Regulations

Organisation

The 6000D is organised by the Aime–Macot la Plagne Tourist Office with support from the municipalities of Aime, Macot la Plagne, Bellentre and the Société d'Aménagement de la Plagne .

A qualifying event

* For the 3rd year running, the 6000D will be part of the Trail Tour National 2013.

* Qualifying Race
The 6000D will be a qualifying race for The North Face® Ultra-Trail du Mont-Blanc®. The 6000D will get you 2 registration points.

If you want to check the entire list of qualifying races, click here!

                                    www.ultratrailmb.com

The event

The 6000D is a "nature" event, following La Plagne's network of trails and going via Bellecôte Glacier. The event is run in a single stage at your own pace, with a time limit of 12 hours over 63km with 4000 m of elevation gain going from the basilica in Aime. The course is marked out with specific markers – marks on the ground, tape and wooden sign posts.
Please note: The race starts in Aime at 6 am  to ensure better safety if the weather is bad higher up

Entry conditions

To take part, it is essential that:

• you are fully aware of the distance and specific nature of the event and are fully trained for it
• before starting the race you have achieved an effective level of autonomy enabling you to deal with the problems inherent to this type of event, notably:
• the ability to tackle the potentially difficult weather conditions due to the altitude (night, wind, cold, rain or snow) without assistance
• the ability to cope with the physical and mental problems resulting from extreme fatigue, digestive problems, muscle or joint pain, small injuries, etc.
• that you are fully aware that it is not the role of the organisers to help a runner to deal with these problems
• that you are fully aware that in such "nature" events, safety depends on the runner's ability to adapt to problems that they encounter or anticipate.

This race is open to anybody, male or female, born in or before 1993 (senior to veteran 4 categories), licensed or not. Since 2012, a V4 category has been added.

Veterans 4: 1934 to 1943
Veterans 3: 1944 to 1953
Veterans 2: 1954 to 1963
Veterans 1: 1964 to 1973
Séniors: 1974 to 1993

Semi self-sufficiency

We expect competitors to compete as semi self-sufficient individuals.
In particular:
The feeding stations are stocked with food and drinks to be consumed on site. The organisers provide still water and sweetened drinks to refill water bottles or bags. Runners must ensure that when they leave a feeding station they have enough water and food to last until the next feeding station.

Acceptance of the race regulations and charter

Taking part in the 6000D implies unreserved acceptance of these race regulations and charter published by the organisers and available for consultation on www.la6000d.com
A large number of rubbish bins are placed around each feeding station and must be used.
It is imperative that the paths are followed as marked without cutting corners, since this can cause erosion and damage the site.

Maximum number of runners

Not limited

Cancelling an entry

Any cancellation of a registration must be made by email or letter, together with a medical certificate. No withdrawal made by telephone, mail or fax will be accepted.
Cancellations must be made before the July  27th, 2013 (race day)

We will refund half your registration fee
No refund will be made before end of August 2013.
No bib numbers can be exchanged (between races or competitors).

Equipment

COMPULSORY : whistle, survival blanket and wind jacket

Hiking poles are allowed.

Strongly recommended

• a minimum supply of water (1 litre)
• food supplies
• mobile phone (recommended)

Bibs

Bibs are handed out individually to each competitor. If you have registered before the end of June, your name will be on your bib.
Bibs must be worn on the chest or stomach and must be fully visible at all times during the race. It must therefore be worn outside all clothing and must not be attached to a bag or a leg. The sponsors' name and logo must not be altered or hidden.
You must bring your own safety pins to attach your number in accordance with the regulations.
Bibs will be distributed in Aime (start of the race) from Thursday to Saturday morning

Safety and medical assistance

There will be 10 first aid posts set up at various points along the course. These posts will be in radio or telephone contact with race HQ.  A regulation medical team will be at race HQ in Aime throughout the whole event.
The first aid posts are there to assist anybody in danger using the organisers' own means or those of the public health service.
It is up to a runner who is in difficulty or seriously injured to call the rescue service:

• by going to a first aid post
• by calling race HQ. The phone number will be communicated later 
• by asking another competitor to alert the rescue service

It is each competitor's responsibility to assist anyone in danger and to alert the rescue service.
Remember that all sorts of unexpected occurrences, related to the weather or the race, can result in you waiting for rescue longer than expected. Your safety will therefore depend on the quality of what you have in your bag.
A competitor calling a doctor or a member of the rescue service subjects himself de facto to their authority and undertakes to accept his decisions.
Members of the rescue service following medical advice and the official doctors are in particular empowered to:

• retire any runner incapable of continuing in the event (by cancelling the number) .
• evacuate runners they consider to be in danger using any means at their disposal .

Checkpoints and feeding stations

All runners must pass through the 8 checkpoints and 4 feeding stations (food and water, see section on semi self-sufficiency) and 3 water stations (see  course technical information table).

Only runners wearing a visible number and who have been duly checked will be allowed into the feeding stations.
The technical information table will show an exact list of the feeding and water stations andbariière  first aid posts.

Maximum time allowed and time limits

The maximum time allowed for the whole of the course is 12 hours.
The 3 time limits (6am start in Aime, 1pm at la Chiaupe on return journey, 3pm at Bellecôte village and 6pm at the finish) are calculated to allow runners to reach the finish within the maximum permitted time. To be allowed to continue the event, competitors must leave the checkpoint before the set time.
Any competitor withdrawn from the race who wishes to carry on can only do so after handing in his bib and on the understanding that he does so under his own responsibility
In case of bad weather and/or for safety reasons, the organisers reserve the right to stop the event or to change the time limits.

Showers.

It is possible to have a shower on finishing in the gym.
Only competitors will have access to the showers.

Retirement and return to the start

Except in the case of injury, competitors can only withdraw at a checkpoint. They must notify the person in charge of the checkpoint who will cancel their number.
The person in charge of the checkpoint will decide how they will get back to the start, according to the following general rules:

• buses are available from Plagne Bellecôte to take competitors who have retired or who have not complied with the time limits (1pm at La Chiaupe and 3pm at. Bellecôte)
• runners who retire at other first aid posts or feeding stations but who do not require evacuation must get to the nearest return point by their own means and as quickly as possible.
• In the case of feeding stations and first aid posts that can be reached by car or 4-wheel drive vehicles, , the organisers may, when the post closes and depending on the means available, take runners who have withdrawn and are still at the post back to the start
• if  unfavourable weather conditions justify the partial or total stopping of the race, the organisers will ensure that runners who have been stopped are taken back to the start as quickly as possible.

The sweeper can cancel the bib of any competitor he meets that wants to withdraw. The competitor is then no longer under the organisers' control.

Disqualification

Race stewards on the course and people in charge of checkpoints and feeding stations are authorised to enforce the regulations and to impose immediate disqualification in case of infringement, subject to the following rules:
Automatic disqualification will be applied in the following cases:

• Refusal to pass through the start to activate the electronic chip
• Cutting a corner to make a significant shortcut
• Dropping litter (deliberately) by a competitor or a member of his entourage
• Lack of consideration for individuals (officials or competitors)
• Not assisting someone in difficulty
• Cheating (example: using means of transport, sharing a bib ...)
• Failure to carry an electronic chip
• Failure to pass through a checkpoint
• Refusal to comply with an instruction from race management, a race steward, the person in charge of a checkpoint or feeding station, a doctor or a member of the rescue service
• Refusing a drug test
• Starting from a checkpoint outside the time limit
• Any other infringement of the rules will incur a sanction to be decided by the race jury

Drug testing

Any competitor may be subjected to a drug test during the event or at the finish. In the event of refusal or non-compliance, the athlete will be sanctioned as though he had been convicted of drug-use.

Alteration to the course or the time limits / cancellation of the race

The organisers reserve the right to alter the course and location of the first aid posts and feeding stations at any time and without notice.
Should the weather be too bad (heavy rain or snow at altitude, high risk of storm, etc.) the start may be delayed.
In case of bad weather and for safety reasons, the organisers reserve the right to stop the event or alter the time limits.

Insurance

Civil liability:

The organisers takes out civil liability insurance for the duration of the event. This insurance covers the financial consequences for which they, their officials and the participants are responsible.

Individual accident:

Each competitor must have personal accident insurance covering possible search and rescue costs in France. This insurance may be taken out with any organisation the competitor chooses, including our 6000D insurance partner Diot Montagne:

Its Impact Multisports provides specific insurance cover for sporting activities and covers all activities.
The policy, offered either by the day or for the whole year depending on the package chosen, provides cover that fulfils your legal obligations and is valid all over the world.
For 2.90€ per day or 46€ per year, (2012 prices), you will benefit from the following main cover:

• Search and rescue costs including helicopter;
• Costs of returning home;
• Public liability relating to sport (in addition to or replacing existing personal policies);

You can check the full cover at
http://www.diot-montagne.fr/index.php/impact-multisports/voir-tous-les-produits.html

Road book: technical information table

The table can be downloaded from the www.la6000d.com web site. It includes plans of the course and useful information such as time limits and location of feeding stations, first aid posts, and treatment stations. Supporters can go and watch the runners at the places indicated.

Classifications and prizes

In the 6000D, only those runners who reach the finish in Aime will be classified.

• No cash awards will be given.
• The first 3 men and the first 3 women in the general category and the first 3 men and the first 3 women in each category will receive a trophy and a prize.
• There is a classification by Clubs/Teams: the first 3 teams will receive a trophy and a prize (if you are a member of a club, the best 3 times will be added together for entry into the classification)
  Please note: if you want to be registered as a club, you must enter the same club name when you register.
• A large number of prizes will be drawn by lot during the official prize giving.
• All the results will be on line at www.la6000d.com and www.sport-info.com

Image rights

All runners expressly renounce the right to benefit from their image as they renounce all recourse against the organisers and their official partners for  using their image.
The 6000D is a legally registered trademark. Any communication about the event or the use of images of the event must respect the event's name, the registered trademarks and have the official agreement of the organisers.

No sale of photos of the 6000D can be made without the race Director's prior agreement.