Q: I'm not able to run a race I registered for. What are my options?
A: Please email us to let us know as soon as you know. [Please note: Unless there are extreme extenuating circumstances, we require at least one full week's notice, and can't offer transfer credit if you email us the day before the race, or anytime during race-week.] We will give you a coupon code to use the next time you register for one of our other awesome races. The coupon code will give you a free entry. [Please note: If you are wanting to transfer from a shorter distance into a longer one, you'll need to pay the difference in the registration price. Also: If you want to order a t-shirt or other items like lodging, however, those items will not be free.] If you already paid for a t-shirt, let us know size/gender and we will manually add you to the shirt order for your new race. Again, the more notice the better, as we have to place t-shirt orders weeks in advance of the races themselves.
Q: Do you do refunds?
A: No, except in very rare cases (such as if you're from another continent, or you're never going to run another race the rest of your life) or for lodging (assuming you give us at least one week's notice). If you're seeking a refund for lodging and are providing us with at least a week's notice, please email us and we can send you a check in the mail.
Q: Can I transfer or sell my entry to someone else?
A: No.
Q: Can I switch from one distance to another?
A: Usually no, but if the race you want to switch to is not sold out, then probably yes [but no guarantees]. Typically, the 50k and the 25k distances are actually two different races on two different days under two different permits. Which means that once a race is sold-out, we can't switch runners in between distances/days, per our permit numbers and regulations. To find out if the race is sold out or not, please go to UltraSignup and search for the race you're interested in; if the race is sold out, UltraSignup will show that. If the race is not already sold out, please email us and we will switch you. [Please note: If you are wanting to transfer from a shorter distance into a longer one, you'll need to pay the difference in the registration price.]
Q: Your race is sold out. Can I run it anyhow?
A: The trails we use will always be open to the public on race-day, BUT it is not cool to bandit a trail race for numerous reasons: We/the parks set the limits on the number of runners in the race for good reasons (limiting environmental impact, limiting the impacts on other trail users, limited parking at trailheads, and of course for overall runner and volunteer safety), and if something goes wrong we will still be somewhat responsible for you even if you're not officially in the race. We also have limited supplies at the aid stations and the finish-line, with quantities based on the expected number of participants--if you're not officially in the race and running as a "bandit" we won't have allotted for food and water for you on the course, so if you take some anyhow you're possibly taking that food and water away from registered runners. See again: Not awesome. The best solution to this scenario? Come volunteer at the race you wish you'd signed up for, and then you can sign up to run the race next year!
Q: I noticed "cut-offs" on the info page for [insert name of] race. What are cut-offs, and why do you need them?
A: Cut-offs are designated times by which runners need to have ARRIVED AND LEFT a particular aid station to continue receiving support while on the course. If, for instance, the second aid station cut-off is set at noon, this means you would need to have left the aid station - and be back out on the course - before noon. We set these cut-offs for several reasons: 1) We want to ensure we don't take advantage of our volunteers' time. Many of our volunteers have already been at their respective aid stations (or at the finish line) for hours and hours. 2) We want to ensure our runners' safety. Generally, if as a runner you don't make a cut-off, it means you're no longer on pace to finish during daylight hours; if something were to happen to you in the dark, getting you help becomes much more difficult, and may put other individuals at risk. We want to keep all of our runners and volunteers as safe as possible, and the cut-offs help with that. 3) We want to celebrate every individual runner's accomplishment (even if you missed a cut-off, simply having the guts to run a Rainshadow race is a worthy accomplishment!) at the finish line with high-fives and a great post-race party. No one on the Rainshadow team goes home until all the runners are accounted for, all the volunteers are back, and the sweepers have cleared the course. We want you there to celebrate with us, not out in the dark by yourself.
Q: What happens if I don't make a cut-off?
A: As these cut-off times are for your safety and the sake of our gracious volunteers, we appreciate your cooperation. If you don't leave the aid station before the cut-off time, please respect the volunteers, and save the rest of the run for another day. We'll help you find a ride back to the start/finish, and we of course want you to join the post-race party. The course will be just as challenging next year! If you decide not to party with us, we'll of course understand - but we'd love to help you celebrate however far you did run; we're equally supportive of all of our runners, and want to celebrate you! In the event you decide to ignore the volunteers and decide to keep running, however, we'll be far less supportive. If you continue running after the cut-offs, you will 1) not get an official finish, 2) will no longer be considered a participant in the race, 3) may no longer have a marked course to follow, and 4) will basically be on your own. Additionally, as you will have now made yourself a liability and safety concern, you may no longer be allowed to run Rainshadow races.
Q: I would like to volunteer. How do I get signed up to volunteer?
A: For all of our upcoming races we will be using the online site www.VolunteerSpot.com to allow runners more freedom to self-select their volunteer positions. Click here to browse our current volunteer oppourtunities. If you don't see the race you're interested in listed check back in the week or two before race registration is scheduled to open. If you have specific questions about volunteering, or want to talk to our Volunteer Coordinators about a specific volunteer role, please email them at volunteer@RainshadowRunning.com.
Q: I'm volunteering out of the kindness of my heart and my love of the sport/community but is there anything else I get out of this?
A: Yes! All volunteers are highly encouraged to join us at the post-race party where all volunteers get to eat and drink for free. Also all volunteers earn a discount or free race entry depending on how long your volunteer shift is for--basically for every hour you volunteer you get $10 off of your race fee at the next race you register for. So for example if you volunteer for four hours you'll get a coupon code for $40 off your entry fee. Additionally, these coupon codes do not expire, can be used at any of our races, and can even be given to a friend or family member if you don't want to use it. Just let us know if you want to let someone else use your volunteer code!
Q: But what about sold-out races or lotteries? How do my volunteer credits work then?
A: If a race is already sold out, a volunteer coupon code won't get you in. Volunteer coupon codes also don't guarantee entry into any race that has a lottery, though if your name is chosen in the lottery, you can use your coupon code toward the registration fee. The only way to get a guaranteed entry into a lottery race is to either 1) have volunteered at the prior year's race, or 2) volunteer for the current year's race. For example, the 2014 Gorge Waterfalls was a lottery race. The only way you could have guaranteed entry into the 2014 Gorge Waterfalls 50k, for instance, would be to have either volunteered at the 2013 Gorge Waterfalls 50k or by volunteering at the 2014 Gorge Waterfalls 100k.
Q: What is the date of BLANK race?
A: The full 2014 race calendar can be found below. For 2015, it's generally a safe assumption the race will be on the same weekend as in 2014, but nothing is ever 100% certain until all necessary race permits are procured and such.
Eastsound, WA
Eastsound, WA
Cascade Locks, OR
Cascade Locks, OR
Ellensburg, WA
Ellensburg, WA
Winthrop, WA
Winthrop, WA
June 8: Beacon Rock 50K/25K
North Bonneville, WA
Carlton, WA
Carlton, WA
Oct 18: Oregon Coast 50k
Yachats, OR (Web page Coming Soon)
Oak Harbor, WA
Oak Harbor, WA
A: Below is a list of approximate dates for registration opening for the upcoming races. You also may want to sign up for our email list to make sure you get notified as exact dates are set.
2014 Orcas Island -- September 2013
Gorge Waterfalls -- 50k is sold out; 100k not yet sold out as of 2/7/14
Yakima Skyline -- mid-February
Sun Mountain -- mid-February
Beacon Rock -- mid-February
Angels Staircase -- mid-March
Oregon Coast -- early May
Deception Pass -- early July
2015 Orcas Island -- September 2014
2015 Gorge Waterfalls - November 2014
Q: How can I stay informed with everything that Rainshadow Running does?
A: Besides our email list or getting a job at the NSA (haha), we're also all over social media. Check us out either by clicking the icons at the top right of this page, or through any of the links below:
