The Rules and More

Participant Eligibility

1. The 2021 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Road Race Series (the “Series”) is open to all companies in all industries that have an interest in advancing workplace camaraderie. Company and employee eligibility determinations shall be made exclusively by JPMorgan Chase & Co. (the “Series Owner”) and/or its authorized representative Executive Race Committee (the “ERC”). All participant and team eligibility decisions are final. Upon request, ERC or the Series Owner may request supplemental materials to support a participant’s eligibility to participate in a Race.
2. Employees of private sector, non-business organizations (e.g., federal, state, and local governments, quasi-governmental organizations and educational institutions) may compete and score only if they are on a team from the same unit, branch, chapter, or school at which they are directly employed, and meet all other eligibility requirements.
3. Participants must be actively employed, working a minimum of 25 hours a workweek at least ninety (90) days prior to the Race (as defined below) registration deadline for the company they are representing. Temporary/casual employees, employees on leave or sabbatical, volunteers, non-employees, club members, interns and sub-contractors are not eligible to participate in any race in the Series (each, a “Race”).
4. Participants must be at least 18 years of age on the day of the Race.
5. Participants must be employed in the country in which the Race is held. Companies who register teams for any Race in the Series must have a facility or office in the country in which the Race is held.
6. Each participant must register online using the Series’ registration system in order to be officially entered and eligible to run a Race. By registering for a Race, Participants represent and warrant that: (1) they are medically fit to run; and (2) they fulfill the previously-listed employment requirements.
7. Each company must register a minimum of four (4) entrants that meet all of the eligibility requirements to form one (1) complete team: a male team of four (4) men - OR - a female team of four (4) women - OR - a mixed team of two (2) men and two (2)  women to participate in the Series. Corporate teams that register less than the minimum will not be accepted and will be removed from the registration system when the registration period closes. In the event that a team is removed from the registration system before the registration period closes, the registration fees for the team members within that incomplete team will be refunded to such removed team members.
8. Companies must register a minimum of four (4) participants that meet all of the eligibility requirements to be eligible for 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place team awards and Championship Race qualifications. 
9. Due to the large number of entries to be processed, all company teams and team members acknowledge that company and individual entries which do not qualify under these rules, whether or not they have been accepted initially by the event organizer, may be rejected by the ERC or the Series Owner either before or after any Race and those teams and/or team members may be disqualified. In the event of disqualification prior to the start of the applicable Race, entry fees will be refunded to the applicable disqualified team member minus any processing fees already collected by the ERC or Series Owner. In the event of disqualification after the start of the applicable Race, entry fees will be deemed non-refundable and non-transferable.
10. Due to course restrictions or permitting regulations, the event organizer or ERC reserves the right to limit the number of participant entries before the published Race registration closing date.
11. Any participant seeking a reasonable accommodation must submit a written request to the Race’s customer service team on or before the published registration closing date at: buffalo@corpchallenge.jpmorgan.com.
12. The Series Owner reserves the right to reject or disqualify any entrant or team whose conduct is inappropriate to the spirit of the Race. Individual disqualification may lead to the disqualification of the entire team and/or company for one or more Races. In the event of such disqualification of any or all team members of company team, such team member(s)’ entry fees shall be deemed non-refundable and non-transferable.
13. The Series Owner and ERC reserves the right to delay, postpone, cancel, or not officially time any Race in the event of adverse weather conditions. The determination of what constitutes adverse weather conditions is reserved solely to the ERC. In the event of a cancellation, postponement or delayed Race, entry fees shall be deemed non-refundable and non-transferable.
14. These Rules of Competition and any other Race rules are subject to interpretation by the event organizer, the Series Owner and ERC. All decisions of the ERC and the Series Owner are final.

Race Day Rules

1. All participants must complete the medical contact and emergency information on the back of their race bib.
2. All participants must wear their assigned race bib in full view on the front of their shirt. Anyone found running with another person’s bib will be disqualified, and risks disqualification for their entire team. Disqualified participants are not entitled to a refund.
3. Participants may not start the Race early and must complete the exact 3.5M / 5.6km course and may not vary the routes unless otherwise prior approval has been provided by ERC or Series Owner. Violation of this policy may lead to disqualification of the individual or entire company team from this and future Series Races.
4. Participants are required to start the Race in the corral that corresponds to the color of their bib or a corral further from the start line than their assigned corral; participants may not move to a corral closer to the start line. 
5. In the interest of participant safety and security, and to allow public streets and permitted areas to reopen as required in compliance with municipal and/or law enforcement permitting restrictions, participants are allotted up to a pace of 20 minutes per mile (12.4 minutes per kilometer) to complete the course (1 hour and 10 minutes total) from the time they cross the Race’s start line.  Participants unable to maintain this pace should be mindful that amenities on the course may not be available, and participants participating in Races on public streets may be asked to move off the course or to sidewalks.  Participants that fail to complete the course in 1 hour and 10 minutes from the Race’s start time may not receive an official Race time.   
6. To allow public streets and permitted areas to reopen as required, start lines will be closed and timing mats will be removed twenty (20) minutes after the official Race start or after the last corral starts the Race, whichever is longer.  Any participant that begins the Race after the start line closes will not receive an official time.   
7. For safety reasons, roller skates, skateboards, rollerblades, baby joggers, baby strollers, roller skis, bicycles, and pushchairs are strictly prohibited anywhere along the Race course. Use of any of the aforementioned items will result in disqualification of the individual participant and possibly their entire team. For the avoidance of doubt, wheelchair users who self-propel are not prohibited from participating in the Race.
8. Non-Service Animals (“Service Animals” defined below) are strictly prohibited anywhere along the Race course. Use of a non-Service Animal will result in disqualification of the individual participant and possibly their entire team. For purposes of these Series Rules of Competition, a “Service Animal” means a working dog, not a pet, who is trained to perform tasks for an individual with a disability with such tasks directly related to an individual’s disability. Service Animals exclude animals whose sole task is to provide comfort or emotional support to an individual; provided, however, that dogs who have been trained to assist individuals diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder shall be considered Service Animals for purposes of these Series Rules of Competition. All Service Animals must be harnessed, leashed, or tethered, unless these devices interfere with their work or the individual’s disability prevents using such devices. In such instances, the individual must maintain control of the Service Animal through voice, signal or other effective controls.
9. All individual and team payments must be received by the day of the Race. If such fees are not received by the Series Owner, such failure to pay may result in disqualification of the individual participant and possibly the entire team as determined by Series Owner and/or ERC in their reasonable discretion.

Safety Bulletin

Safety bulletin for the 2021 J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge Buffalo coming soon!

Scoring Rules

1. Participants must wear the race-provided timing chip/transponder on the back of their bib to be scored and appear in the official results. Individual results are calculated on the time elapsed between crossing the start and finish timing mats.  Participants must cross the start and finish line timing mats and on-course timing split points to receive an official time.
2. Each participant may be placed on only one (1) scoring team at each Race per year. For example, a female participant may NOT score for both a female and a mixed team.
3. Once a company team has placed in the top 3 of a division and won any award in any Series Race, the individual team members are not eligible to score on any other team at any other Race during the calendar year.
4. Company teams representing retail stores that predominantly feature running shoes and apparel are not eligible for 1^st, 2^nd, or 3^rd place team awards or Championship Race qualification but are eligible for individual awards if such teams meet all other Race eligibility requirements.
5. Participants who competed in the Championship race of the preceding year may not be included on a team scorecard in any division for this calendar year’s Series Races. Such participants are eligible to be part of a corporate team roster and run in a Race, but they may not be scored on a team. 
6. Ties between two (2) or more teams shall be resolved by determining which team wins the most one-on-one match-ups among their four scoring members, comparing first to first, second to second, and so on. Should there still be a tie, the team with the 4^th team member with the next quickest time will be declared the winner. 
7. Based on clock/gun time and not chip time (time elapsed between crossing the start line and finish line), the top five (5) male and female finishers will be the first five (5) eligible runners to cross the finish line; verification will take place on site.  Once the verification takes places, the top three (3) individual runners will be posted on the results page.

Championship Eligibility

1. All participant eligibility rules apply to the Championship Race along with the additional qualifications below.
2. For U.S. events, a company is eligible if it is based in or has one (1) or more offices in the greater metropolitan area (within a fifty (50) mile radius) of the Race city. For international events, a company is eligible if it is based in or has one (1) or more offices in the country in which its team is competing.
3. At least three (3) members of the qualifying team must be employed at an address (or addresses) in the greater metropolitan area (for U.S. events) or country (for international events) of the Championship Race.
4. Individual participants who participated in the Championship Race of the immediately preceding Series cannot participate the current Championship Race, without exception. Participants who qualified for the most recent Championship but did not attend are eligible to qualify for the following year.  If a company participates in the Championship Race, it is eligible to participate the following year but the scoring team members may not be the same four (4) team members that participated in the prior Championship Race; all four (4) team members must be different.  

Code of Conduct

Code of Conduct for All Participants

At any Race in the Series, all participants must follow these Rules of Competition and conduct themselves in a courteous manner, showing respect for all fellow participants, volunteers, Race staff, and members of the community. Proper race etiquette is required at all times, including being aware of surroundings and any announcements and following instructions from Race officials. Unsportsmanlike conduct will not be tolerated.

Start

Participants must arrive early enough to enter their corrals on time. They must remain respectfully quiet during pre-Race announcements and the playing of the national anthem (in the U.S. only).

Headphones

The use of headphones or earbuds is strongly discouraged. If participants wear headphones, they shall ensure that they can hear all announcements and/or instructions and remain aware of their surroundings, including other participants.

Urination

In accordance with city ordinances, participants may only urinate in provided toilet facilities. They must be considerate in Porta Potty lines (never cutting ahead of others). Public urination in any part of the Race venue, course, village, or otherwise could result in disqualification and a police summons.

Running Courtesy

• Participants should not run in groups of three or more abreast, as wide groups become barriers to other runners on the course.
• If someone behind a runner calls out, "On your left," the runner in front should move to the right to let the participant behind them pass.
• Participants should never stop abruptly on the course (to drink at a Water Station or to tie shoelaces, etc.).
• All runners must exercise extreme care when spitting or blowing their noses to avoid soiling nearby participants.

Race Attire

Male participants are strongly discouraged from racing without shirts and/or removing their shirts during the Series. Runners must wear their bibs on the front of their torsos, where they can be visible at all times.

Trash

Races are conducted in public parks and streets. Participants must deposit all trash in provided receptacles, including at water stations where they must take care to avoid hitting other participants with discarded cups. Recycling and compost bins should be used whenever possible.

Safety

If any participant encounters a runner in distress, they should offer assistance and/or report the situation to the nearest aid station. If possible, they should also call 911 (U.S. Races) or the local emergency medical number.

Prohibited Items

The following items are prohibited from all J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge events and race venues:

• Weapons of any kind, including firearms, knives, mace, etc.
• Any dangerous item or “dual use” item that could be considered dangerous, including hammers, saws, sharp objects, etc.
• Flammable liquids, fuels, fireworks, toxic chemicals and explosives • Large packages, coolers, pop-up tent or camping tents and lean-tos
• Duvets, sleeping bags and large blankets or comforters
• Unmanned aerial devices, drones, survey balloons, photography mini-copters, or any other flying device
• Opaque trash/plastic bags (clear trash bags are allowed)
• Animals/pets
• Folding chairs, camp chairs and tables of any kind
• Glass containers
• Containers of liquid larger than one liter
• Strollers (all kinds)
• Suitcases and rolling bags
• Camelbacks and any type of hydration backpack (fuel belts and handheld water bottles are allowed)
• Weight vests or any other vests with multiple pockets, especially those that can be used as water reservoirs
• Costumes that cover the face and any bulky outfits that are not reasonably form-fitting
• Props, including sporting equipment, military and fire gear, and signs larger than 11” x 17”
• Selfie sticks and camera mounts/rigs that are not attached directly to participants' heads or torsos