Safety is our number one priority. We also want everyone to have an amazing time and we want to put on a good race. In order to ensure this delicate balance, please review all the rules of the road to avoid penalties or disqualification. Please note that breaking any of these rules will result in time penalties or in some cases, automatic disqualification. Please also, review the Rules Of The Race.

Safety First

Always use extreme caution during the entire race. Participants will run against the flow of oncoming traffic unless otherwise stated. There will be no road closures, traffic control personnel, or aid stations.

• All runners must wear their team numbers (bibs) visibly on the front of their attire and wear or carry the relay batons (wristbands).
• Headphones or ear buds on active runners are forbidden. Running down the road with your ears shut off from reality is one of the most unsafe things you can do on an open course like the Green Mountain Relay. Doing so will result in your entire team being disqualified.
• Pets or bicycles along the race course are prohibited  and will result in the entire team being disqualified.
• Wearing reflective vests during daylight is highly recommended, though not required.
• Runners must obey all pedestrian and vehicle codes.
• Runners may only cross roads at crosswalks, intersections, or at the instruction of a race marshal assigned to this task.
• Runners and vans must stop at red lights.
• Incoming runners pass batons (wrist bands) to outgoing runners only at the runner exchange areas.
• From sunset to sunrise, runners must wear reflective vests, carry lighted flashlights or headlamps, and wear a blinking red light on their back. Runners may run with escorts, phones, and/or pepper spray. All members of the Active Van must also wear a reflective vest whenever exiting the van between sunset and sunrise.
• Leapfrogging your runner by several hundred yards, waiting until they pass you by a few hundred yards; then repeating (aka shadowing), between transitions is only permitted from dusk until dawn provided that your team-vehicle driver obeys all local traffic laws. Furthermore, your team vehicle cannot interfere with the progress of another runner or other vehicle traffic. Your vehicle can pull completely off the road onto a shoulder. Your vehicle’s headlights and emergency flashers are on.
• Driving behind the runner at the pace he or she is running is not permitted; vans must maintain the speed limit.
• Vehicles must drive ahead to the next exchange point or van exchange to ready the next runner. Follow traffic laws: Trailing runners, forcing runners onto the road by obstructing the shoulder, or driving well below the speed limit inhibiting other traffic are all prohibited.
• Except for van exchanges (6, 12, 18, 24, 30), only active vans may park in the exchange to wait for incoming runners.
• All teams are limited to two vehicles (ultra teams to one) to transport runners along the route. SUVs, minivans and vans are ideal (motor homes, campers, buses, trailers, or limousines are not permitted). Vehicles larger (longer and/or wider) than a 15-passenger van will not be permitted.
• All vans must display a “CAUTION: Runners on Road” sign (minimum 17 x 22 inches) on the rear of each vehicle throughout the entire race. Signs may be hand-drawn and must be legible and clearly visible to all traffic. If the sign cannot be read from 30 feet away, it will not be approved.
• All vans must also have their team number (signs provided at the start) displayed on their vehicles. Instructions will be on the signs.
• Vehicles may NOT stop or park 500 feet before the exchange.

Respect The Environment

• Runners should be considerate and quiet in residential areas, especially after dark.
• Runners must obey volunteers and respect private property. This includes properly disposing of trash and using the portable toilets. Any runner spotted littering or urinating/defecating on private property will cause their entire team to be immediately disqualified. We must remember that we are guests of Vermont and act in an appropriate manner.