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Kit a Diogelwch – Kit & Safety

Ras Copaon 1000m Cymru – Welsh 1000m Peaks Race

Checkpoints and Tracking/Timing

Due to the long, linear distance and high terrain covered in the Welsh 1000m Peaks Race, electronic timing and tracking equipment from Racetek Live is used. This system gives the Race Organiser, Race Event Base and Race Marshals key data on competitors’ last known locations/time at location and if someone is losing pace or overdue at a location.

There will also be a live feed to this information on display at Race Event Base where competitors can return to for refreshments and Prize Giving – please come and see us all after the race!

Competitors wear a flexible, comfortable silicon Race Wristband to ‘dib’ into the electronic Dibbers held by Race Marshals or mounted at Checkpoints. The Dibbers look like large mobile phones and make a ‘beep’ noise with successful dibbing. Practice Dibbers will be available at Race Registration to check this process.

Welsh 1000m Peaks Race - Dibbers
Welsh 1000m Peaks Race - Participant wristbands

Navigation and Personal Responsibility

The Welsh 1000m Peaks Race is organised in accordance with Welsh Fell Runners Association (WFRA) guidelines and continues to support the adventure of ‘map and compass’ navigating, relying on personal competence and experience in mountainous terrain, without the use of digital or GPS/GPX technology to progress through the unmarked courses. Hence, the race offers excellent opportunities to practise and gain confidence with the skills associated with ‘mountain and fell running’.

View the WFRA declaration that competitors agree to, upon entry:

I accept the hazards inherent in fell running and acknowledge that I am entering and running at my own risk.

I confirm that I am aware of the rules imposed on me by the Race Organiser and that I will comply with them. I confirm that I have read and will comply with, “Safety Requirements for Competitors” I acknowledge and agree that I am responsible for determining whether I have the skills, equipment and fitness to participate in this event.

I accept that neither the Race Organiser nor the Welsh Fell Runners’ Association shall be liable to me for any injury, loss or damage of any nature to me or my property arising out of my participation in this race (other than in respect of death or personal injury as result of negligence).

I consent to publication of my name, club, race category, race number, finishing time and race position in race pre-entry and results lists.

Read more about WFRA GPS Policy »

Minimum Race Kit Requirements

Specific weather conditions may influence competitor decisions about personal kit, but the Minimum Race Kit must be carried, based on the long, linear nature of the high mountain courses. The race also finishes at 1085m above sea level and competitors must have adequate layers to safeguard against rapid cooling at this height, even in fair weather.

The Race Organiser and Race Marshals reserve the right to conduct a Kit Check at any time before or during the race, including at the finish on Yr Wyddfa.

Any competitor found not carrying all items listed as ‘Minimum Race Kit’ will be disqualified:

The race finishes on the summit of Yr Wyddfa. Please note that Yr Wyddfa Visitor Centre Café is not always open. Competitors must have sufficient energy/water and the ‘Minimum Race Kit’ extra layers available at the summit, and for the descent from Yr Wyddfa. There should be no reliance on Race Marshals being able to provide food/drink/shelter by default.

Provision is made for unforeseen circumstances, and this is very limited. Competitors are not able to purchase ‘single descent’ tickets from Snowdon Mountain Railway, descent is made on foot.

Welsh 1000m Peaks Race - Descent from Carnedd Llewellyn
Welsh 1000m Peaks Race - Recovering lost fluids
Welsh 1000m Peaks Race - Runners racing across rough terrain

Mountain Weather Forecasts

Check links here to plan for expected conditions on race day:

Bad Weather – Long and Short Course Options

At the Race Organiser’s discretion, a Bad Weather Course may be implemented for Long and/or Short course and this decision will be shared (at the very latest) at Race Registration. In this instance, Bad Weather Course information and routes would be made available prior to the race (if possible) and at Race Registration, so information can be marked on maps.

Decisions regarding Bad Weather Courses seek to prioritise the safety and well-being of all Race Marshals and competitors, especially over high ground for long periods of time. Some severe ‘summer’ weather circumstances (including very extreme heat or threat of lightning) may affect Bad Weather Course implementation.

Awareness of Hazards and Risk

The Welsh 1000m Peaks Race Long and Short Course take place over rugged, mountainous terrain and through busy valleys. There are significant potential risks of injury or loss, which can arise from the following hazards:

The Race Organiser has a ‘duty of care’ to ensure that reasonably foreseeable risks are mitigated as far as possible, and commensurate with the characteristics of a fell race. Self-sufficiency and self-navigation (without the assistance of technologies such as GPS), are central to the ethos of fell running and especially fell racing. Factors including weather and terrain mean that fell racing takes place in a potentially hazardous environment.

The philosophy of fell running is that each competitor is responsible for their own safety and that they enter a race with this understanding and that they equip and conduct themselves accordingly. Visit WFRA for further information.

Race Rules

Race Organisers are required to organise their races in accordance with the WFRA’s requirements. If requirements are not met, the WFRA may withdraw insurance cover for a particular race or impose other sanctions.

As a condition for entering any WFRA race, the competitor shall:

  1. comply with these safety rules and any additional race specific safety rules imposed by the Race Organiser (RO).
  2. follow the procedures described by the RO if they fail to start or if they abandon the race.
  3. obey all instructions from race officials.
  4. be aware of the serious disabling consequences of hypothermia, dehydration and heat exhaustion and act appropriately during the race.
  5. carry sufficient kit, e.g. full body and leg cover which gives protection from the effects of wind chill and safety equipment, (including food and drink) throughout the race to be able to navigate and provide protection from hypothermia, or dehydration and heat in the worst foreseeable weather conditions during the race, noting that rescue could take a long time.
  6. take note of the length and severity of the race and local weather forecast for the day and judge their capabilities accordingly.
  7. consider how any health impairments may jeopardise their safety or of others and act accordingly.
  8. take specific note of RO’s information on the nature of the terrain on the race route, checkpoints to be visited or course to be followed and any restrictions to route choice.
  9. have the skills, experience and equipment required to comply with the RO’s navigation and safety requirements, having assessed conditions on the day noting that the use of GPS devices for navigational purposes is prohibited.
  10. take reasonable care not to create hazards that may cause harm to other people and support anyone in need of assistance, even if it means abandoning their race.

Further specific rules of the Welsh 1000m Peaks Race, as directed by the Race Organiser:

  • Any competitor seen leaving litter on the course or crossing walls/fences other than at public access crossing points will be disqualified
  • Any competitor knowingly entering Out of Bounds areas to gain competitive advantage will be disqualified
  • Any competitor found not be carrying all items listed as ‘Minimum Race Kit’ will be disqualified
  • If retiring from the race anywhere on the course, competitors must report to the next Race Marshal position, if possible, and hand in Race Wristband and Race Number. Contact must also be made to the Race Organiser by phone to confirm decision, and follow any instructions given by the Race Organiser
  • A charge of £40 is made to any competitor who fails to hand in their Race Wristband to a Race Marshal/Race Organiser and departs the race in possession of it
  • Only official Assistance Dogs are allowed to run with competitors
  • Any ‘disqualifications’ will be reported to the WFRA for potential breach of competitor rules which may lead to a discipline hearing