Race Rules

General

• All Kentucky River 255 (255) racers must attend the mandatory race check-in and safety meeting on Sunday, September 20th. Check-in is from 4-7pm, with the Safety Meeting following from 7-8pm, at the Beattyville Community Center, 500 Happy Top Road, Beattyville, KY 41311.  Racers participating in single day events should look at the single day event addendum.

• The 255 will officially start at 0830 EDT on September 21st 2020. The starting point is the Broadway bridge over the North Fork of the Kentucky River in Beattyville. Boats will stage from the Beattyville Boat Ramp (It is just upstream on Water Street in Beattyville), Mile 254.9 in Beattyville, KY. Boat Ramp address is 100 Water Street, Beattyville, KY. All boats will start together on the river upstream of the bridge. Race starters will be on the bridge.

• The 255 is a stage race in 2020.  It will consist of 12 independently raced stages, each regrouping the entire race at the start.  Racers who wish to race for the overall time prize and have “255 bragging rights” must complete all stages.  However, there are 7 mandatory stages (stages 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12) that racers can complete to compete for points only.  This way they can skip a “non-mandatory” stage, or miss a time cut, but still be allowed to continue in the event! Take a look at the points race addendum below for more info.

• All participants agree to appear in event related media coverage free of charge.

• Infractions of any rule during the 255 will be grounds for time penalties or disqualification to be reasonably and fairly determined by the Race Director.

• All team members should understand that there are serious risks involved in this endeavor. Those risk include, but are not limited to, the large and small power craft on the river; the risk of exhaustion on the water; paddling at night; becoming lost; impediments in the river including strainers, bridge pilings, docks, floating debris, and other unexpected items; lock and dam hazards including, pinning, washing over, or being caught by the lock and dam in some other way; portages over rough and uneven terrain; exiting and entering the water at undeveloped locations; emergencies in an isolated setting; and capsizing in an isolated setting. These risks could result in exposure, injury, pain, emotional discomfort, loss of property, or even death. It is the responsibility of every racer to exercise good judgement at all times and to take precautions for their well-being and be aware of and attempt to manage all risks associated with the event. Constant vigilance, clear thinking, and quick reactions will be essential at all times. The race staff will not be present for the majority of the time and make no claim to keeping racers or their support teams safe. Reasonable steps are being taken to manage the risks inherent in this event, but any attempt to remove all risks would fundamentally change the nature of the event. If anyone is not comfortable with assuming full responsibility for all risks associated with the event, they should not participate. All team members (racers and support personnel) will enter this race at their own risk and will not hold this event’s organizers, judges, officials, or sponsors liable for accidents, loss or damage of property, injury, or loss of life.

• Team leaders must be at least 18 years of age on the start date. Second racers on a tandem team must be at least 16 years of age on the start date and accompanied in their craft by a legal guardian. This same legal guardian must also sign on all paperwork for racers under the age of 18.

• Multiple teams may not share paddlers, however teams may share support crews.

• In formulating the rules that govern this event, every effort has been made to foresee all situations and problems that may rise, however, officials of the 255 retain the right to change or amend these rules at any time without liability or recourse from any party regardless of the circumstances. Should such changes or amendments be made, every effort will be made to notify all entrants.

• All participants in this Event, including paddlers and support must agree to the “American Canoe Association Waiver and Release of Liability” and the race operators "Waiver and Release of Liability".

  Craft Requirements

• Each race craft must be propelled exclusively by paddle power (double or single blade) while on the water. No rowing configuration is permitted. No sail or kite is permitted.  No powered craft is permitted.

• There are no restrictions on the design of the canoe/kayak/SUP.

• The original craft must be paddled from start to finish. Repairs may be made to the craft during the race, but other alterations are not permitted.

• Any part of the craft (rudders, outriggers, etc.) which will be below the water line during any portion of the race must be “on board” from start to finish. A space must be available on each side of the craft close to the bow on which to affix the official race number. Race numbers are to be affixed by the racers themselves, prior to the start of the race.

  On Water

• Overland portages are not allowed except for the planned portages around the locks/dam.

• Outside assistance that provides intentional aid in the forward progress of a Canoe/Kayak/SUP is not allowed. This includes towing, wake riding, deflection of wind and “rafting up”. However, limited interaction between the competitor race craft, as is the case in most canoe and kayak marathon races, is acceptable. This will be restricted to only wake riding and wind deflection. No towing of race craft is permitted.

• Deliberate littering of the river is illegal. Teams must keep their waste in their craft and either transfer it to their support team or go ashore themselves to dispose of it properly.

• Each racer must have in their possession or wear a U.S. Coast Guard approved life preserver at all times while on the water. A whistle and an emergency chemical night light must also be attached to each life preserver at all times. This is per the United States Coast Guard and the Kentucky State Law.

• Boating in the foggy conditions is dangerous and is neither required nor recommended. Assistance from race officials or local emergency management may take hours, especially in adverse conditions, and all racers need to be prepared to self-rescue and hike out if needed.

• Race teams are encouraged to use a satellite based navigation device that does NOT use phone networks for updates. Phone service is extremely limited on the race course. 

• The lock and dam system helps make this race epic, but also poses a significant risk.  Race staff / volunteers will attempt to be present at each lock and dam site. When approaching a lock and dam portage point, please approach on the lock side. All take out’s and put ins are on the lock side to reduce the danger of floating over the dam. There will be signage to alert the boaters of the lock and dam ahead but diligence is needed and knowing your location on the river at all times is absolutely necessary. Use extra caution if boating in low visibility conditions and stay vigilant in these areas.  The lock and dam sites that constitute the finish points for stages will have a timing crew JUST UPSTREAM of the portage take-out.  This is designed to eliminate the problem of backups at portage sites having an impact on racer times. Lock and dam sites that are timed portages will generally fall after enough paddling to largely eliminate this issue, but it remains a possibility. This is simply part of the race, so if you don’t want to wait, get there first.  

• There is one stage that will require boats to be in the water at night time.  Paddling at night exposes boaters to additional risks, and this stage will have additional risk management infrastructure in place.  The following guidelines are provided to minimize the risk of serious injury. Full navigation lights are required for the night stage. This is proscribed by Kentucky State boating law. www.boat-ed.com. This would include red/green lights on the bow and a white stern light. Paddlers should also have an LED or chemical light affixed to PFD in case of emergency. A white light (flashlight) for signaling should also be aboard. The timing cutoff point and dam and lock portage point will be illuminated with some sort of light and with a flag indicating the portage location.

  Portage Sites

• The race includes 14 mandatory portage points.  These are at each of the KRA Lock and Dam sites along the route.  Support crews are encouraged to meet their racers at each accessible portage site.  These portages are difficult, and an integral part of this event.  Therefore, we have specific guidelines for behavior at the portage points including timing, rest, support crew physical assistance, and access.

• The portage sites will largely serve as stopovers between stages throughout the race. Teams will be required to check in with race staff/volunteers at the conclusion of each stage. If a team chooses to withdraw from the race mid-stage, every effort must be made to notify race officials of this withdrawal as soon as possible. If a team arrives at a stage finish after the posted time, race staff/volunteers will inform the team that they have been disqualified from the overall time competition of the race.  They may, however, continue to race in the points race. If the next stage is a mandatory stage for points racers, they must be present by the start of that stage. If it is not, then they must be present at the start of the next mandatory stage to continue racing for points. Any team that chooses to get back in the water under any circumstance not covered in the above options is disqualified and now paddling as an independent paddler and not as a part of the race. They will no longer be insured, checked, or tracked by race officials. 

• There will be designated “camps” where teams and support crews are permitted to sleep, these areas are approved by the KRA and race officials, and will have volunteers on site.  There will be little infrastructure offered (outhouses and water jugs only).  These will simply be grass and hopefully somewhere relatively flat.  Racers may not sleep or camp at other locations on the route, but are permitted to make their own arrangements if they wish to stay off site from the camps (no transportation will be provided).

• A support crew is recommended for every team because event staff cannot transport racers or their boats.  We will have a shuttle to Beattyville on the Sunday morning after the race but this will be an extra charge, and we cannot guarantee your boat’s perfect care during this shuttle.  It would be wise to secure your own transportation if you do not have a support crew. There will not be any transportation for racers between stages or back to the start during the event.  If you plan to race for points, your going to need support at least some of the race.

• We are given permission to use each dam and lock property by the Kentucky River Authority and are expected to follow any rules and regulations on those particular sites. While at those locations, stay off the lock walls and in the designated areas only. There will be clear markings at those locations to identify those areas.

• The portages in this event help make it epic, we want them to be difficult, but not impossible or dangerous.  Many portage landings will be directly onto a steep muddy bank.  Race volunteers will install docks with steps or ladders to help racers in those situations.  Many portage put-ins are on rock or gravel with unsure footing, some are steep, take care in these areas.  The majority of each portage, distance wise, is relatively level grass or concrete walking. 

  • For the three timed portages (at locks 11, 7, and 3) it is permissible for support crews to assist in the act of landing and launching the craft, but if they plan to enter the water, they must wear a PFD.  It is permissible for support crews to assist in portaging the craft up the bank and down the bank, but support crews may not carry the craft along the flat portions of the portage, we feel that this would take away from the spirit of the event.  Support crews ARE PERMITTED to carry bags, paddles, and other gear for this distance in order for the racers to only make one trip, just not the craft.  Portage assistance in the way of dollies and the like are permitted, and may be brought by the support crew, but the boat must still be physically moved by the racer/s.

  • At the 11 portage sites that are not timed. Racers have more freedom to receive assistance from support crews and volunteers (if you can find a willing one).

Single Day Event Addendum

• There is one stage that is a being opened up to racers that only wish to do one race.  These racers will be counted for finishing places with 255 racers for points, but they will not affect timing.  The last stage (12) is the open stage, it will also be dubbed “The Carrollton Crush or Cruise”.     Racers in this events are held to all of the same rules and will receive the same risk-management coverage, however, they have a different timing cut-off and can do the event as a fun float.

Points Race Addendum

• As stated above, if you want to claim to have completed the KR255 you need to do every stage. But if that sounds like too much, or you want to paddle a little less but a lot harder, you might consider competing for the points competition. All racers will be in the points competition, we are just weighting the mandatory and some of the shorter stages to make it possible for the winner to come from the group of people that dont necessarily want to paddle every stage. Racers choosing the minimum of ONLY paddling the mandatory stages are essentially cutting the distance in half, it is about 130 miles, which is no laughing matter. Mandatory stages will include a couple of “marathon” stages (long, with a timed portage) and both of our “sprint” stages (6 and 4 miles, respectively). The other three are a more average 9, 15, and 18 miles. These points racers will paddle a minimum of two stages on day 1 and a minimum of 1 stage on all other days.

• OK, we get that this might be confusing, but we really think you may like the option. Perhaps you are feeling bad after day 3. This option lets you rest a bit but not go home. This option lets people who want to paddle harder have a chance to be there at the finish in Carrollton. To go back to the bike race analogy, if the overall 255 is the yellow jersey, think of this as the green jersey race. We will reveal the full point breakdown for all 12 stages closer to the event in a blog post. But seriously, consider this option if the full 255 sounds like too much but you still want to experience this event.

Notes on campgrounds

• We haven’t tried this camping thing before. But we think it might be cool too. Almost like a big moving festival. The vision is for racers, volunteers, support crews, and perhaps even some “fans” (do paddle-sports races have fans? This thing isn’t exactly spectator friendly"?) to all have a place to pitch a tent and then come together and hang out each evening of the event. Some people may run to town for food or a shower, some may cook at camp and hang by the fire. All that said, we do plan to make an effort to have a “quiet” area for the racers who really need the sleep, but if you want my advice, anytime you are sleeping in a tent and other people are around, bring some earplugs.