We provide safe, well designed and fun running events on South Australian trails. View our policies, procedures and race rules.
Trail running is a physically demanding activity that takes place on challenging and remote terrain, sometimes through areas without mobile phone or radio coverage.
To enter a Trail Running SA event you will need to sign our waiver and agree to our conditions of entry and warning.
Remember over exertion & inadequate fluid intake can be dangerous.
We recommend that you:
The organiser of the event, Trail Running SA, has public liability insurance and volunteers insurance cover.
Your event entry fees do not include personal accident insurance for competitors.
We highly recommend that you arrange your own personal accident insurance, ambulance cover and income protection insurance before participating in the event.
For information regarding costs of ambulance or helicopter rescue refer to the SA Ambulance Service website.
We prioritise the safety of our volunteers and participants at all events and have a zero-tolerance policy for any behaviours that make any member of the community feel unsafe.
In line with this, we have the right to accept or refuse entry to one of our events if valid concerns are raised.
If you have any concerns, please speak to a Trail Running SA committee member.
These rules apply to all Trail Running SA events.
The TRSA race competition rules are intended to:
Competitors are expected to practice good conduct at all times:
Failure to comply with these rules may result in a competitor being disqualified, or banned from future TRSA events.
A competitor may be disqualified by the Race Referee, or given a time penalty or other penalty, on the personal observation of an official, a finding by the Race Competition Jury, or other evidence such as information provided by a timing company.
In the instance of a participant making a small navigational or other error, the Race Referee may decide to not penalise the participant if the error is deemed insignificant, unintentional, does not unfairly affect other participant’s results, and if not penalising the participant is deemed the fairest outcome.
Note: A participant who believes they have gone off course should always retrace their steps and return to the course as this is the only way to guarantee a confirmed race finish.
A competitor may file a protest with the Race Referee. The protest must be lodged using the TRSA Protest Form by 5.00 pm on race day. The Race Referee will investigate the protest and advise the competitor of any action taken.
TRSA is an inclusive club and believes that all people should have the opportunity to participate in its activities.
The purpose of this policy is to clarify the participation of Transgender and Gender Diverse Athletes in our races and gender leaderboard.
TRSA has followed the stance adopted by Athletics Australia and the Australian Sports Commission.
In all our events other than National Championship events, athletes regardless of their age, can participate in any single-sex event based on the gender with which they identify. This includes our SA Trail Championship event.
Non-binary athletes are also welcome in our events. Due to the current binary nature of our races, non-binary people can compete in the male or female category based on their sex assigned at birth or under the gender category of male or female that most affirms their gender.
In situations where TRSA manage an event that is listed as a National Championship, athletes should contact the relevant national body (eg AUTRA, Athletics Australia) for clarification on the rules applied.
For the purpose of our On-The-Trails events, athletes must enter the same gender throughout the series.
TRSA members must use the same gender they have nominated in their membership application for all events in that calendar year.
Any complaint or dispute in relation to this policy must be made to Trail Running SA Committee.
In 2024, all TRSA races of distance 20km and greater will be registered as an UTMB Index race. The benefits will be to a small group of participants looking to enter other UTMB events.
For further information about the UTMB Index please visit the UTMB website.
In 2024, all TRSA races will be registered in the ITRA race calendar as an ITRA National League event. Read more.
ITRA ranks events on a 0-6 point scale. In general, TRSA events score 1 or 0 on this scale. Five Peaks 58km is the exception with an ITRA score of 3.
Runners achieve an ITRA Performance Index for completing these events. More.
Course closure time is the required finishing time for all courses where subsequent finishers will be recorded as Did Not Finish (DNF)
Cutoff time and location on a course is where the Race Director has determined that an entrant will clearly not make the finish line by the course closure time.
The Race Director has the task of setting the courses, start times, cut-off locations and times, course and closure times, and all other course details.
In general:
TRSA sets the course closure and course cutoff times:
If you have a question about event results, age group categories or On the Trails series scores, you can submit a query:
Still concerned about the results?
We aim to have final results posted by the Wednesday after the event.
Your age category is calculated according to your age as at 1st January on the year of the event you are entering.
It is up to the responsible parent or guardian of junior runners taking part in our events, to determine the level of supervision required.
We highly recommend that children who are running in our kids’ fun run events, be accompanied by a responsible adult.
We may cancel or modify an event or an organised social run or activity if by 4.30 pm the day prior to the event:
National parks are closed during days of catastrophic fire danger and Forestry SA land is closed on all days of total fire bans.
Entrants to TRSA events will be informed of cancellation or change of an event by email, and announcements on the TRSA Facebook page and website.
For more information on fire warnings visit the CFS and for weather warnings visit the BOM.
If you apply to cancel your registration before entry cut off time, you will receive a refund minus a $10 cancellation fee. This is because we incur a fee regardless of whether you cancel.
Sorry – there are no refunds if you request a cancellation after the registration cut-off time which is usually 5pm Thursday before the event – you will forfeit your entry.
Prior to 5.00 pm. on the day that race entries close, follow these steps.
Last-minute changes:
Come and see us at the registration tent on the day. Allow at least 30-45 minutes prior to your preferred event start time.
Sometimes, we may need to cancel an event due to situations beyond our control. As the racing calendar is very full, it is unlikely that it will be rescheduled. In this instance, we will offer 80% of your entry fee either as a credit towards a TRSA series race or a refund. A full refund is not able to be provided as we will have already incurred significant costs for the event despite the cancellation.
This must only be done by completing the transfer process on the Race Roster registration site. The person you are transferring to MUST complete our waiver before racing.
The transfer process cannot be completed after registration for the event closes.
For safety reasons, you must not give, transfer or sell your race bib to another participant without completing this process.
If you are caught transferring your entry without completing the above process, neither entrants will be permitted to enter future TRSA events.
If you are unable to attend the event, refer to cancellation procedures.
Sorry, the technology does not yet allow us to do this. You will need to cancel your entry and register for the future event.
If you haven’t received a confirmation email search your email inbox with the subject of “Registration confirmation” and look in your junk folder.
Check your registration details using the link on the event webpage. These details are normally published 2-3 days before the event.
If your details are incorrect on the registration board on the day of the event, head to the Registration Manager to get it corrected. This includes:
If you were emailed a link for a discount, you must use it before it expires.
Check that the discount has been applied before paying. We are unable to apply the discount after you have paid.
We cannot extend discounts or early bird deadlines.
To keep our registration process simple and costs down, we only accept Visa, MasterCard and debit cards.
Please contact our volunteers if you have any payment problems you can’t resolve.
Collect your bib from the registration tent on the morning of the event.
Arrive around 30 minutes before your event start time to collect your bib and chat with other excited trail runners.
Follow these steps on arrival:
Attach the bib at waist height to the outside front of your top. The number must be clearly visible at all times during your race.
Your race number has a timing tag attached to it. Do not bend, fold or tamper with the tag.
Your time and number will be recorded as you pass through a timing point as long as your race number bib is visible. Do not cover it with clothing or your hands as this will prevent it from recording.
If there are several starts for different races, make sure you start at the correct time.
When you cross over the timing mat your time will start. This lets us know you are on the course.
When you cross the finish timing point, make sure you walk past the backup cameras in the finish chute.
If you cut the course short (e.g. by skipping a lap or taking a shortcut), do not cross over the mat as we may think you have won the race.
If you do not complete your course please return your bib to the timing van near the end of the finish chute.
If you lose your race number bib during the race please go to the timing van near the end of the finish chute as soon as you cross the finish timing mat.
We will phone and search for anyone who has a start time but no finish time, so please ensure your start and finish are correctly recorded.
The signs to look out for:
If you stop seeing any signs, turn back. Do not carry on and get yourself even more lost.
We strongly recommend that you carry a mobile phone. Contact the TRSA safety number on the back of your bib if you need help.
South Australia’s largest not-for-profit, community-based trail running organisation.
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TRSA acknowledges the traditional owners of all the lands we run through and thanks those peoples for looking after the places we enjoy today.
