Protest and Appeals Process for UTMB Events

Can be protested:

• All blatant violations of Event Rules.

Cannot be protested:

• Any matter that has already been ruled upon.

• Time penalty applied to the athlete involved.

• Disqualification from the event.

1. First Instance Oral Protest:

• An athlete competing in the same event as the subject of the protest or their official representative physically on site, may submit an oral protest to the Race Director, or designated race official (Marshall) within 60 minutes of finishing the event (cut off).

• The race official will assess the validity of the violation, considering evidence such as video/photo reviews, GPS data, witness statements, and any subjective recollections. This initial step allows designated race official to evaluate whether the protest has realistic grounds to proceed.

• (the RD or official can realistically let an athlete know if a protest has any reasonable grounds under Rules/ evidence and can also close down subjective complaints or accusations with no proof).

• The authority to decide whether the protest moves forward rests with the Race Director, based on their assessment of its validity.

2. Formal Protest Submission:

• If the oral protest is deemed to have merit, the athlete may submit a formal online protest. This involves completing the required form within 60 minutes of the oral report.

• Nb. At a later stage, if the number of applications becomes too high, we reserve the right to apply a 50€ fee. This process, in order to discourage frivolous accusations and ensure legitimate protests are given due attention. If the protest is successful, the fee will be refunded to the athlete. In cases of unsuccessful protests, the fee will be retained and donated to an earmarked charity.

3. Opportunity for Rebuttal:

• The named athlete will be notified of any potential penalties and provided with an opportunity to rebut the claims made against them.

4. Panel Decision:

• A pre-determined 3-person panel, consisting of the Race Director, Operational Director (or another senior team member onsite), and a designated UTMB (or TIG) staff member (members of the sports committee), will convene to evaluate the evidence and determine the outcome onsite.

• A majority (2 out of 3) decision will decide the result of the protest and the appropriate penalty for the named athlete, if applicable.

• Any adjustments to results will be made according to the outcome.

5. Finality of Decision:

• The decision made by the onsite panel will be considered final, as there is no overarching governance body beyond the event's organizers.

• The decision will be shared by email with the individuals involved in this protest (protest submitter, named athlete).