Please read and familiarize yourself with the rules below. There will be no exceptions to these rules, so be sure to follow them and we'll all have a good time!
1. INTEGRITY
We consider this our most important rule. We are here to make connections, reach our goals, and have fun. As a club, we are not here to police you. That said, we still expect you to be honest in reporting your completed races and distances. In the end, you are only cheating yourself, but it is unfair to the entire club if you are dishonest. We will verify all of your submitted races prior to awarding you a finisher's trophy or jackert for any club(s). You are 100% responsible for making sure your submissions, and your results on race pages, are accurate.
2. CLUB MEMBERSHIP
We welcome all runners, walkers, joggers, and anyone with a goal to finish races of any distance in all 50 states. There is no minimum number of completed races required prior to joining any of our clubs, and you do not need to complete a certain number of races to remain a member in good standing. If you have already completed your 50 states, you are still welcome to join and receive a trophy or jacket to celebrate your accomplishment! All stated rules of admissibility and submission will apply. Your "date of completion" on your trophy will be the month and year of your 50th state. If you choose the jacket, your "date of completion" will be the month, date and year.
3. COMPLETING/SUBMITTING RACES
a. What counts as a race
In order to count a race toward your total, we require you to follow these guidelines:
1. Race must be advertised online for at least 2 weeks prior to the event.
2. USATF-sanctioned races must have at least one starter and one finisher; un-sanctioned races must have a minimum of 5 starters and 3 finishers (all distances combined).
3. Race results must be published publicly (in print and/or online) within 30 days of race completion.
4. The course must be measured, and must be AT LEAST the advertised distance, within the race director's best ability to make it so. Therefore, virtual runs do not count because the course was not measured by a race official.
5. You MUST complete the entire course as marked and measured to count it as the full distance advertised. If a race is halted before you can complete it, you may not count it as the full distance. You may count it as a lesser (completed) distance, should the race director permit and include such in the final race results. (If, for example, you intend to run a 50K race, but it is stopped when you are at kilometer 35, you may not count it as a full 50K; if the race director agrees to give you a 25K finish time, however, and includes it in the final results, you may count that if you are in the 25K Club.)
b. How to count races
1. You may count each race you complete once, and only once, toward your total. If you are a member of more than one Road to 50 club (25K and 50K, for instance) and run a 50K race, you may count that toward your 50K Club total OR your 25K Club total, but not both.
2. If a course passes through multiple states, you may count that race as any ONE state through which you pass. A race that starts in NH, passes through part of VT, and ends in MA may be counted as your NH, VT, or MA race, but only one of those. There will be no exceptions, regardless of the length of the race.
3. You do not need to complete a race of the exact Club distance to count it toward that club total, as long as you have completed AT LEAST the club distance. For instance, you can run a 35K race and count is toward your 25K Club total, as long as you complete the entire race. (Yes, you still have to go the full 35K distance for it to count toward anything.) You may not, however, count it as a 25K Club race AND a 10K Club race. You are eligible for one credit per race, regardless of the full distance.
4. There is no minimum distance for a race to count toward a 50-state finish in the Multi-Distance Club, but all other rules apply.
c. Race submission form
1. You must fill out and submit (online) the Race Submission Form for every race you complete that you want counted toward your 50-state total in each club. All submissions will be kept by administrators and verified prior to awarding your completion trophy or jacket.
2. If a race's results are not published online, but you wish to count that race toward your total, you must contact us at jane@theroadto50.com for instructions so you can count it. We are not responsible for tracking down results not published publicly on the internet.
3. If you make a mistake on your submission form and don't realize it until the form has been submitted, you may re-submit the form with the correct information. Do not click the "Add race to my total" button more than once for a single race, regardless of the number of times you need to submit the form for corrections.
4. If, when we verify your submissions, we find inaccuracies, we will contact you to make corrections. Should we find blatant dishonesty (multiple submissions for races you didn't run, for example), we reserve the right to take corrective action, including but not limited to refusing a trophy or jacket, removing you from the club without refund, and banning you from joining any of The Road to 50 clubs in the future.
5. You may count races run prior to joining The Road to 50 toward your total. If the race results are published online, simply fill out the Race Submission Form as you would for any current race. If results are not published online, contact us at support@theroadto50.com for instructions.
4. COMPLETING ALL 50 STATES/RECEIVING YOUR TROPHY OR JACKET
a. Each club member who completes races of their chosen distance in all 50 states will receive a custom, one-of-a-kind trophy or jacket, provided all conditions of race submission have been met and all rules followed. Please contact Jane@theroadto50.com once you have completed your 50th state.
b. Restrictions: Annual club members must be members in good standing for a minimum of 4 continuous cycles (initial membership, plus 3 annual rebills) to be eligible for a trophy or jacket; Lifetime members have no minimum membership duration requirements.
c. Club membership entitles you to ONE trophy or jacket per club at no charge (with the exception of shipping for members outside the continental US). Should you complete races in all 50 states a second (or subsequent) time, you will be given the option to purchase a trophy or jacket reflecting your new achievement.
d. Trophies will be presented in person when possible (at Club President's discretion) or will be shipped. There is no charge for shipping in the continental US; trophies shipped to AK, HI, or international destinations will be shipped at Member's expense.
e. If you have already completed races in all 50 states prior to joining the club, you are still eligible to join and receive a trophy or jacket. All rules for race admissibility and submission apply. Your "date of completion" on your trophy will be the month and year of your 50th state race. If you choose the jacket, your "date of completion" will be the month, date and year.
Above all, we are here to have a good time. This is a club, not a job, and we want it to be a great experience for everyone. So just use your common sense, make sure you follow the simple rules, and have fun!
