By HPRS Race Director John Lacroix

The Human Potential Running Series has a strict “no-refunds” policy. This policy has been enacted for a number of reasons, some of which we’ll talk about in this post. Whenever any of our races inch ever closer; this is the pre-race timeframe where we receive the most requests (and sometimes demands) for refunds from those of you who are no longer planning to attend. I wanted to take a moment to review our refund and credit policies, explain a little bit about why they are in place, and also highlight some of the other policies for similar events here in Colorado.

During the online registration process on RunSignUp, one of the questions we ask you to answer is one regarding our refund and credit policies. There is only one answer to this question that you must select before being allowed to continue with the registration process, and that answer is “YES.” By selecting yes, you are acknowledging your understanding of the policy, and agreeing to adhere to it; though let’s be real.. few of us ever really read the fine print. That question reads as follows:

You agree to accept the terms of and abide by all of our policies and procedures including but not limited to our Code of Conduct, Refund/Credit/Deferral/Transfer policies, Force Majeure Cancellation Policies, any COVID Precautions, Race Rules, Anti-discrimination Policies and any other logistics or arrangements you that must adhere to as detailed on our website, in race related emails, and in your participant’s manual. You acknowledge that it is your responsibility to familiarize yourself with all HPRS Policies, as located on our website as a condition of registration.

Yet in the final weeks leading up to literally every single race we host, I get a whole slew of emails from folks requesting, hoping for, or even demanding a refund. I can promise you that demanding a refund is the last way you’ll actually get one. I was delighted this week to receive two emails from runners who actually read, and understand, our policies on their way to asking for a credit for races in July they can no longer attend; which made the entire process really enjoyable and my ability to help them out seamless.

Why do we have a no refund policy?

Many believe that races don’t spend any money on hosting the event until the final week or so of the race, or after the race concludes. While it is true that race food isn’t purchased until the final days prior to the event, and it is true that shirts are ordered and paid for 2 weeks out, and the same for awards, these are just a few of the expenses associated with putting on a race. I implore you to please be mindful of every aspect of hosting an event like this, and take a moment to educate yourselves about all of the tasks associated with it.

Registration for each of our events opens on October 1st and December 1st of the previous year. So registration for a majority of our 2023 HPRS races opened on December 1, 2022. The only exceptions are if a new race is added later on, or Sawmill Trail Runs which opens to coincide with membership every October. Then the work begins in earnest, and it costs money to run a business and make a race happen.

Insurance for all of our races is purchased in December of the prior year. So insurance for 2023’s races was purchased in December 2022. The insurance policy is priced on our best “guesstimate” of how many runners, volunteers, and spectators will attend. We also need umbrella insurance to cover our butts throughout the year regardless of if a race is happening or not. I’m sure you can imagine how expensive insurance is, especially for 14-races, for a business like this.

We need to order porta potties for all of our races, and those potties typically require either a deposit be made, or payment in full.

We need to promote the race in the hopes of gaining interest in it, and finding more folks to run along side you. We spend money on ad space through Facebook, Instagram, and select running magazines. We also buy hats in the hopes you’ll purchase one to improve our brand recognition in the world, so we’re sitting on un-sold inventory as well.

HPRS has a lot of race supplies that spend most of their time lounging inside a storage space (also costs money to rent) that then gets used, and HARD. We are always replacing and repairing race related infrastructure. This is a cost associated with doing this kind of business.

We have to obtain permits to host our events regardless of where they take place. A race like Endure requires just one permit, while Indian Creek requires 4 permits from 4 different land managers, and we are required to obtain permission to play through from each of them. Each race is different, but those permit applications include a lot of information, such as a detailed operating plans that includes: logistical specifics of where each aid station will be, where each porta potty will be, where each volunteer will be and how many, what will be at each aid station, how much water we are bringing and how are we bringing it, what and how are we cooking, where everyone is parking, traffic mitigation on roads we impact, a complete event timeline that includes where the RD can be located at specific times during the race, a detailed map of the entire course, detailed site maps that indicate where everything is at each individual aid station as well as the start/finish, and on and on and on. Then we typically have to pay a percentage of the predicted total cost of the permit up front, with final payment due within a month following the conclusion of the event.

We also have to carefully craft a detailed Emergency Action Plan (EAP) that details how we will respond in the event of ANY emergency including: injuries, level 1 trauma, evacuation for any reason, forest fires, severe weather, and more. As you can imagine.. permit applications are very time consuming. The EAP and Operating plans are NOT cookie cutter like many suspect, as conditions and situations change from year to year.

There is a cost associated with doing business and being in business. I hope that you may also consider that what you are paying for when you register for a race is for a race director to manage risk, and assume all liability for you on race day regardless of if you’ve signed a waiver or not. When a race sells out for 200 runners, sure.. it’s a glorious moment for a RD. I also face the reality that I will be responsible for 200 runners, plus a whole army of volunteers, and a horde of spectators on race day. It is a huge responsibility as is something I consider when pricing an event. You are paying for my time, expertise, energy, and leadership.

Yes, bibs are ordered a month out, shirts and awards are ordered 2 weeks out, and food is purchased the week of. These are the easy things that we do as event planning is winding down; but much of the costs associated with a race have been realized well in advance of the event ever taking place. Managing the logistics, and promotion, of 14 races is a full time job, and a job that is handled by one person at HPRS. There isn’t another ultra series of this size in our country that is handled by a single individual; all the rest have a staff. This is my full time job and my livelihood and yes, that means I get compensated for all of the work I do to make these events happen for you. My yearly salary is modest, and you would be aghast if I told you what it breaks down to hourly. Simply put and honestly.. I also need to eat.

Humor me for a moment…

Imagine if your boss put you on a major project to plan an event for 200 people, and for months (like, 6 months) you work tirelessly to see that project through and the event a success. Then in the final weeks or days leading up to the event you’ve worked countless hours on, your boss approaches you and says, “Hey.. we’ve decided we’re not going to have that event anymore so.. we need you to stop working on it for us, and we also need you to refund us all of the money we’ve paid you to date for your work.” How would you react to that? Would you give them your salary back? Would you be pissed? Would you find it within the best graces of your heart and soul to say, “Yeah.. no problem! I get it.. all the work I did to date is for nothing since we’re not hosting it so.. yeah, here ya go. Full refund! I love you!”

I’m willing to bet there isn’t a single one of you reading this would be okay with putting in hundreds of hours of work into an event, and just because it’s not happening anymore would be comfortable giving your hard earned pay days back… or even a percentage of it back. This is the reality of asking an RD for a refund. Most of the work is already done and that fact, as well as the expenses associated with that fact, do not change when you decide to withdraw from a race.

Races have a no refund policy, not only because most of the work is done months in advance, but as a protective measure to ensure the preservation of an event. We know you’re bummed, we know you hate being out the money. We’re equally as bummed for you, but many of the expenses have already been expended in the planning, advertising, and preparation for a race for the many months leading up to it. I humbly ask you to please respect our hard work by not requesting a refund.

What is everyone’s refund/credit policies?

Here are a few examples from here in Colorado (as of the original publish date of this article in 2019)..

North Fork Trail Race: Entries are non-refundable and non-transferable and cannot be rolled to a future year.

Collegiate Peaks: Fees are non-refundable, non-transferable & substitutions not permitted.

Leadville: No refunds. You can request to defer your entry to next year’s race, and there is a deferral fee (unknown). You can use your deferral to register for next year’s race so long as registration is open and not sold out. If registration is closed or the event is sold out, you lose your deferral.

Dirty 30: No Refunds. In the event you are not able to race you will be given the opportunity to defer your entry to the following year only, according to the schedule below:
• Before Jan. 31, 2019 100%
• Feb. 1 – April 30, 2019 50%
• After April 30, 2019 0%

Dirty 30 also has a pregnancy deferral policy, and a policy which allows you to transfer to a different race so long as space allows.

Mad Moose Events: No Refunds. No refunds in the event of cancellation. If, after registering for the race, you are unable to attend, we will willingly transfer your race credit to any future Mad Moose Event. The dollar amount, that we will transfer, will be determined by the length of notice given. In order to get the credit you must go into UltraSignUp and cancel your registration. It will issue a credit into your account for any future Mad Moose Event.
• If you notify us prior to 60 days before the race, you are eligible for a 100% rollover.
• If you notify us prior to 30 days before the race- a 75% rollover or will be issued.
• If you let us know up to 15 days prior to the event- a 50% rollover can be applied.
• Within 15 days of the event- no rollovers will be issued.

GNAR Runners: No Refunds. (Quad Rock as an example) As long as there are runners on the wait list, we offer race transfer credits according to the following schedule:
• Until April 15: 75% credit of registration fee (excluding Ultrasignup fees).
• April 16–May 4: 50% credit of registration fee (excluding Ultrasignup fees).
• Credits may be applied to any future Gnar Runners race and will be valid for 12 months.
If we do not have runners on the wait list available to accept a transfer entry, then unfortunately we will not be able to offer transfers or credits.

As you can see, it is the industry standard that no refunds are given. Each race handles credits, transfers, and deferrals differently with some having no credit, transfer or deferral policy at all. It is ultimately your responsibility to familiarize yourself with each race’s policies before you sign up; and yes, we want you to hold yourselves accountable on this front. No race offers a refund. Sure, you can ask for one and maybe you’ll get lucky.. but demanding one will get you nowhere.

HPRS’s policies are as follows:

As a condition of entry and participation in all HPRS events, all registrants agree to the following Refund, Deferral, Transfer and Credit policies. Completion of registration for our events signifies the registrant’s agreement to complete adherence of these policies in their entirety. HPRS reserves the right to alter these policies at any time.

REGISTRATION INSURANCE:

REFUND, DEFERRAL, AND BIB TRANSFER POLICIES

HPRS DOES NOT ISSUE REFUNDS UNDER ANY CIRCUMSTANCES.

Deferrals are allowed 91 or more days from the start date and time of the originally registered event. During this time period you may defer 100% of your race entry fee (minus RunSignUp.com taxes and fees) to any other HPRS event up to one year from the original date of the entry involved, including the next year’s event. A deferral of your original registration will only be allowed ONE TIME. Meaning, you cannot defer the registration a second time; should you defer to a future event and then be unable to attend the event deferred to, you will forfeit the entry fees associated with the transaction. Should you defer to an event where the registration fee is higher than fees paid for the original registration, the registrant will be required to pay the difference in fees. Should you defer to an event that is of cheaper or lesser value, you will not receive any refunds or credits (in full or partial) for the lower difference in price.

The only exceptions to the above outlined deferral policy are those explained in our Pregnancy Deferral Policies (See below), and for those who purchase registration insurance through Allianz Global Assistance (See above).

Bib/Registration transfer to any individual other than yourself is not allowed at any time, no exceptions. A valid and unexpired government issued photo ID will be required for every runner to receive their bib and/or swag at race check-in. No one may pick-up the bib and/or swag for any registrant other than themselves.

WITHDRAWAL CREDIT POLICY:

The following withdrawal credit policy will only apply to those registrants who do not purchase the offered registration insurance during registration. Registration insurance is detailed above. Should you purchase the registration insurance, your purchased insurance will replace our deferral and withdrawal policies.

Credits will exclude any taxes and/or RunSignUp.com fees paid, and will be issued via RunSignUp.com for use towards a future Human Potential Running Series race when notified of your withdrawal in writing via email to [email protected] (not Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, or text message). Runners may withdraw from a race for any reason during the following time periods and receive the appropriate credits, providing they follow this procedure. Credits will expire one year from the date of issuance.

90+ days from the start of the registered event – Please see our deferral policy as outlined above.

30-90 days from the start of the registered event – We will gladly provide runners with a 50% credit toward a future HPRS event

Less than 30 days from the start of the registered event –  HPRS will NOT offer any credits (full or partial) less than 30 days out from a race. We encourage runners to instead volunteer in the event an injury prevents you from running. You will earn $10-$20/hr in HPRS race credits for time served in your volunteer role. The volunteer program allows you an opportunity to not only give back, but recoup lost entry fees to use towards a future race.

There are no exceptions to the above refund, deferral, transfer, and credit policies. PLEASE DO NOT ASK FOR AN EXCEPTION OR ATTEMPT TO BE DECEPTIVE IN YOUR REQUEST FOR REFUNDS OR CREDITS. Those who behave in any disrespectful, entitled, dishonest, or unacceptable behavior with regards to our refund and credit policies will be banned from all future HPRS events. You have the opportunity to purchase registration insurance, which is detailed above.

SWITCHING DISTANCE WITHIN THE SAME EVENT

All registrants are welcome to move up or down in race distance at any event, up until the start time of the event registered for. No refunds or credits, in full or partial, will be provided for dropping DOWN in race distance. Those who move UP in race distance, are required to pay the difference in fees before doing so.

FORCE MAJEURE RELATED REFUNDS & CREDITS:

HPRS reserves the right to cancel, alter, postpone or reschedule any race distance or entire event for any reason and at any time if conditions are deemed unsafe or dangerous to staff, volunteers and/or participants, including in response to a force majeure event occurring during a race or in advance of a race. Force majeure includes but is not limited to extreme/severe weather, fire danger, earthquake, landslide, avalanche, volcanic eruption, flooding, storm damage, communicable or infectious illness outbreak, act of war or terrorism, security threat or any other extreme condition or unforeseen circumstance that makes a race impossible to conduct safely, in violation of event insurance policy or event permitting conditions.

If we are forced to act due to a force majeure event we cannot offer refunds or credits. ANY race can be cancelled, postponed, altered, or ended early by the race director, emergency medical personnel, or any of our associated land manager(s). Those decisions will be made based on an in depth risk management assessment conducted by the race director, emergency medical personnel, and/or land manager(s), and with the overall safety of all involved (runners, pacers, crews, spectators, volunteers, etc), and land resource management, in mind. We understand these difficult decisions may not be the most popular, but the decision will be made with the proper risk management considerations in mind. Please understand that this is a risk we all assume in hosting, and/or participating in, these types of  events.

PREGNANCY DEFERRAL POLICY:

Should you register for a race and then become pregnant following your registration and prior to race day; you are welcome to defer your entry to a future edition of the same race if you wish. To obtain the deferral, please send a Pregnancy Deferral Request to us at [email protected] up to 30 days prior to the race, and include written confirmation of your pregnancy signed by a physician, registered midwife, or other medical professional. We reserve the right to require additional proof of pregnancy and may reject a deferral request if the documentation verifying pregnancy is deemed insufficient. Women who obtain a Pregnancy Entry Deferral will be granted automatic entry into any one of the next two editions of the same race after the initial year deferred. If a woman becomes pregnant again during a Pregnancy Entry Deferral period, she may request another Pregnancy Entry Deferral. This would permit her to defer her race entry for the two-year period allowed by the most recent Pregnancy Entry Deferral request. Should for some unforeseen circumstance the race deferred from is cancelled or no longer exists, the deferral will then be good (and only then) for any other HPRS race of equal distance or of equal and/or lesser value. No refund of entry fees will be administered under any circumstance.

Furthermore, we also welcome Pregnancy Complications Deferral requests from significant others (male, female, or other) of pregnant individuals who experience pregnancy complications. The same rules as above will apply to the significant other with regards to a deferral request with written confirmation of complications signed by a physician, registered midwife, or other medical professional; with the exception that this type of deferral may be requested no less than 14 days out from the registered race. An individual can be granted two deferral requests, at the maximum.

CHARGEBACK POLICY:

HPRS does not offer or authorize refunds for any reason or circumstance. Still, we are aware that some of you may try to circumnavigate this policy by initiating a chargeback through your financial institution. By completing registration for any of our events you signify acceptance of all HPRS Terms and Conditions. We view the initiation of a chargeback as a violation of the terms and conditions you agreed to in registering for an event. Any runner initiating a chargeback will be immediately banned from all future HPRS events permanently. Human Potential LLC will also provide your financial institution a copy of this page, and the question during registration where you signify acceptance of these terms, as evidence to defend against your chargeback request.