AZT 300 Rules (adapted/stolen from greatdividerace.com)
The general idea is to race the Arizona Trail, under only your own power, and to be self supported between towns. Once in a town, you can buy a meal, stock up on trail grub, even get a room for a shower and some quality sleep. The overriding principle is simply to do it all yourself. All of the pedaling, pushing, bike wrenching, food buying (and eating...), water filtering, suffering, and all logistical figuring. Do. It. Yourself. Prearranged outside support is not allowed. This includes, but is not limited to, assistance with navigation, delivery of supplies, lighting, or lodging. Competitors can stock up on food and other items at stores along the route. If you need something that you didn't bring or can't find on the route, you may have the item(s) shipped to you: * via a commercial delivery service (UPS, Fed-Ex, DHL, Airborne, or USPS) * to a commercial address (hotel, motel, restaurant, post office, bike shop). This means that NO, you cannot have a friend deliver anything to you, and NO you cannot have anything shipped to a friend's house along the way. Commercial shipping, to a commercial address, period. Competitors may only advance on the route via their own power. If your bike breaks, you can continue to the next town on foot. Competitors may, in the case of an emergency, mechanical or other unforeseeable problems, be assisted by motorized transport (hitchhiking) in moving backward or off-route, but MAY NOT, under any circumstances, be transported forward on the route. Once you've solved your mechanical issue, you must then rejoin the route exactly where you left it, and you must do this under your own power. Again, you MAY NOT be transported forward on the route, even if you've already ridden that stretch. This is a solo competition, but during the race it is likely that some racers may choose to travel together. This IS permitted. HOWEVER, racers MAY NOT draft other racers and MUST maintain seperate gear. The intent of these rules is to establish an equal and fair opportunity for all racers, and to eliminate any advantage gained by those who live near to or have friends/family along the route. One last word on the rules: The original intent of this race was to ride the route as fast as possible in the simplest/purest style possible. As time has gone on people have begun looking for loopholes within the rules that'll save them time on the course. This is human nature and all of us do it in different ways in our everyday lives. With respect to the race, we ask that you please consider the long term ramifications of finding and using loopholes--the race will only get 'easier' and (conversely) require more rules/regulations as time goes on. This goes against all of the principles that the race was founded on. People: please don't bring The Race down to your level--elevate yourself to the level of The Race. If you find yourself looking for loopholes, consider taking another year to prepare before racing. Most likely you'll go faster and enjoy it more as a result. QUESTIONS? Better to ask before the race starts.