Technical Instructions

TECHNICAL INSTRUCTIONS 2014 USA Masters 8 km Championships Brea, CA Sunday, February 23, 2014

Runners competing in the 2014 USA Masters 8 km Championships on Sunday, February 23, 2014 should be aware of the following points of emphasis. Competitors who fail to comply with these and other applicable USATF Rules of Competition risk possible disqualification.

There will be a Technical Meeting scheduled for Saturday at 7:00 p.m. Embassy Suites 900 East Birch Street, Brea, CA. Questions should be directed to the Championship Referee.

1)The Race Course. The course map is available at http://www.usatf.org/usatf/files/9f/9f495363-e1a6-492d- a337-eb61305eb518.pdf The course is the roadway between its edges and curbs. Please follow directions of course marshals and any road cones.

2) Cutting the Course. Any competitor who has been found by the Referee to have gained an unfair advantage by receiving assistance or by intentionally shortening the route of the race (“cutting the course”) shall be immediately disqualified.

3) Illegal Assistance. Anyone found to have received illegal assistance is subject to disqualification. “Assistance” is the conveying of advice, information or direct help to an athlete by any means, including a technical device. It also includes pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the event, by competitors lapped or about to be lapped, or by any kind of technical device. The use of wireless devices (I-pods, etc…) is not permitted. Competitors may carry or wear articles of personal equipment such as wrist chronometers and heart-rate monitors. Verbal or other communication, without the use of any technical device, from an individual not on the course shall not be considered assistance. Pacesetting, by a person entered in an event as an officially designated pacesetter, is permissible. There are no designated pacesetters for this event. Questions should be directed to the Championship Referee.

4) Competition Front Bib Numbers/Timing Tag and Age/Gender “Back” Numbers. Competition bib numbers must be pinned on the front of the outermost layer of clothing that you will be wearing in the race. They should be worn as issued and not be folded or cut. All Masters entered in the USA Masters 8 km Championships must also wear an age/gender “back” number pinned to the back of the outermost layer of clothing that they are wearing in the race. Please use 4 pins to affix the “back” number in such a manner that it is visible to any runner behind them and will not flip up. Any competitor failing to wear a competition bib number on the front and a visible age/gender “back” number will be subject to disqualification. If your packet is lacking a “back” number, extras will be made available at packet pick-up and at the start line. 5) Start Time. Each competitor is responsible for knowing the starting time of 7:30 a.m. All competitors are responsible for being at the starting line at the appointed time with their competition bib number and age/gender “back” number properly affixed.

6) Packet Pick-up. Friday 5pm – 8pm Brea Olinda High School, 789 Wildcat Way, Brea, CA Saturday 2pm – 5pm Embassy Suites Hotel, 900 East Birch St, Brea, CA

7) Start Details. The Master Championship portion of the 8 km will start promptly at 7:30 a.m. All complete teams must report to the Clerks at the starting line beginning at 7:00 a.m. to verify their team uniforms. All runners will be checked for proper front bib and back numbers prior to the start. There will be a two-command start: “On your marks” followed by the firing of the starter’s pistol signaling the start of the race. All awards are based on “gun time”. Net times may only be used for record purposes.

8) No false start. False starts will not be recalled. Runners who false start are subject to disqualification.

9) Withdrawal for medical reasons. A competitor must retire from the race immediately if directed to do so by a duly authorized official of the race or by an appropriately identified member of the race medical staff.

10) Eligibility. All Master athletes must be citizens of the United States and eligible to represent the United States in international competition to be eligible for USATF medals and prize money. In addition, all athletes entered and competing in the 2014 USA Masters 8 km Championship are required to have a 2014 USATF membership card.

11) Awards Ceremony. The awards ceremony will take place at 10am at Embassy Suites.

12) Race Day Registration. There will be no USATF championship race day registration.

13) Results. Results will be posted near the finish line as soon as possible. See the Masters Championship Referee if there are any problems/omissions. There is a one hour protest period once results have been posted.

14) Eligibility.

 All clubs must be registered with USATF for 2014. Please submit your club application to your local Association office.  Only teams consisting of duly accredited representatives of a member club shall be eligible to score as a team.  All athletes entering as part of a club must be affiliated with that club as part of their USATF online membership profile (an athlete's current affiliation can be viewed in his/her membership profile and as part of the online entry process) and meet the requirements of USATF Competition Rule 341.8. Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete--see Regulation 4 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III).  The formation of club teams must meet all of the parameters as noted in Regulations 4 and 6 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III and the USATF Rules of Competition, specifically Rule 341.8. This will be strictly enforced. Pursuant to Rule 341.8, Master Teams shall represent current member clubs of USATF, verified through the national office. USATF Association, Regional, or National “all-star” teams are not eligible to compete in Masters Long Distance Running Team competition. Team members shall be affiliated with the club they are representing on their USATF membership record prior to entering the competition. Only one athlete per team (i.e., Club M50+ team) who is a non-resident member of an Association is eligible to compete for a team in that Association. All USA Master 8 km Championship Entrants

 All athletes must be U.S. citizens (with the exception of Master athletes, who may also be resident aliens).  All athletes must be 2014 members of USATF in good standing. USATF memberships may be purchased online, through your local Association Office, or by calling the USATF National Office at 317-713-4665.  Athletes will not be permitted to compete unless they have a 2014 USATF membership and completed the entry process.  Club affiliation: Athletes must be bona fide members of a 2014 USATF club in order to represent a club and score team points. All athletes entering as part of a club must be affiliated with that club as part of their USATF membership (an athlete's current affiliation can be viewed in his/her membership profile and as part of the online entry process). Athletes wishing to change affiliations can make such a request through their local Association (note that this request must be made by the athlete--see Regulation 4 in the USATF Governance Manual, Section III).  Sponsor Affiliation: In addition to a club affiliation, athletes are able to represent one (1) corporate sponsor. This corporate sponsor must be a registered USATF Corporate Member and be part of the athlete's membership profile. Corporate Membership applications can be obtained by sending an e-mail to [email protected]. All sponsor affiliations must be finalized by close of entries. No sponsor changes will be accepted after this date for the Championships.  Unattached athletes are encouraged to join a local club or create a new club. Contact your local Association for information on starting your own club. "Unattached/Non-Scoring" athletes (those athletes not with a registered USATF club) may participate but will not be factored into team scores.  Unless your date of birth/age has already been verified according to your USATF online membership profile, all entries must be accompanied by a copy of a legal document (passport or birth certificate) in order to verify date of birth and citizenship. If you have a valid passport at the time of entry, please use a copy of the information page of your passport as verification of citizenship and birth date. These copies will not be returned. You must FAX the copy of your passport or birth certificate, with your membership number, event, and championships name ("USA Masters 8 km Championships") written in it to: USATF National Office at 317-261-0514 no later than February 13, 2014 by 5:00 p.m. EDT.  There are no performance standards to participate.  USATF member athletes who are citizens of the United States or resident aliens are eligible to compete in these Championships. However, only U.S. citizens may score for a team or win championship awards. Prize money is available for U.S. citizens only, per USATF Championship rules.  Athletes must be 40 years or older on the day of competition.  All master athletes must wear an age/gender “back” number showing age division. Runners competing without back numbers will be subject to disqualification.

15) Masters Team Scoring. Masters Teams for all Road Race Championships shall be scored by time as follows:

The team score shall be the aggregate official time of the scoring members. The team with the lowest aggregate time is the team winner. Team divisions for both Master Men and Master Women are: 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+. All Master Teams – three (3) individuals shall score with a maximum of five (5) individuals declared per team. Each age division shall be scored separately by adding the official times of the top 3 declared team finishers. A runner may only be listed on a single team roster. We will score only complete teams. USATF Rules indicate that when scoring by time: (a) If a team fails to finish with a complete scoring team (i.e., less than 3 finishers), then that team shall not be scored. However, the team members who do finish shall be counted as individuals in the race results and shall be eligible to win individual awards. (b) Ties between two or more teams within a division shall be resolved by determining which team wins the most one-on-one match-ups among their 3 scoring members, comparing first runner to first runner, second to second and third to third. The team that has more wins in these one-on-one match-ups will be awarded the higher place.

16) Master Team Declarations. Note that only five athletes are allowed to be on the final team declaration per team respective of team division. If you have listed more than five athletes on your team’s online declaration form, only the first five listed shall comprise your club's declared scoring team unless you revise your declaration form. A hard copy revision to final team declarations may be submitted in-person at packet pick- up no later than 7pm on Saturday, February 22. Team revision forms will be available at packet pick-up. Questions should be directed to the Championship Referee. Please follow these instructions if you need to access the USATF online Club Management Area: Access to the USATF Club Management Area is available to the person listed as the main contact on your original yearly member club application form, as well as club coaches and club administrators as designated by the main club contact. To gain access to your club, e-mail your club's main contact with your name, individual membership number, and role within the club. Note: access to the Management Area is limited to those people who are current individual members of USATF. If you joined as a new individual member instead of renewing, please e-mail your club's main contact person to have your new membership number attached to your club profile. You can find your club contact information at: https://www.usatf.org/clubs/search/ * If your club does not appear on the list, it may be because the club hasn't renewed for the current year. Please contact your local Association for more information.

17) Team Uniforms. The jersey or singlet worn by the members of a team (i.e., San Diego Track Club M50+ “A” team) in Master LDR Championships shall be basically identical for each member in color and style, and must be clearly visible throughout the race, i.e., worn as the outer garment if other apparel items are worn underneath by one or more team members. Individuals not complying with this uniform rule may be disqualified from scoring for a team. If a club has an “A” team and a “B” team in the same age division then please see the Referee for identifying tags if both teams uniforms are the same.

18) 2013 USA Masters 8 km Championships Awards and Prize Money. Prize money, medals and plaques will be presented at the awards ceremony at the Finish Line Fest tailgate area immediately following the race.

USATF Championship medals will be awarded to the top 3 places in each 5-year individual age division for both Master Men and Women beginning at 40-44 and continuing to the age group of the oldest finisher. USATF Championship Medals will also be awarded to the top 3 Age Graded Master Men and Master Women and the top 3 Overall Master Men and Master Women. In addition, USATF Championship medals will be awarded to the declared members of the top 3 teams in each team division (40+, 50+, 60+, 70+ and 80+) for both Master Men and Master Women. Team plaques will also be awarded to the top 3 teams in each team division. A minimum of $17,000 in prize money will be awarded as indicated above to USATF Master Runners appropriately entered in the USATF Masters Championship competition. Awards and Prize Money are available for U.S. citizens only, per USATF Championship rules. Masters shall be allowed to win awards in all categories (e.g., overall, age group, age graded and team) if they so qualify.

Prize Money Top Age-Graded USATF Masters Finishers - $3,500 Top 5 Age-Graded Men Top 5 Age-Graded Women 1st $500 1st $500 2nd $400 2nd $400 3rd $350 3rd $350 4th $300 4th $300 5th $200 5th $200

Top Overall USATF Masters Finishers - $1,500 Men Women 1st $300 1st $300 2nd $250 2nd $250 3rd $200 3rd $200

Age - Groups - $2,000 Men Women 1st $100 1st $100

Team Prize Money - $3,500 Men Women 40+ 1st $225 40+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 50+ 1st $225 50+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 60+ 1st $225 60+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 70+ 1st $225 70+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 80+ 1st $225 80+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 90+ 1st $225 90+ 1st $225 2nd $125 2nd $125 There will be a total of $10,000 awarded for the 2014 USA Masters 8 km Championships. Double-dipping, triple dipping and quadruple-dipping are of course, permitted and expected. 19) Drug Testing. All competitors (including master competitors) are eligible for “in-competition” drug testing. Any questions regarding prescriptions or other over-the-counter medication should contact The United States Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) at 1-888-233-0393. Note: If the 2014 USA Masters 8 km Championship is selected for drug testing, prize money checks will be mailed following our receipt of the drug testing results. The race has no control over when the results of the drug tests are released, and we cannot release the prize money until we have official results as it can directly affect the distribution amounts.

23) Additional Notes:  Only citizens of the United States or resident aliens are eligible to compete in these Championships. However, only U.S. citizens may score or win championship medals.  Athletes must be 40 years or older on the day of competition.  All athletes must be members of USATF in good standing. USATF memberships may be purchased online, through your local Association Office, or by calling the USATF National Office at 317-713-4665.  There are no performance standards to participate.  Master athletes shall be allowed to win awards in all categories. (e.g., overall, age group, team, age-graded, etc.) 24) Protests concerning the result or conduct of an event shall be made to the Referee at once and not later than one hour after the announcement/posting of the results.