During a paddling race different injuries and health disorders can occur. Please be careful.
Some examples on hazards, which can cause injury, health disorder or lethal outcome:
Hazards in the terrain:
- Participant can get lost.
- Participant can be a victim of attack by domestic or wild animal (for example adder bite)
- Participant can have dangerous allergic reaction on insect bites or poisonous flora.
Hazards on public roads:
- Traffic on public roads are not closed or regulated during the race.
Hazards on water:
- Competitors can drawn or suffer of hypothermia when the boat capsizes or gets full of water.
- Competitor’s boat can clash with other boats, causing capsizing or breaking.
- Wind and waves can cause capsizing of boat or fill it with water.
- Competitor can get injured or drawn while crossing rapids or whitewater stages.
- Competitor has to take into account, that water speed can be very different in some places and it can cause boat capsizing.
- Fallen trees, especially in places with rapid stream. Bumping into fallen tree can cause boat breaking or capsizing.
- Depending on water level there can be stones in the river or lake, which cannot be seen and bumping into these stones can cause capsizing or boat breaking.
Hazards related to long duration of the race:
- Competitors are under heavy load during the race, which can cause different health problems.
- Heavy physical load can cause injuries to muscles, joints, bones or skin.
- Competitor can suffer of dehydration (insufficient drinking).
- Competitor can suffer of lack of carbohydrates (insufficient eating).
- Competitor can suffer of hypothermia.
- The race is very exhausting.
- Competitor can drop asleep while driving home after the race and thus be a victim of traffic accident. Please, take a rest before heading home if you are driving a car.
Other hazards:
- During such a long race one can fall out with teammates or with other competitors.
- Accidents in connection to several hazards described before can happen simultaneously. For example – tiredness of competitor, bickering, dusk or darkness, bad weather conditions (wind, rain, low temperature etc.).
- Every competitor has therefore to take into account, that coincidence of several factors can cause unforeseen and not described above danger.
Risk prevention:
- Competitor is obliged to assess all risks personally and evaluate his/her abilities to cope with these risks on the race
- Competitor has to quit the race when he estimates, that he is not able to continue the race safely.
- Competitor has to choose his trajectory at obstructions on the river so, that he will be able to reach the riverbank in case of capsizing.
- Competitor has to take into account, that as stages between control points are long, bodies of water are big, speed and paddling trajectory can be chosen freely, it is not possible for organizers to arrange water rescue.
- Every competitor has obligatory to wear properly fastened life vest when in the boat.
- Competitors have to follow traffic rules on public roads.
- It is recommended, that competitors have a reserve of drinking water with them.
- It is recommended, that competitors have some energy rich food with them.
- It is recommended, that competitors wear wheather safe clothes and have some reserve clothes with them. It is also recommended that competitors have survival blanket.
- It is recommended, that competitors be vaccinated against tick- borne encephalitis.
- As the race has very long duration, it is recommended, that competitors plan their rest before driving home.
Course of action in case of accidents. In case of accidents, health disorders or injuries which make the competitor unable to move and/or require immediate medical assistance; following has to be taken into account:
- Place of accident will most probably first be reached by other persons taking part into the race.
- It is responsibility of all competitors to inform organizers about accidents.
- Every team has to carry with them a mobile phone in watertight package with a saved contact number of organizers.
- If competitor can not reach the organizers by mobile phone, cause of bad coverage, then one team member goes to closest higher point in the terrain and tries to get mobile coverage in order to contact organizers. The other member of the team remains with the victim in order to help him.
- Depending on the situation organizers will arrange either arrival of ambulance and/or transport of the victim to the finish.
- Arrival of ambulance and/or organizers to a remote places on the river can take very long time!
Confirmation of the competitor:
- Participant thoroughly acquainted with the current rules and realize that participation in race may result in injury, health disorder or lethal outcome.
- Participant will take all necessary steps to avoid dangers, prevent and alleviate risks involved.
- In case of an accident involving participant's team partner or fellow competitors participant will assist the injured person and inform the organizers about the accident.
- Participant confirms that he/she participates in the race at their own risk.
