VALKYRIE RELAY — MASTER RACE BIBLE

1 · Document control

How to read this document

Two markers appear throughout. They are deliberately conspicuous.

A rule marked `[RULE — provisional]` is in force now and stays in force unless the named external party (timing vendor, water-safety lead, counsel, permit authority) requires a change. Any such change is issued as a bulletin (§27) to every captain.

Rule numbering

Permanent and never reused, so an official can cite one on an incident form and an appeal can reference it years later.

• VLK-nn.nn — general rules
• VLK-XXX-nn — discipline rules, XXX = leg code
• PEN-nn — penalty matrix entries

A rule may be superseded or withdrawn. Its number retires with it.

Version scheme

0.1 outline · 0.3 complete architecture · `1.0` initial public release · 1.1 clarification · 2.0 material rule change

2 · How to use this Bible

This Bible holds the permanent governing rules. Anything that changes year to year — schedules, parking, packet pickup, start times, current maps, race-week logistics — lives in the Athlete & Wingmate Guide, not here. That separation is deliberate: a late permit change must never create a contradiction inside the permanent rules.

Every substantive rule states five things:

A rule that cannot state its enforcement is not a rule. It is advice, and it is labelled as such.

If you read only three things: your leg's field card (§30), the emergency card (§29), and the cutoff table (§22).

3 · Change log

4 · Controlling-document hierarchy

`VLK-01.01` [RULE] When two sources conflict, the higher authority controls:

1. Emergency directions from law enforcement, fire, EMS, venue personnel, or Race Command — immediately controlling, always, without exception
2. The registration terms and waiver accepted at registration, published at valkyrierelay.com/terms
3. This Master Race Bible
4. The Athlete & Wingmate Guide
5. Official race bulletins issued after publication
6. The mandatory pre-race briefing
7. Race-day instructions from authorised officials

Reason: an athlete standing in front of an official during a lightning hold must not have to reason about document precedence. Everything else can be adjudicated afterward.

`VLK-01.02` [RULE] Items 5–7 may not enlarge or reduce a competitive right established in items 2–4. They direct conduct on the day. A substantive competition change is issued as a bulletin (§27) to all teams — never applied verbally to one.

`VLK-01.03` [RULE] A safety instruction is always immediately controlling regardless of its position in this hierarchy. Comply first; protest afterward (§26).

`VLK-01.04` [RULE] This Bible binds athletes, team captains, Wingmates, and any person accompanying a team in a support capacity. Reason: Wingmates drive vehicles on open public roads around athletes; a rulebook that does not reach them does not reach the highest third-party risk in the event. Enforcement: a Wingmate violation is attributed to the team (PEN-14).

5 · Definitions

Leg codes: TRL Trail Run · MTB Mountain Bike · SUP Stand-Up Paddle · SWM Open-Water Swim · RCY Road Cycle · PAD River Paddle · RDR Road Run

6 · Event overview

`VLK-02.01` [RULE] The Valkyrie Multisport Relay is a seven-discipline team relay held at Durango, Colorado, in two formats — Full and Sprint — contested by a team of 5 to 8 athletes against one clock. The Solo Ultra Heptathlon is the same course, Full or Sprint, completed by one athlete.

`VLK-02.02` [RULE] Event date: Saturday, September 18, 2027. Start location: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, on permit]

`VLK-02.03` Event closure: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, on permits and the night-running question (G1-7)]

Course summary

Why no distances appear. Legacy figures exist, but independent timing data contradicts the Road Cycle leg across three teams, and the old site carried two stats blocks that disagree. No distance is published until a measured source confirms it. A wrong distance in a rulebook is worse than an absent one — athletes plan gear, pacing and travel against it.

Locations

Named venues, trailheads and roads are published in the Athlete & Wingmate Guide after permits are held. Until then the only published location is Durango, Colorado.

7 · Course sequence

`VLK-03.01` [RULE — provisional, pending timing-vendor and water-safety confirmation] The course is sequential. Legs are run one at a time, in this order, by one athlete at a time, with the timing device handed forward at each exchange:

Trail Run → Mountain Bike → Stand-Up Paddle → Open-Water Swim → Road Cycle → River Paddle → Road Run

Basis: the 2025 timing results and the prior platform's leg configuration both place Road Cycle fifth. The old website's concurrent water branch is retired. Owner ruling G1-1, 2026-09-20.

`VLK-03.02` [RULE] Controlled override starts (§23) are the only permitted departure from strict sequence. Any leg with a daylight, venue or permit deadline may carry a published override time.

`VLK-03.03` [RULE] Course-integrity rules (§12) apply to every leg.

`VLK-03.04` [RULE] Athletes and their equipment must be present and ready at the exchange before the incoming athlete arrives. Reason: the event does not transport athletes between exchanges; a team positions its own people. Enforcement: PEN-04.

8 · Official course and route hierarchy

`VLK-04.01` [RULE] When course sources disagree, this order controls:

1. On-course marking, and the directions of officials on the day
2. The official map published for the current version
3. The published GPX / track file
4. The narrative course description

`VLK-04.02` [RULE] GPX and track files are backup for navigation, not a substitute for on-course marking. An athlete who follows a stale track off the marked course has deviated.

`VLK-04.03` [RULE] Athletes are responsible for knowing their leg. Course familiarity is an athlete obligation, not an organiser guarantee. Reason: markings change up to race morning for weather, hazards and permit conditions. Only the physical course is authoritative.

`VLK-04.04` [RULE] One map system is declared official each year in the Athlete Guide. Where two systems publish the same leg, the one named in the current Guide controls.

9 · Universal athlete conduct

`VLK-05.01` [RULE] Athletes must always race on the marked or intended course. No shortcuts and no cutting corners — including when passing. Enforcement: PEN-08.

`VLK-05.02` [RULE] Athletes must complete their leg and exchange before their leg closes.

`VLK-05.03` [RULE] Prohibited on closed portions of the course: strollers, roller or inline skates, skateboards, scooters, bicycles outside the cycling legs, dogs other than service animals, unregistered participants, and travel against race traffic. Athletes are responsible for informing their own spectators.

`VLK-05.04` [RULE] Athletes must assist, or summon assistance for, any person in danger on the course. Time lost giving genuine assistance is credited on application to the Race Director.

Reason: an athlete must never face a competitive disincentive to helping someone in trouble. This is the single most important rule in the document.

`VLK-05.05` [RULE] Athletes must obey officials, law enforcement, fire, EMS and venue personnel immediately. Refusal is a major violation (PEN-12).

`VLK-05.06` [RULE] The event may disqualify an athlete, and may request law-enforcement removal, where continued participation could result in serious or fatal injury.

`VLK-05.07` — Audio devices. [RULE] Devices covering both ears are prohibited on the Road Cycle and Road Run legs and at every road crossing. Bone-conduction and single-ear devices are permitted everywhere. Officials and Wingmates may use radios. Reason: hearing traffic, officials and other athletes — and it is objectively observable by a marshal, which "discouraged" is not. Enforcement: PEN-04; refusal to remove on instruction, PEN-12.

`VLK-05.08` [RULE] Ride right, pass left. On any shared or open-road segment, athletes travel on the right and move left only to complete a pass.

`VLK-05.09` [RULE] Centreline rule. On open-road segments, athletes may not cross the centreline. Per-segment application is published in the Athlete Guide.

`VLK-05.10` — Outside assistance. [RULE] One rule for all seven legs:

• Help of any kind from a person not on your roster — food, drink, gear, moving your equipment — is permitted only inside a published support zone.
• Mechanical help (a pump, a tool, a spare part, a hand with a repair) may be accepted from anyone, anywhere it is safe and does not obstruct the course.
• No pacing. No non-competing person may run, ride or paddle alongside an athlete to set pace.
• No towing, pushing, or drafting behind a non-competing vehicle, rider or craft.
• Assistance from an official or safety staff is always permitted and is recorded.

Reason: self-supported between zones is the standard in trail, gravel and adventure racing; nobody is disqualified for a borrowed pump. Enforcement: PEN-16; towing or pacing that materially advances a team, PEN-08.

10 · Sportsmanship, conduct and community

`VLK-06.01` [RULE] Harassment, abuse, threats or discriminatory conduct toward any athlete, volunteer, official, resident or member of the public is prohibited. Enforcement: PEN-15 — disqualification and removal, with possible exclusion from future events.

`VLK-06.02` [RULE] Abuse of officials or volunteers is a major violation. Volunteers are not competitors and may not be argued with on course — use the protest process (§26).

`VLK-06.03` [RULE] The course runs through residential neighbourhoods, city streets and public recreation areas. Teams are responsible for their own conduct and their Wingmate's conduct regarding noise, parking, sanitation and property.

`VLK-06.04` [RULE] Property damage is a major violation and may be referred to law enforcement.

`VLK-06.05` [RULE] Quiet hours and community zones are published in the Athlete Guide. Engine idling, amplified sound and horn use are prohibited in designated residential zones. Reason: a relay that annoys the community it runs through loses its permits.

11 · Environmental stewardship

`VLK-07.01` [RULE] Littering is prohibited on every leg — gel wrappers, bottles, tape, packaging, equipment debris. Enforcement: PEN-05; deliberate littering is PEN-15.

`VLK-07.02` [RULE] Waste must be carried to an aid station, transition or the finish.

`VLK-07.03` [RULE] Athletes must stay on the marked route. Cutting switchbacks damages the trail systems the event depends on and is also a course-integrity violation (VLK-05.01).

`VLK-07.04` [RULE] Wildlife must not be approached, fed or harassed. Yield and give space.

`VLK-07.05` [RULE] Watercraft, boards and footwear used on any water leg are subject to the aquatic-invasive-species requirements in force at the venue. Specific requirements: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: permitting, from the venue]

`VLK-07.06` [RULE] Human waste. Athletes and Wingmates use provided facilities. Roadside or trailside urination in residential or trailhead areas is a community violation (PEN-06).

12 · Course integrity and proof of passage

`VLK-08.01` [RULE] Athletes must pass every checkpoint and timing point on their leg.

`VLK-08.02` [RULE] A missed checkpoint is a competitive violation. Enforcement: PEN-09.

`VLK-08.03` [RULE] Where a leg uses a verification phrase or code issued on course, the athlete must report it at the exchange. Which legs carry one, and the fallback if an athlete misses it: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: Race Director (D-35/D-36)]

Reason: a remote water leg cannot be marshalled end-to-end. A code proves passage where a person cannot stand.

`VLK-08.04` [RULE] Deliberately shortening a course, skipping a checkpoint to gain time, or misreporting a verification code is falsification — PEN-15.

`VLK-08.05` [RULE] Placement when a course is not completed as directed. A team that does not complete the course as directed is placed by: furthest point reached before the first missed checkpoint, then most checkpoints reached, then fastest time.

13 · Event formats, divisions, eligibility and awards

`VLK-13.01` [RULE] Formats. Relay Full · Relay Sprint · Solo Ultra Heptathlon Full · Solo Ultra Heptathlon Sprint. Duo and Trio formats and the Utah-era HMAR/MARA categories are retired and are not offered in 2027. (Ultra Relay for 2–4 athletes is deferred to 2028, VLK-DEC-0143.)

`VLK-13.02` [RULE] Team size. A relay team has 5 to 8 athletes. Every leg must be covered. An athlete may race more than one leg. One non-competing Wingmate may be added to any roster (§18).

`VLK-13.03` [RULE] Divisions and awards. Full and Sprint are scored separately. Awards go to the top three in each division:

A team declares its division at registration and may change it up to the roster deadline. A team may be eligible for more than one division and is awarded in each. Eligibility is verified at packet pickup against the roster.

`VLK-13.04` [RULE] A team that drops below five athletes mid-race, or cannot cover a remaining leg, continues as Unranked rather than being removed, provided it can still complete safely.

14 · Registration, rosters, waivers and substitutions

`VLK-14.01` [RULE] The registration terms published at `valkyrierelay.com/terms` are the controlling agreement. This Bible summarises; where they differ, the terms control.

`VLK-14.02` [RULE] Substitutions. Teammates may be changed freely and at no charge up to packet pickup. A replacement athlete signs all waivers and completes the same check-in as the rest of the team.

`VLK-14.03` [RULE] Roster deadline. Team name, roster and leg assignments may be changed by the captain, at no charge, until Friday, August 27, 2027. After that, substitutions continue (VLK-14.02) but leg assignments and team details are fixed.

`VLK-14.04` [RULE] Mid-race replacement. If an athlete is injured or cannot continue, the team must inform a course referee or race organiser. The replacement restarts that leg from its previous exchange and must wear a bib matching the team. Reason: removes the competitive advantage of a fresh substitution while allowing a team to continue.

`VLK-14.05` [RULE] No athlete may withdraw solely so a faster athlete can replace them. Enforcement: PEN-15.

`VLK-14.06` [RULE] Where a team's remaining athletes cover an injured athlete's leg, the leg is not split except the leg in which the injury occurred.

`VLK-14.07` [RULE] A team member need be present only for their own leg and its exchanges. Whole-event presence is not required.

`VLK-14.08` [RULE] No fee is charged for any registration change. The price shown at registration is the only amount a racer is ever charged for entry (VLK-DEC-0147).

15 · Minors, guardians and adaptive participation

`VLK-15.01` [RULE — provisional, pending counsel and insurer review] Minimum age is set per discipline:

Reason: the risk profile of a trail run and a Class III river paddle are not comparable; a single event-wide age necessarily gets one of them wrong. Owner ruling D-08, 2026-09-20. These ages are the rule Valkyrie asks counsel and its insurer to confirm; if either requires a change, it is issued as a bulletin.

Where this is enforced. Registration opens at the lowest age any leg allows — 12 to join a relay team, 18 for the Solo Ultra Heptathlon — because a 12-year-old may legitimately race a run leg. The per-leg ages above are enforced when legs are assigned, not at registration: the leg board and roster tool will not let a racer under 16 be placed on the paddleboard, swim or river paddle, or a racer under 14 on the mountain bike or road cycle, and dates of birth are checked against leg assignments at packet pickup (VLK-DEC-0169).

`VLK-15.02` [RULE] A team with any athlete under 18 must have a captain who is 18 or older. Each minor requires guardian consent (VLK-15.03) and a named supervising adult present for the minor's leg and its exchanges.

`VLK-15.03` [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: legal] Minor waiver — a parental release conforming to C.R.S. §13-22-107. Drafting is scoped in the counsel workstream.

`VLK-15.04` [RULE] Adaptive participation. Requests for reasonable modification are made in writing by June 1, 2027 so equipment, staffing and course access can be arranged. The Race Director decides; a modification never confers a competitive advantage and is recorded in results.

16 · Timing, handoffs and results

`VLK-16.01` [RULE — provisional, pending timing-vendor confirmation] One primary timing device per team, carried through every leg, plus a controlled pool of override devices issued only under §23. Reason: one device is fewer failure modes, fewer handling errors, and one number for an athlete to understand.

`VLK-16.02` [RULE] The device may be worn only by the athlete currently competing. Transfer occurs only within a designated exchange, across a timing mat or in the presence of an official.

`VLK-16.03` [RULE] Timing devices are loaned equipment and must be returned at the finish. Loss, damage or tampering must be reported to the nearest official immediately. The replacement cost for a lost or damaged device is published with the timing details in the Athlete Guide. [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: timing vendor for the cost; legal for the wording (D-24)]

`VLK-16.04` [RULE] Tampering with any timing device is an integrity violation — PEN-15.

`VLK-16.05` [RULE] Official time is elapsed time from the team's format start to the moment its final athlete crosses the finish timing gate. Per-leg splits are published for information and are not separately scored unless a leg award is announced in advance.

`VLK-16.06` [RULE] Tie-breaking: faster final-leg split, then faster swim split.

`VLK-16.07` [RULE] Results are provisional until the protest window closes, then final. Time penalties are applied to official time and shown separately in results.

`VLK-16.08` [RULE] Equipment movement between staging and water is on the clock.

17 · Start structure

`VLK-17.01` [RULE] A team's elapsed time runs from its own format's start, regardless of when its first athlete crosses the line.

`VLK-17.02` Start time, and whether Full and Sprint start together or separately: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: Race Director, in spring 2027 once the field size is known (D-26)]. Historically both formats started at 6:00 am; that is not a rule.

`VLK-17.03` [RULE] Deliberate misrepresentation of expected finishing pace, where it affects wave assignment, is a violation (PEN-04).

18 · Wingmates, vehicles and support

`VLK-18.01` [RULE] Wingmates are governed participants. Each team may register one Wingmate, by name, on its roster. A Wingmate signs the waiver, acknowledges the current version of this Bible at packet pickup, and is subject to the penalty matrix. Violations are attributed to the team.

`VLK-18.02` [RULE] A Wingmate may not pace, shadow or accompany an athlete on course, and may assist only inside published support zones (VLK-05.10). A Wingmate may be present in the exchange area and may hold and stage gear.

`VLK-18.03` [RULE] Each team receives two transferable Vehicle Access and Parking Passes. Additional bivouac vehicles: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations (D-09)]

`VLK-18.04` Vehicle guidance — advice, not a rule. A single passenger vehicle or light truck is recommended. Motorhomes, buses and limousines are strongly discouraged and may be refused entry to a transition on the day at an official's discretion. Dimension limits, if any, are published in the Athlete Guide.

`VLK-18.05` [RULE] Solo Ultra athletes are strongly advised to register a Wingmate. A Solo athlete's equipment shuttle is the athlete's own responsibility.

`VLK-18.06` [RULE] Wingmates obey all traffic law and every direction from officials, law enforcement and venue staff. A vehicle may not follow an athlete along an open roadway. Enforcement: PEN-14.

Note on divergence. Some closed-road events prohibit support vehicles on course entirely. Valkyrie does not — its roads are open, and the Wingmate shuttle is structurally necessary to move seven disciplines' equipment. The divergence is deliberate.

19 · Transition zones

`VLK-19.01` [RULE] Each transition publishes a diagram in the Athlete Guide showing ingress, egress, parking, gear staging, timing mats, the handoff box, mount/dismount lines, toilets, hydration, medical, and restricted areas. Diagrams: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, on permits]

`VLK-19.02` [RULE] Craft and boards must be at staging for the tag-up, not already in the water.

`VLK-19.03` [RULE] Only the competing athlete, the incoming athlete and credentialed officials may enter the handoff box.

`VLK-19.04` [RULE] Abandoned equipment. Gear left in a transition after the leg closes is moved to lost-and-found at the team's risk.

`VLK-19.05` [RULE] No athlete or crew may touch or move another competitor's craft or equipment without permission.

20 · Trail Run · Mountain Bike · Road Cycle · Road Run

`VLK-TRL-01` [RULE] Trail passing: the overtaking athlete calls, the overtaken athlete yields at the first safe point. Neither leaves the marked tread to pass.

`VLK-MTB-01` [RULE] Helmets must be worn and securely fastened at all times while in possession of the bicycle — from the moment it is taken at the exchange to the moment it is racked. Certification standard: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: insurer / medical (D-18)]

`VLK-MTB-02` [RULE] Mountain bike athletes may repair, or accept mechanical help with, their bike at any safe location that does not obstruct the course (VLK-05.10).

`VLK-RCY-01` [RULE] Helmet rule as VLK-MTB-01.

`VLK-RCY-02` [RULE] Road cycle repairs or exchanges may occur at any safe, non-obstructing location off the roadway (VLK-05.10).

`VLK-RCY-03` [RULE] Drafting a non-competing vehicle or rider is prohibited.

`VLK-RCY-04` [RULE] E-bikes and any motor- or pedal-assisted cycle are prohibited in both cycling legs.

`VLK-RDR-01` [RULE] On open roadway without a closed lane, runners travel facing traffic where a shoulder permits, except where an official directs otherwise. Per-segment direction is published in the Athlete Guide.

`VLK-RDR-02` Lighting and reflective gear. [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, once event closure is set (G1-7)] If the final leg runs into civil twilight, a headlamp and reflective vest become mandatory gear and are listed in the equipment matrix.

21 · Water legs — SUP, Swim, River Paddle

Equipment rules

`VLK-SUP-01` [RULE] Every SUP athlete wears a USCG-approved Type 3 or Type 5 PFD, in good working condition, serviceable, without major defect or wear. A Type 5 must be armed and worn. Enforcement: teams in violation are not permitted to start the leg (PEN-12).

`VLK-SUP-02` [RULE] Every SUP athlete is tethered to the board with a leash.

`VLK-SUP-03` [RULE] SUP athletes stand while paddling. Resting seated, kneeling or prone is permitted only without forward progress. More than five strokes while not standing is a violation (PEN-09). Exceptions: discontinuing, or avoiding a hazardous condition.

`VLK-SUP-04` [RULE] Propulsion from paddle, waves and wind only. Sails, wind-catching clothing, drafting a non-competing vessel and other speed devices are prohibited.

`VLK-SUP-05` [RULE] Hard-shell and inflatable boards are both permitted.

`VLK-SWM-01` [RULE] Any stroke, without assistance.

`VLK-SWM-02` [RULE] Flotation devices and snorkels are prohibited, except when discontinuing, receiving assistance, or avoiding a hazardous condition.

`VLK-SWM-03` [RULE — provisional, subject to the water-safety lead] Every team provides its swimmer a spotter in the water, on a canoe, kayak or SUP, keeping pace parallel to the course. Whether the SUP athlete may spot immediately after their own leg: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: water-safety lead (D-16)]

This is Valkyrie policy, not a legal requirement of the venue. Earlier material attributed it to "State Park regulations"; that attribution is withdrawn.

`VLK-SWM-04` [RULE] Swimmers are at the exchange for the tag-up, not already in the water.

`VLK-PAD-01` [RULE] PFD as VLK-SUP-01.

`VLK-PAD-02` [RULE] Approved craft: hard-shell canoes; sit-inside and sit-on-top hard-shell kayaks; PVC or fabric inflatable kayaks; similarly constructed craft for up to two paddlers.

`VLK-PAD-03` [RULE] Prohibited craft: oval inflatable rafts, pedal- or motor-assisted canoes and kayaks, vinyl inflatable toy kayaks, rowboats, sculling boats, stand-up paddleboards.

`VLK-PAD-04` [RULE] Paddlers may portage any rapid they are not comfortable navigating. On foot, by hand, arriving at the takeout with the vessel.

`VLK-PAD-05` [RULE] Boats at staging for the tag-up, not already in the water.

`VLK-WTR-01` [RULE] Distress signals. Paddle in the air, waved or held erect = injured or in danger. Hand raised = need help, not injured. All athletes watch for these and summon safety staff.

`VLK-WTR-02` [RULE] An athlete who receives rescue or forward assistance must report it at the next exchange. Competitive consequence: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: Race Director with the water-safety lead (D-19)]

Thresholds — set by qualified people, not by this document

[NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: Medical Director + Water-Safety Lead (D-10 to D-17, D-20)]

Water temperature and wetsuit policy · wind · lightning detection, suspension radius and resumption · river flow high and low with the governing gauge · smoke and air quality · swimmer qualification · spotter craft specification · river competency · helmets for the river leg · athlete-to-rescuer ratios · the earliest the water may safely open.

Claude verifies; qualified humans author safety content. No water threshold is published until a qualified water-safety professional sets it in writing. No swim schedule is published until the venue's lifeguard hours and the event's own coverage are reconciled in writing (B-02).

22 · Cutoffs, withdrawals and course closure

`VLK-22.01` [RULE] Cutoffs derive from the moment an authority reclaims the course — road reopening, venue closing, safety-coverage ending, permit expiry, civil twilight — never from an estimate of athlete pace. Owner ruling G1-6.

Derivation procedure:

1. Establish the hard constraint — when each authority takes the course back
2. Subtract a clearance buffer for sweep and extraction
3. Back-calculate up the chain so each cutoff is achievable at the slowest permitted pace
4. Validate forward — simulate the slowest team from the start; if it cannot make every cutoff, the chain is wrong
5. Publish three separate columns — venue open · earliest athlete start · hard cutoff
6. Attach to each cutoff: consequence, enforcing official, extraction method, timing treatment

Cutoff times: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, from permit closure hours; published in the Athlete Guide as Appendix B]

`VLK-22.02` [RULE] Missed-cutoff outcome. An athlete who has not reached the exchange by the hard cutoff stops and follows the sweep procedure. The next leg begins under a cutoff override (§23) and the team continues as Unranked where it can still safely complete the remaining legs.

`VLK-22.03` [RULE] Extraction is planned, not assumed. Each cutoff names where a stopped athlete is transported.

`VLK-22.04` [RULE] Withdrawal must be reported — to an official, at a transition, or to Race Command. Failure to report a withdrawal triggers a missing-athlete response and is a violation (PEN-11). Reason: an unreported withdrawal consumes exactly the search resources a genuinely missing athlete needs.

23 · Override starts

`VLK-23.01` [RULE] An override start is the official-directed start of a leg before the incoming athlete has arrived. It is issued only by an official, using a device from the override pool, and is recorded in results.

`VLK-23.02` [RULE] Two kinds, scored differently:

Owner ruling G1-5, 2026-09-20.

`VLK-23.03` [RULE] One override time per leg that carries one, published in the cutoff table (Appendix B) and derived from the same closure chain as the cutoffs. The two historical River Paddle times (3:55 pm and 4:00 pm) are withdrawn. Times: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations, with the cutoff chain]

`VLK-23.04` [RULE] An override start is not a penalty and is not protestable. It exists so every athlete competes in daylight and inside coverage.

24 · Equipment

`VLK-24.01` [RULE] Mandatory equipment must be carried for the whole leg. An athlete found without a mandatory item at any point is in violation (PEN-10; safety-critical items PEN-12).

`VLK-24.02` [RULE] Broken mandatory equipment must be replaced before proceeding beyond the next transition, if still required. It may be borrowed from another team, requested from officials, or otherwise obtained.

`VLK-24.03` [RULE] Equipment may be replaced mid-leg at a safe, non-obstructing location, subject to VLK-05.10.

Equipment matrix

● mandatory · — not applicable · NYD not yet determined, with its decision reference

25 · Officials, violations and the penalty matrix

`VLK-25.01` [RULE] Ordinary competitive penalties are published and predictable. Every violation names its rule number, first-offence consequence, repeat consequence, issuing authority, required documentation, and whether it may be protested.

`VLK-25.02` [RULE] Race Command may stop any participant immediately for safety. Not appealable.

`VLK-25.03` [RULE] Deliberate, repeated or dangerous conduct may be escalated above the default.

`VLK-25.04` [RULE] Three tiers. Every penalty in this matrix is one of: a documented warning, a 15-minute time penalty added to official time, or disqualification. Owner ruling D-27, 2026-09-20. Exact values are reviewed with counsel before the rule freeze (§27); any change is issued as a bulletin.

Penalty matrix

Graded outcomes: warning → 15-minute penalty → Unranked → DQ.

26 · Protests and appeals

`VLK-26.01` [RULE] A team captain may protest a competitive decision affecting their own team.

`VLK-26.02` [RULE] Safety decisions, emergency directions, override starts and course modifications are not protestable.

`VLK-26.03` [RULE] How to protest. In writing, on the official form at the finish, within 30 minutes of the team's finish, with supporting evidence, and a $50 protest fee which is refunded if the protest is upheld. Owner ruling D-28, 2026-09-20.

`VLK-26.04` [RULE] Who decides. The Race Director and two officials, the same day, before results are declared final. The decision is final. There is no further appeal.

`VLK-26.05` [RULE] Results are provisional until the protest window closes and every filed protest is decided.

27 · Version control and amendment

`VLK-27.01` [RULE] Every published version carries version number, effective date, owner and approval status.

`VLK-27.02` [RULE] Historical versions are archived, never overwritten.

`VLK-27.03` [RULE] Rule freeze. Version 1.0 publishes with registration. Non-safety rules freeze on June 1, 2027. After that date only safety, permit or land-manager changes may be issued, each as a bulletin emailed to every team captain. Owner ruling D-41, 2026-09-20.

`VLK-27.04` [RULE] Bulletins issued after a version supersede it. The current change log is authoritative.

`VLK-27.05` [RULE] Athletes, captains and Wingmates acknowledge the current version at packet pickup.

28 · Cancellation, modification and refunds

`VLK-28.01` [RULE] The registration terms at `valkyrierelay.com/terms` are controlling. In summary, and without replacing them:

• Entry fees are not refunded in cash.
• A team or athlete that withdraws in writing by July 20, 2027 receives a deferral credit for the full amount paid, valid for the next edition.
• If Valkyrie cancels the event, including for insufficient registration, every affected participant receives a full deferral credit automatically, without applying.
• The price shown for an entry is the only amount you will ever be charged.

`VLK-28.02` [RULE] The Race Director may neutralise, reroute, shorten, delay or cancel any leg or the event for safety. Neutralised time is recorded and excluded from elapsed time.

`VLK-28.03` [RULE] A course modification is announced by bulletin to all teams simultaneously, never to individual teams verbally.

29 · Emergency card

This section is written to be readable in a hurry, by someone who is frightened.

### 🚨 IF SOMEONE IS SERIOUSLY HURT

1 · Call 911 first. Then notify Race Command.

2 · Do not leave an injured person alone unless it is the only way to summon help.

3 · No cell service? Send another athlete forward to the next aid station, checkpoint or transition.

4 · On the water? Paddle in the air, waved or held erect = injured or in danger. Hand raised = need help, not injured.

5 · Stop when told. Any official, officer, medical provider or Race Command.

6 · If you withdraw, you MUST report it. An unreported withdrawal starts a search.

Race Command: [NOT YET DETERMINED — owner: operations — must never be invented]

`VLK-29.01` [RULE] Weather, fire, smoke, water and course-closure protocols are set by the medical director and water-safety lead and published in the Athlete Guide. [NOT YET DETERMINED — owners named in §21]

`VLK-29.02` [RULE] Athlete accountability. Every athlete on course is accounted for at each timing point. A team that loses contact with its own athlete reports it immediately.

30 · Appendices

Status at v1.0

What makes this document defensible

Nothing is invented. Every distance, time, and threshold that is not established appears as a visible marker with the name of the party who may set it.

Every rule states its enforcement. Rules that cannot are labelled advice.

The safety line is bright. Twelve open items belong to a medical director and a water-safety lead who have not yet been engaged. Until they are, no water threshold, swim schedule or cutoff time is published — and the race is not run.