Here is our strategy around the current outbreak of Covid-19. This strategy also covers off any future changes to New Zealand’s Covid-19 4-level Alert System with specific reference to sports events and public gatherings.
New Zealand under Level 1 and 2 restrictions leads the world in freedoms and long may it continue. With that said, we must balance this with the reality that, completely unexpected, we may need to shift between levels over the months ahead. We now want to be completely upfront with all the families and explain our strategies for allowing all of us to live our lives under the “new normal” of moving up and down lock down restriction levels. Here is our position:
LEVEL 1 AND 2 = GREEN LIGHT ON THE EVENT.
LEVEL 3 OR 4 = POSTPONEMENT TO NEAREST AVAILABLE LEVEL 1 DATE.
LEVEL 1
We will only produce our events under level 1 and level 2. If we are at level 1, we will produce as normal and follow all Ministry of Health directives for a safe event.
LEVEL 2
The Ministry of health has said that New Zealand under COVID-19 Alert level 2 allows for all sporting events to take place, including those that involve “full contact” such as rugby, soccer and netball. With this, if an area of Zealand is under level 2, the event will go ahead but we will modify how we gather as an event.
“The actual XRACE itself is unchanged for both level 1 and level 2 for 2021. All that changes is that we limit your arrival time, ask you to remain in your wave for the start of the event and ask you to not mingle after the finish line.
There will be no prize giving under level 2. There will be extra health measures that you will all be familiar with already in place. We invite you to read on if you would like to know the specific measures for a level 2 event. Here are the modifications that we will make:
AT LEVEL 2
Just like a supermarket, there will only be one way in and one way out.
Teams will be given an arrival time and asked to not arrive onto site until then.
Only one person can collect the team shirt.
Transponders for your wave will not be available until 15 minutes before your start time.
You will be corralled into your wave 15 minutes prior to being invited into the start house.
Wave numbers will be restricted to under 100.
Waves will be separated out by extended intervals - that will see one complete wave depart the start area before the next wave arrives into the start house.
The start line and finish line will be located in different areas.
When you arrive into the start house, we ask you to socially distance as if you were going to the shops.
When the race begins - forget about Covid and enjoy your XRACE.
All the challenges will be based around your team only and you will not be required to work with other teams. (This applies to all events under level 1 or level 2).
When you cross the finish line, your medals will be laid out on a table and will not be handed to you. Please collect your own finisher medals.
There will be no water aid stations, please bring along your own hydration.
Once the event is over, regrettably, we ask your family to move away from the finish line area.
Jump online and check your results. If your team was quick enough and lucky enough to have won an age-group prize, you will be welcome to call back and collect your trophy once the last teams have finished. If not, we will post out all uncollected age-group awards.
We ask spectators to either support out on course or be corralled with other spectators pre-start.
WHAT DOES A POSTPONEMENT MEAN?
A postponement is not a cancellation. All registrations are automatically carried over to the postponed event. The postponement date will be the first available level 1 or level 2 weekend that does not fall on a school holiday. The following dates are scheduled for postponed events:
· March 27 and March 28.
· April 2 and April 3
· April 9 and April 10.
We will notify you via email and on Facebook of our intention to postpone along with a postponement date. It may take us up to a week to be able to give you a new date.
WHAT DOES A POSTPONEMENT MEAN?
A postponement is not a cancellation. All registrations are automatically carried over to the postponed event. We will notify you via email and on Facebook of our intention to postpone along with a postponement date. It may take us up to a week to be able to give you a new date.
WILL YOU DO ANYTHING ADDITIONAL FOR A POSTPONED EVENT?
Yes. For the 2021 summer series, if an event is postponed, we may split larger events into 2 events held over separate days giving you opportunities to complete your XRACE either a Saturday afternoon or Sunday morning for our larger events or a Friday night, Saturday morning for our smaller ones.
We will be offering families multiple opportunities to complete their event at a new date, as early as possible to the existing date.
We also allow changes to be made to any team member. You can even change a team out right changing both adult and child. We only allow these changes under postponement rules.
Given we will be offering families more than one opportunity to make it to the rescheduled event and allowing full changes to team members, we will not be offering refunds but will send out to these families their T-shirts, medals as keepsakes and also discounted registration to the next year’s event.
Our reason is that like most events, most of our costs are upfront. As an example, we have staff wages, shirt and medal purchases to make months in advance. After the travel industry, the event industry is one of the most severely impacted from Covid and our business is not immune.
WILL THERE BE ANY AMENDMENTS TO THIS PLAN?
We will not make any amendments to this plan unless the Ministry of Health makes substantial changes to the restrictions under levels 1 or 2. We certainly hope there won’t be any amendments to this plan but we do reserve the right to change any or all of this plan if the government changes direction on sporting event restrictions.
If they do make changes, we will notify everyone via the website, social media and email.
Finally, we have seen incredible support over the last eight years of XRACE.
From our little team to you, our XRACE families, we hope you can continue to support us as we have supported our phenomenal Kiwi families over the years. Here is to a healthy and vibrant New Zealand and wishing your family the best.
Shane Hooks
Series Creator – NZHL XRACE