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THE 99 / Event rules

Event
rules.

Organised by Harties Trail Experience (Pty) Ltd (“the Organiser”). These rules govern participation in THE 99 and should be read together with the Entry Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy.

1. Format

  1. THE 99 is an elimination endurance event. A maximum of 99 runners take part.
  2. The course is a single 1 km lap, run repeatedly.
  3. A new lap starts every 15 minutes, on the Organiser's clock, regardless of whether individual runners have finished the previous lap.
  4. At the close of each lap, the runner last to cross the lap line is eliminated from the event.
  5. Eliminated runners take no further part in the event and may not re-enter that edition once eliminated.
  6. The event continues, lap by lap, until one runner remains. That runner is the winner.
  7. If all remaining runners are eliminated at the same time and no single runner remains on course, no winner is declared and no prize money is awarded.
  8. A winner is declared only where exactly one runner remains. There is no second place, third place or any other placing recognised or awarded.
  9. The event may run for up to approximately 24 hours and up to approximately 100 km. Exact duration and distance depend entirely on the field's performance.

2. Eligibility

  1. Entrants must be 18 years of age or older as at the date of the event. No exceptions will be made.
  2. Entrants must provide accurate identifying information at entry, including full name, ID number and date of birth, for verification purposes.
  3. The Organiser reserves the right to refuse or withdraw an entry where eligibility requirements are not met, or where information provided is false or incomplete.

3. Lap cut-off and elimination procedure

  1. Timing is determined by the Organiser's official timing system. The Organiser's recorded lap order is final.
  2. A runner completes a lap once they cross the designated lap line, as recorded by the official timing system.
  3. In the event of a technology failure, dispute or unclear finish order, the Organiser's race officials will make a final determination. This determination is not open to appeal.
  4. A runner who fails to start a lap, withdraws mid-lap or is unable to continue is treated as eliminated for that lap.
  5. A runner found to have cut the course, missed a lap or otherwise gained an unfair advantage will be immediately disqualified.

4. Conduct

  1. Runners must conduct themselves safely and with respect toward other runners, event staff, marshals, medical personnel, spectators and production crew at all times.
  2. Any act of interference with another runner's progress, whether deliberate or reckless, may result in immediate disqualification.
  3. Runners must comply with all instructions given by event officials, marshals and medical staff, including instructions to stop, slow down or withdraw on safety grounds.
  4. The Organiser may disqualify or withdraw any runner where it reasonably believes continued participation poses a risk to that runner's health or safety, or to others.

5. Medical and safety

  1. Entrants confirm at entry that they are fit and healthy enough to participate in a 24-hour trail endurance event, by way of a self-declared fitness statement. No medical certificate is required.
  2. Medical support will be available on course throughout the event. Runners experiencing injury, illness or distress should alert a marshal or medical official immediately.
  3. A decision by medical staff that a runner should not continue is final and will result in that runner's withdrawal from the event.
  4. The event takes place on trail terrain, at night as well as during the day, and carries the inherent risks of trail running. Runners participate at their own risk.

6. Production, livestream and media

  1. THE 99 is livestreamed in full, including drone footage of the course and on-camera interviews with runners, including eliminated runners and runners still competing.
  2. By entering, runners consent to being filmed, photographed and interviewed throughout the event, and to that footage being broadcast live and used afterward in promotional, editorial and archival material by the Organiser and its production partners.
  3. Runners are not entitled to payment, royalties or any other compensation for their appearance in event footage, beyond their entry into the event itself.
  4. Confirmed runners will have a public profile page on the event website, built from the information provided at entry and used to support the event's storytelling.

7. Changes to these rules

  1. The Organiser may amend these rules ahead of the event where necessary for safety, fairness or operational reasons, and will communicate any material change to entered runners.
  2. The Organiser's decision on any matter arising during the event that is not explicitly covered by these rules is final.

If there is any conflict between these rules and the Entry Terms and Conditions, the Entry Terms and Conditions take precedence on matters of payment, refunds and liability.