Registration is now LIVE for all teams!!

Use the button below to access online registration
At this time only ONE person from each team must register, create a new team, and pay the deposit in order to reserve you spot.
If additional teammates wish to register they should "Join a Team" so that they are not charged at this time.

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Entry process for the 2022 USARA National Championship Race

  • On February 1, 2022, USARA will invite the top twenty mixed-gender teams, the top five all-female teams, and the top five all-male teams from the 2021  National Championship race. 
    • Teams will receive an invitation from runsignup.com to complete their registration.
    • A deposit of $300 secures a spot.
    • At least one person from the 2021 Nationals team must race on the 2022 team.  
    • Teams will have through February 28 to claim their reserved spot. On March 1 all unclaimed spots will be released for open registration.
 
  • On March 1, registration for Nationals will open to ALL MIXED-GENDER teams.  
    • One teammate must register and "Create a Team."
    • Their deposit of $300 secures the spot.  
 
  • On March 15, registration for Nationals will open to ALL SINGLE-GENDER teams.​
    • One teammate must register and "Create a Team."
    • Their deposit of $300 secures the spot.  
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  • Registration will remain open until all spots are filled, at which point we will start a waiting list.
 
  • If more teams register during the early registration period than we can accommodate at the race, then USARA will institute a backup system to prioritize registration. This system will constitute a lottery with preference to teams at the top of the current rankings and teams that participated in the previous year’s National Championship race and Points Series. 
 
  • Thirteen places are reserved for the mixed 3/4 person division Regional Championship race winners
    • One place per race and the place will roll down to the first team eligible
    • If a winning team has not yet entered, they will earn a guaranteed entry, paid for by USARA.
    • If the team is already entered, their deposit will be refunded and USARA will pay their entry fee. . In this case, their original entry will revert to the general entry pool.
 
  • Three entries are reserved for discretionary use by USARA. These spots will be awarded via a selection committee decision.
 
  • There is no longer a stand-alone masters division for the purpose of entry into the National Championship. All teams will fall into one of the following categories:  mixed-gender, all-male, or all-female. We will still be celebrating the best Masters team at Nationals; see below!
 
  • We will award the following prizes at the National Championship:
    • National Champions - recognition of the top-ranked team at the race in each division - mixed-gender, all-male, all-female - with top prize going to the premiere mixed-gender division
    • Masters - best team with all members 46 years or older on the date of the race
    • Young Guns - best team with all members under X years on the date of the race, (exact age TBD soon)
    • Blazing Paddles - fastest paddling team on a pre-designated section of the course
    • Fastest Orienteering - fastest orienteering team on a pre-designated section of the course
    • Best MTB team - fastest team on a pre-designated section of the course that will either showcase significant climb or challenging mountain biking
    • Spirit awards - recognition of teams and/or racers the demonstrate the spirit of adventure racing through their actions during the race
    • Point series winner - recognition of the team that wins the overall points series for the 2022 season​
Answers to some questions we think you might have:
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  • Why are we making this change? 
    • Simplification
      • The last phase of the 2021 registration process was an open entry phase. Even with the open signup option, we did not sell out. Reviewing data from past years, the National Championship has  rarely, if ever, sold out. The reality is that we do not YET have demand for entry spots at the National Championship that exceeds the supply. If and when we do, this will be a good problem to solve.
      • The 2021 process (and even the process used in previous years) had some teams not knowing if they were going to Nationals until shortly before the race. By switching to an open entry system, we are allowing teams more time to plan, budget, etc.
      • This change also makes for a cleaner race season for the rankings which will run from Nationals to Nationals.
    • Increased awareness and engagement with the race and the sport
      • More teams knowing ahead of time that they are definitely going to Nationals means more teams talking about the race, and the sport.
      • A more complete team list ahead of time allows us to promote the entire team roster. Good for USARA, the sport, and the teams competing.
 
  • What about the Regional Championship Series?
    • This is still a very important series of races for racers! Teams competing at a regional championship will be racing for: 
      • Free entry to Nationals
      • Bonus points towards the National Championship Series
      • More prize opportunities from increased sponsor support
    • It’s also still an important series of races for RD’s! Directors of regional championship events will receive:
      • Additional sponsor support from title sponsorship
      • Increased draw through the free entry to Nationals and bonus points
      • Additional promotion of the RC race through USARA channels during RC race registration period
 
  • What if more teams sign up than we have spots available?
    • Our analysis strongly suggests that this will not happen early on, and likely not at all.
    • If we hit the cap that is set by boat availability, we can find more boats. The extra expense at that point will be manageable.
    • The permit cap is likely a hard cap, but we do have some contingencies in place:
      • We recognize that most likely, teams that win an RC race will already be registered. This will free up a spot to be allocated to the waiting list.
      • We anticipate a few early cancellations, as is customary for any race.
      • We have three discretionary spots that can be allocated to open registration if needed.
    • As we noted earlier, if and when there are more teams than there are slots available, this will be a good problem for us to solve. At that point, USARA is prepared to return to a merit-based selection process for the National Championship race.

team requirements

To be eligible to race in the USARA National Championship race, your team must meet the following requirements.

  • At least two of the three racers on the racing team must be US citizens or long-term residents (with a green card).
  • Your Nationals lineup cannot exceed the eight-person roster as established during the season. At least one person on the Nationals lineup must have accrued points with the team during the current season. 
  • For Regional Championship winners, at least one racer competing at Nationals must have competed on the winning team.​

for more information

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