NYC SWIM

General Race Rules (Aquathlon)

No entrants under 15 years of age are allowed to participate in the event.

Race management has the authority to modify any aspect of the race or to cancel the event for safety or other considerations. The full policy can be found here. Event cancellation information will be available on the event line (888) NYC-SWIM.

All fees are non-refundable. It is prohibited to sell, trade, or exchange your race number and/or for someone else to participate using your race number. Further information on substitutions and withdrawals can be found here.

It is the participants’ responsibility to be familiar with and comply with all race rules. Participants must follow the directions of race officials and public authority. Race officials have ultimate and final authority to remove participants who violate race rules.

Time Limits:

· There is a time limit of 1 hour to complete the swim segment.
· The run course officially closes 2 hours after the NYC Aquathlon starts.

It is the participants’ responsibility to be familiar with and to stay on the race course. Participants may not accept outside assistance or be accompanied on the swim or run by non-participants. Pacers are not allowed.

Race numbers, timing chips and registration materials will not be issued to participants without photo ID and a signed waiver. Check the run race number and other registration materials to ensure that race numbers match and that correct information regarding your name, age, and gender is listed. Notify race officials of any errors prior to the race.

You must wear the timing chip on its strap and secured to your ankle at all times. Only competitors wearing the chip will have split times and final times recorded. If you are not going to start the race, return the chip at registration. If you begin the race but do not complete it, return the chip to the timing officials at the finish line.

Participants must follow instruction of race officials and public authorities at all times.
Participants must obey all traffic laws.

Glass containers are not permitted on the race course or in the transition area.

Swim Rules -- Stars & Stripes Aquathlon and Swim 2013

Swimmers may only enter water at designated points of entry and must wait until directed to enter by race officials. No pre-race warm-up swim is allowed.

Competitors must wear the official race swim cap.

Wetsuits are permitted but may affect a swimmer's eligibility for awards. The full wetsuit policy can be viewed here.

All swimmers are required to have their race number marked on their arms prior to entering the water. Those using long-sleeved wetsuits must have their race number marked on each hand.

Participants may use any form of swimming stroke for propulsion through the water. They may also float or tread water.

Participants are NOT allowed to use fins, paddles, gloves, kickboards, powered vessels, flotation devices or any other gear that provides an unfair advantage to the participant.

Participants are not allowed to use surfboards, kayaks, motorboats or any other water safety vessel for forward progress or for rest time.

Swimmers requiring emergency assistance should raise an arm overhead.

Race officials may remove anyone from the water whom they deem to be unsafe or incapable of completing the swim by the official cut-off.

You must notify a race official immediately if you do not complete the swim. Participants who do not complete the swim course are considered non-finishers and will not be allowed to start the run.

Only participants with race numbers and race officials are allowed in the transition area before, during, or after the event.

Participants’ gear must be positioned in their designated space inside the transition area. All items wrongly positioned will be removed from the transition area.

All non-racing equipment and gear, with the exception of the footwear that will be used to walk to the swim start, must be placed in the baggage check before it closes. Non-race gear is not allowed in the transition area.

Indecent exposure is not allowed and will result in disqualification.

Swim completion times will include transition time and will be taken as participants exit the transition area for the run.

Run Rules (Aquathlon)

It is the participants’ responsibility to be familiar with the course directions. All turns on the run course will be marked by orange cones, directional arrows on the ground, or signs. We recommend that you read and learn the run course before you race it.

The run course is open to other recreational traffic including runners, walkers and cyclists. You must obey traffic rules at all times. Run with the direction of traffic and stay on the right of the path at all times unless directed to do otherwise by race officials. There is a 2-minute penalty for interfering with the normal flow of traffic.

No locomotion other than running or walking is permitted on the run segment.

We do not require that you wear shoes, but we strongly recommend that everyone wears them. The run uses public walkways that may be covered by glass or other sharp objects. Runners wishing to run barefoot do so at their own risk.

Torso coverage is required for all competitors.

The race number must be worn on the front of the body and be clearly visible at all times during the run. Modifying, cutting, or folding of race numbers is prohibited. If your run number is not visible during the run segment of the race, you will receive a 2-minute penalty.

Participants are not allowed to use headphones, earphones, or any other equipment that acts as an impediment to hearing, vision, or concentration during the event.

After crossing the finish line, all participants must stay in finishing order in the chute. Timing chips must be removed and handed to the race officials at the end of the timing chute.

Award winners must be present at the post-race awards ceremony to claim their award.

Pre- and post-race refreshments as well as aid stations are provided for race participants only.

Race Violations Resulting in 2-Minute Penalties (Aquathlon)

· Race gear not placed in assigned space in transition area.
· Race gear not placed in participants’ transition bag before the run and/or transition bag not deposited in drop zone by participant before beginning run segment of race.
· Accepting outside assistance.
· Pacing by non-participant.
· Interfering with the normal flow of traffic on the run course.
· Race number not visible on the front of the body at any point during the run.
· Running off designated course.

Race Violations Resulting in Disqualification (Aquathlon)

· Failure to follow the instructions of race officials or management.
· Unsportsmanlike conduct or abuse of any volunteer, race official, event staff, or any other participant.
· Failure to wear an official race swim cap throughout the swimming segment of the race.
· Use of a surfboard or other water safety vessel for forward progress or for extended periods of rest (more than 60 seconds).
· Use of glass containers anywhere on the race course or in the transition area.
· Leaving or discarding equipment on the race course.
· Use of any equipment that acts as an impediment to hearing, vision, or concentration during any portion of the race.
· Indecent exposure.

Race Cancellation Policy

All of NYC Swim's events require permits issued by the Coast Guard. These permits are issued subject to prevailing Homeland Security concerns and Maritime Security Levels in the area. If conditions change, the Coast Guard may require that we alter, reschedule or cancel an event.

Our paramount concern is the health and safety of our swimmers and volunteer kayakers. For this reason, we are sometimes forced to cancel races due to unsafe weather conditions or unsanitary water conditions.

After a prolonged or heavy rainfall, it may take several hours to several days before the rivers are again safe for swimmers, due to the trash, untreated storm runoff, and flotsam and jetsam that may flow into Manhattan's water ways. In addition, inclement weather may interfere with our ability to set up a race, forcing us to cancel the event even when the forecast calls for better conditions at the scheduled starting time.

When an event is not cancelled but the New York Harbor’s water quality has been compromised, NYC Swim will inform swimmers of this issue and leave it up to them to decide whether they still wish to participate. Swimming in water that is compromised increases the chances of developing a bacterial infection, and it would be our recommendation that swimmers begin a course of antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin immediately after the swim.

The race director has full discretion to cancel a race at any time. In the event of an advance cancellation of an event by NYC Swim:

If the event has a scheduled back-up date:
NYC Swim will automatically transfer the registrations of all approved applicants to the back-up date.

If the event does not have a scheduled back-up date:
If the event cannot be rescheduled, all approved applicants will receive 50% off the entry fee for any NYC Swim race in the current or next season, with the exception of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Manhattan Island Relays, and the Ederle Swim.

If an event has to be canceled or halted while swimmers and race staff are on site, the above advance cancellation policies do not apply. If conditions continue to be unsuitable for allowing swimmers into the water or if the event does not have a scheduled back-up date, race souvenirs will be distributed to all swimmers and volunteers who are present.

Safety Policy

The race officials have authority to pull a swimmer from the water at any time for the swimmer’s own safety. Potentially dangerous conditions may include, without limitation, hypothermia, changes to weather or water conditions, or interference by shipping or other watercraft traffic. The race courses are patrolled by lifeguards and government safety officials, and each race includes a medical team. The race officials shall have full discretion to pull any swimmer from the water for safety reasons, and to determine when and if the swimmer may resume swimming.

Substitution and Withdrawal Policy

Swim Series Withdrawal Policy (with the exception of the Manhattan Swim, the Manhattan Relays, and the Ederle Swim)
NYC Swim will not reimburse registered swimmers who voluntarily withdraw, do not show, or fail to submit sufficient qualifications to meet the event’s requirements to participate. (This is because NYC Swim incurs nearly all race expenses before race day. If you are not sure you will be able to meet a specific event’s requirements to participate, please delay your enrollment until you are able to do so.)

Process for Submitting Medical Withdrawal Documentation
If your inability to participate is due to a medical reason, please e-mail info@nycswim.org or fax (+1 212-784-6850) verification from a medical professional for review by NYC Swim no less than two weeks prior to race date. Swimmers who withdraw in this manner will receive 50% off the entry fee for any NYC Swim race in the current or next season, with the exception of the Manhattan Island Marathon Swim, the Manhattan Island Relays, and the Ederle Swim. The credit must be used within 365 days of the date of issue.

No Sale or Transfer Permitted
No entrant may sell, trade, or otherwise allow another person to use an entry. Anyone found to be participating under another person’s entry will be disqualified from the event, and both the participant and the original registrant will be barred from all future NYC Swim events. NYC Swim will not grant any other refunds, credits, or exchanges, except in instances where we are forced to cancel an event (see Race Cancellation Policy, above).