own events, as well as produced and marked for others including the North Face Series. Markings will most likely be predominately pink surveyor's flags on the ground, backed up by some streamers and/or arrows at difficult turns.
15. Road Crossings
    1. Please note that while road crossings are minimal at Rt. 9D only, 9D is open to traffic and cars may be traveling quite fast. While we've been able to secure police presence at that crossing in year's past, and will try again, entrants take on the safe crossing of 9D on their own, with no guarantee of event security or oversight. Stop, look for traffic, and cross only if clear. For this reason, please, NO Headphones!
16. Dropping Out
    1. Anyone who is not able to complete the course MUST NOTIFY THE STAGING AREA and TURN IN BIB for tracking purposes prior to leaving. Please don't have us calling your emergency contacts trying to track you down.
    2. If an entrant drops out on course and needs a ride back to the finish, please do so at the nearest aid station, and have them call for assistance. Protocol will be for one dedicated driver to bring DNF's back in, and with the requirement that both driver and runner wear masks, have windows down, and have the seat toweled and area sanitized after, and with both parties using hand sanitizer pre / post. To prevent the need for this NO DROPPING OUT unless you do so at the Staging Area!
17. Camping
    1. At present we may need to nix camping for this year. We will follow up with certainty in August.
18. Sometimes Asked Question
    1. Poles?
       1. Yes you can use poles
    2. Are you pretty freaking awesome?
       1. Yes, yes you are.
    3. Bathrooms (please bring hand sanitizer to use pre / post)
       We will have portajohns at the start finish, and potentially another at roughly mid-race.