Frequently Asked Questions
Questions asked most often have been answered here, but if you can’t find what you’re looking for… please click here to shoot us an email.
Stuff You May Want to Know in Advance
Regarding Registration:
“Can my child participate? / What are your age limits for children?”
Yes, absolutely, we love having your kiddos join us, and because we choose to leave parenting decisions to the parents, there is no age limit for any distance… that’s entirely up to you. Children who will be participating on foot must be registered just like everyone else, but there’s no need to notify us about the kiddos out for a ride in their stroller.
“If I am unable to race, may I give my entry to a friend or family member?”
Yes! Details for how to request a transfer are included on our Rules & Policies page… just please be sure to let us know as early as possible.
IMPORTANT: Giving your entry to a friend or family member without officially processing a transfer is against both Aloha Racing (AR) and USATF regulations. Doing so will subject you to disciplinary action including but not limited to a full year ban from all AR events.
“If I am injured and don’t have anyone to transfer to, can I have a refund?”
Sorry, no. Although refunds will not be given under any circumstance, please take a peek at our company policies (on the Rules & Policies page) as credits are sometimes available.
“Can I switch to a different distance after I’ve registered?”
Yes… you can decide to race either longer or shorter right up to the start of the distance you originally registered for. If you make the decision before online registration closes, just email us at events@aloharacing.com and include both the distance you originally registered for and the one you’d like to switch to. If online registration has closed, please be sure to tell the folks at packet pick-up so they can make the switch for you.
IMPORTANT: If you switch to a different distance and you don’t let us know in advance, you will be disqualified. (Yikes… nobody wants to see that happen!)
Regarding Packet Pick-Up:
“Can someone else take care of getting me registered at Packet Pick-Up?”
Sorry, no… not even your spouse. Unless you are under 18, you must sign your own waiver. (Minors must have a parent or guardian present to register.)
“Do I absolutely have to bring my photo ID to packet pick-up?”
Yes, you do. Not only does this ensure fair competition (no one is able to send in a ringer), but it also prevents the theft of entries by folks who might just pick a name off the posted roster, and guarantees that we know who’s out on our courses, meaning they’ve registered and we have their emergency contact info if, God forbid, something were to happen to them.
“Can someone else pick up my packet for me?”
Yes! As long as you registered online personally you’ve already agreed to the waiver, so the person picking up just needs to have a copy of your photo ID with them. ID’s either printed or available for us to look at on their cell phone are fine, so by all means… save some gas & have one person pick up for your whole group! (If someone else took care of getting you entered, they were not able to sign the waiver for you, so sorry… unless you’ve logged back in to sign, you’ll need to pick up in person.)
Regarding Race Day:
“Do I have to wear my race number?”
Yes! Please wear the number provided so it is visible from the front at all times. This will not only help us in a case of emergency, it will also assist our timers, allowing for more accurate results, and our photographers, so they may identify you in your photos later.
“Can I wear my iPod during the race?”
Yes, however, for your safety, please be sure to keep the volume at a level where you can still hear announcements and course instructions.
“Can I walk if I want / need to?”
You bet. Beginners and veterans alike are welcome at all AR events. Please feel free to race as competitively as you feel comfortable.
“Is there a time limit for me to finish?”
Permits to use parks, roads & trails are set to end at a certain point, yes, but we do our best to allow plenty of time and will always have a course sweep so we can support those who might fall a bit behind the pack. How does 4 hours for a Half Marathon grab you?
“Can I race with my dog?”
In some cases, yes, but please be sure to check the event page for details regarding each venue, then please be sure to keep your pup on a short lead. Oh, and be ready for our staff to love on them a bit… we’re dog lovers too!
“Can I race pushing a stroller?”
Absolutely… all are welcome! We just ask that you start at the back of the pack to prevent blocking the course for your fellow athletes.
“Can you accommodate mobility, hearing or visually impaired athletes?”
Absolutely. Please get in touch with us directly, as far in advance as possible so any necessary arrangements can be made.
Stuff You May Be Curious About
Regarding Registration:
“Why do you charge a processing fee on top of the entry fee?”
Actually, we don’t. The processing fee you pay when you register is a necessary evil of having registration available online. All online registration partners (the guys with the SQL gurus on staff) charge a processing fee so they can continue to provide events with quality services for their athletes.
“Why do I have to pay the processing fee even when I mail in my payment?”
All the same features of online registration developed by those SQL gurus are available to you too, so yup… they still charge the fee, darn it.
“What am I paying for with my entry fee?”
Not only do we typically have to pay to get the appropriate permits and medical support that ensures you will be participating in a safe, quality event, but use of the venue itself, timing, awards, announcers, restrooms, and believe it or not… volunteer support all cost money. Additionally, although we could ask sponsors to provide supplies or write checks that would help with our bottom line, we’d rather send you home with the ton-o-prizes they have available, so we typically purchase all the water, electrolyte replacement, energy supplements, chocolate milk, fruit & breakfast burritos on your behalf. Then there’s that sweet SWAG, right? Shirts, towels, finisher medals & race pics. Whew!
“Why don’t you offer package pricing so I can register for all your races at once?”
Boy, we wish we could, but due to the demands of permitting with different municipalities and how long it takes to receive approvals, we very rarely have them all open for registration at the same time so creating a discount code for a varying number of events gets pretty tricky. Instead, what we do is put a discount code on the race bibs at each event… giving everyone who raced a discount off our next one.
“Why can’t I have a credit after we’re within two weeks of the event?”
The vast majority of all the stuff listed above is purchased two or more weeks in advance. Because at that point we’re still expecting you to be there, you get counted into all orders and your entry fee is spent in preparation for your race, so moving you to another event would mean we purchase everything on your behalf twice. (Don’t worry though… you still have options! Check out our transfer policy on the Rules & Policies page.)
“Why are Walk-Up entry fees higher than online?”
We order all supplies & SWAG based on how many athletes will ultimately participate on race day. Because so many wait until after our order deadlines to register and because we have no way of knowing in advance how many will be doing so, we order everything in quantities that ensure no one will get left out. What this means is that there are typically leftover supplies & SWAG not being covered by an entry fee. To us, it only seems fair that those who register early aren’t a part of paying for the extras.
“Why do you close online registration three days before the race?”
Other than the weather, issues with timing are most often the cause of race day chaos. We close online registration just far enough in advance to assign bib numbers before Early Packet Pick-Up, then to focus on being sure the data we provide the timers is 100% accurate.
Regarding Packet Pick-Up:
“Why do you hold Early Packet Pick-Up on Thursday rather than Friday?”
Because it takes time to mark the courses & distribute equipment from one end to the other, and because we would be at risk of theft or vandalism leaving it all out there for very long, we reserve Friday nights to focus on race set-up, ensuring that you can count on the ‘no brainer’ we promise.
“Why don’t you start Early Packet Pick-Up earlier & stay later?”
If you’ve ever organized an event of any kind, even a birthday party… you can probably imagine how many last minute details there are surrounding an endurance event. With just two of us on staff full-time, we have to be careful not to neglect the other details you’re counting on. We hold Early Packet Pick-Up during the hours that we do to serve the majority, then on site Race Day Packet Pick-Up for the convenience of everyone else.
Regarding Awards & Prizes:
“Why don’t you wait for everyone to finish before you start the awards ceremony & prize giveaway?”
This is a tough call at every race. The earlier we start the more late finishers there are that miss out, and the later we start the more early finishers there are that can’t wait around. To us, scheduling the start of the award ceremony right in between the two seems the fairest.
“Why do you accept prizes from restaurants who serve unhealthy food?”
Although many run / race for health and fitness, there are those who participate in endurance sports strictly for the calorie burn that allows them to eat whatever they want. Each prize recipient is free to either choose healthy items off the restaurant’s menu or not to cash in the prize at all.
“Why do you include prizes in the drawing that are only worth a few dollars?”
One of the things we guarantee to all sponsors is that no member of the AR staff will benefit in any way from their contribution. We offer to you what they offer to us, and receiving something is better than nothing, right?
“Why don’t you award the most valuable prizes to the winners?”
If we ever have a sponsor offer up a cash purse to the winners… score! Until then, we want our events to be exciting and motivating for athletes of all abilities equally.
Regarding Expo:
“Why don’t you offer vegan / kosher / non-dairy / gluten free meal choices?”
We do! Athletes with dietary restrictions of any kind are just as important to us as everyone else. Although we can’t possibly offer a full spread for each and every health concern (at least not without a significant increase in meal pricing), we make it a point to include an item or two that will be safe for anyone & everyone during their post-race recovery.
“Why don’t you hire a local band to play live music?”
Can you say ‘licensing nightmare’? Maybe some day when we are able to bring on more full-time staff… we’ll keep you posted.
Regarding SWAG:
“Why do you bother to provide finisher medals for the 5K?”
To us, finisher medals are not about awarding what other runners or the endurance sports community have decided is a respectable effort, but instead about awarding the ‘never quit’ or ‘refuse to fail’ attitude each individual must have to cross that finish line. Because there’s no way for us to know the perspective of each athlete, we provide finisher medals to all. (If you are of the mindset that medals aren’t really necessary until you go a bit longer, there are some great charities out there you can donate it to.)
“IRun4 a buddy with special needs. Can I get a 2nd finisher’s medal for them?”
Absolutely yes! To be certain all registered athletes receive a medal when they finish we ask that you wait until the end of the event, but then if you approach the Race Director with your request… she’ll be sure to get you taken care of. If you can’t stay for the last finisher, no problem… just shoot us an email through our ‘Contact’ page. Although we’ll need to ask you to cover postage, we’ll be happy to get a medal out to you as quickly as possible.
“Why don’t you put the date of the event on the SWAG?”
We always include the year for keepsake purposes, but as those who registered for pretty much any event in 2020 will understand… you just never know when something is going to happen to cause a postponement. Printing the month and day then having to postpone would land hundreds of items in the trash and it would likely be far too late to get a reprint before the new date.
