Each athlete will be able to place his personal aid bottles and containers at the personal aid station. The athlete is responsible for marking his bottles and containers with his name and bib number using an indelible marker. Each athlete in the race may have a support person responsible for monitoring and providing that athlete’s food and liquid to him during the race. This individual must wear that athlete’s “Athlete Support” credential, if such is provided.
If there is no “Athlete Support” person to assist an athlete, that athlete can arrange for another athlete’s handler to cover both. If no one agrees to help, the event should have a race volunteer assigned to help the athlete.
Personal Aid may only be provided at the personal aid station. Receiving aid outside the designated zone may be grounds for disqualification. The referee will designate the zone. The end-of-zone limit should be easily identified. It should not extend more than 25 meters before or after the personal aid station tables. The referee will brief the “Athlete Support” individuals as to where they’re allowed to pass out fluids/food/etc.
Credentialed “Athlete Support” individuals may go outside the End-of-Zone limits to retrieve a liquid or food container only after the bottle or container has hit the ground. In a similar fashion, “Athlete Support” for the athlete is responsible for the removal of all trash generated.
The event directors are responsible for ensuring that there is adequate generic water for mixing dry powders and having ice on hand for use by the Athlete Support personnel.
In addition to the personal aid station there will be a generic water station and a sponge station (two generic water stations are permitted on a 2k, or longer, course and should be provided on warm days). The first generic aid station will be approximately 50 meters past the personal aid station. The second generic water station will be approximately halfway around the course from the personal aid station. The sponge station should follow the second generic water station by approximately 50m.
The event directors will provide the staff for theses locations. The referee shall be responsible for briefing these individuals with regard to passing out the water, retrieving sponges and disposing of waste cups, and the end-of-zone limits. These end-of-zone limits should be similar to the Personal aid station – 25 meters before and after the station’s tables.