Legal devices

Hi,

Can participants legally use 'Polar RS800G3', 'Polar S625X', 'Polar S725X', 'Polar AXN700', 'Polar AXN500', 'Polar AXN300', 'Polar S720i', 'Polar RS200sd' in the event ?

Can participants legally use 'Garmin Forerunner 205', 'Garmin Forerunner 305', 'Garmin Forerunner 405' in the event?

How you will control that?

IRF rule B7.
The only navigational aids that may be carried on the course are magnetic compasses, watches and
copies of the competition map. The possession of other navigational aids, including pedometers,
altimeters and GPS receivers on the course is prohibited.


Armo

Indeed, the relevant IRF rules goes as quoted above by Armo.
The rule is interpreted to imply that any instrument with a built-in altimeter or pedometer is banned. At the same time, a GPS logger that only records information, but does not make it available to a team on the course, is not considered a navigational aid.

About policing the rule. The bottom line is that the sport of rogaining relies on the honesty of competitors. Nonetheless, the organizers will use the means at our disposal to reinforce the rule. This includes the right of judges to the check the gear of the team both when entering the start area and while on course. Competitors may also report and file a protest against other teams that they observe breaking the rules.

Lauri Leppik
8WRC2008 co-ordinator

So, watches with altimeter are not allowed? Do I have to buy a new watch?

Margus

Indeed, benefits from an altimeter on Estonian terrains are marginal, if any.
However, rogaining rules are the same regardless of the type of terrain where the event is held.
Margus, may be your team mate has a watch without altimeter? Or perhaps any of your friends can borrow you a regular watch for this event.

Best wishes,
Lauri

Tip: As I see, somebody have some problems with reminding his/her route on map. You don't have to use any navigational stuff, you can take a pencil with you and during rogaining just draw your route on map. If you can not do that, you are not able to orienteer well enough for World Champs.

Yes, but.. you can send mails too, but as I see You still have sent an e-mail.. this is so called "progress"... and same with "pencil versus GPS logger"

Could someone tell which of the Polar products are allowed in the competition and which are not, please. And how about those which usually are used with Polar S1 foot pod, are those allowed if the food pod is not beeing used in competition? in the list above, there are some models like Polar RS400/ RS400sd left without comment.

At Polar internet site http://www.polar.fi/polar/channels/eng/
you can easily find the list of features of all their products.
The same goes about Garmin products.
Please consult: www.garmin.com/products/

Polar RS800G3 - banned due to GPS and pedometer functions
Polar S625X - banned due to pedometer and altimeter functions
Polar S725X - banned due to altimeter functions
Polar AXN700 - banned due to altimeter and electronic compass functions
Polar AXN500 - banned due to altimeter and electronic compass functions
Polar AXN300 - banned due to altimeter functions
Polar S720i - permitted
Polar RS200sd - banned due to pedometer functions
Polar RS400sd - banned due to pedometer functions
Polar RS400 - permitted (unless the device comes with optional pedometer function)
Garmin Forerunner 205, 305, 405 - banned due to GPS and pedometer functions

Best wishes,
Lauri Leppik

Polar S720i - permitted ???

-----------
Altitude and temperature measurement: The Polar S720i/S710i calculates
altitude by using the standard average altitude in certain air pressures
according to the ISO 2533. The air pressure is measured and the
temperature is compensated every second. The receiver displays altitudes
between - 1600 ft - 24900 ft or - 488 m - 7590 m with at least 3 ft/ 1 m
resolution. The reference point’s adjustable altitude range is ± 2000 ft/ 610
m from the last measured value.

------- info from:
http://support.polar.fi/PKBSupport.nsf/42256C2B001E0F6A42256BC6003E34F7/$FILE/S720i-S710i%20USA.pdf

Apologies, I overlooked that altitude measurement in Polar S720i comes under cycling features. Then, Polar S720i is also banned.

Of course, it shall be emphasized that the list of devices above is not exhaustive, but only illustrative.
ANY device with built-in pedometer, altimeter, GPS or electronic compass is banned, except a logger which has no display and which does not allow to retrieve information while on course.

Best wishes,
Lauri

The IRF rules are clear and Lauri is doing a good job of reinforcing them.

However I think IRF may soon need to reconsider the relevant rules. Technology is advancing quickly and GPS capability will increasingly be in normal items like phones and watches and it may become impossible to police.

Other recreations that specifically use GPS technology such as geocaching are growing in popularity and I think adventure racing requires competitors to have altimeter watches. A sport that tries to hold back the tide of technology rather than embrace it will become less interesting to many potential participants - we could become a quaint historic sport like fencing, archery, and croquet. We might need to consider trying special events where people are allowed to carry some of the new technology.

Also an increasing number of people have GPS trackers and would like to analyse their routes after the event. In order to retain and stimulate the interest of these people organisers may need to allow these items to be carried, perhaps under an honesty system, or perhaps in sealed containers the seals of which are checked at start and finish.

The above are just comments for possible discussion. Personally I do not have any GPS or related devices.

Personally, I like the idea to let rogaining be a kind of "historic" sports. Simple watch, compass and map "a la Ptolemy". And good company, of course.
Let's distinguish rogaining among adventure sports, geocaching, orienteering, cross-country racing and others.
As earlier, I'm not against usage of any device. Because I like rogaining and everything what accompanies it, competition is secondary. So, rules, which let us to be nature-friendly, are way too important than rules about gadgets.
And as far as we do have rules, we must follow them.

Aivars

I think, that organisers shoudn't to ban polar products with altimeters, because in Estonia isn't very big massives, there would be usefull to use altimeters (just time wasting)

After the competitions I want to know, how much ascent I taken during the race, what was my heart rate and so on.. And I can't imagine better way than use the Polar products (only with altimeter, without GPS functions)

Toward Top 15 Team :)

Dear friends!
Bulletin no 2:
"Further exceptions from the IRF Rules of Rogaining may be specified in
Bulletin No 3." So, please wait!

For example the question for me IRF rule B14. "Each competitor shall carry a whistle at all times whilst on the course. In an emergency a
competitor shall give a series of short blasts on their whistle."

Armo
(please write your name always here!)

An interesting and valuable conversation.

The ban is particular relevant to Championship events - it is a test of navigational proficiency (including planning)under duress in a team environment- so at International, National and State/Regional level it has to be reinforced and if necessary enforced.

I'm a lantern rouge rogainer however a much stronger rogainer has suggested to me that while one team is consulting their toys others will be scoring another control. However I think it is potentially a greater problem in the sub categories.

You will find that there have been and are organisers who have toyed with differrent categories based upon size and experience where they have allowed those teams to carry a GPS and other devices. Usually calling those classes recreational. An annual Canadian Rescue Services Rogaine allows the different teams and a series of Californian Rogaines tried a recreational class with GPS.

Others have made GPS loggers available for hire to teams so that they can see their route after the event. A 2007 Texas USA Rogaine comes to mind.

The extension of this is live tracking of all teams however that raises many other issues beyond this conversaton.

Ultimately this is a World Championship and the fundamental attributes of rogaining must be supported as Lauri has indicated his team will do.

Alan Mansfield, 7WRC

Uhm?The talk about Polar products is starting to sound a bit strange to me - why on earth would for example Polar RS200 be banned when the only way to measure distance is WITH A SEPARATE unit attached to your shoe? So the unit itself doesn't contain distance measurement or GPS or altimeter or... I'm not a Polar user myself, but I use a similiar unit from Suunto. Only the very basic cheap heart rate monitors come without the option of adding these separate "POD"s to allow the pedometer or GPS functions etc.

I really do like the idea to keep rogaining as a "device-free" sport, but banning heart rate monitors on basis that if you add another device you can then use it as a pedometer...

1st timer in WRC 2008

But who has claimed that Polar RS200 is banned? Polar RS200 is permitted, similar to Polar RS400, unless it comes with the optional pedometer device.

What is banned, is Polar RS200sd. Small letters may make a big difference!

More broadly, heart rate monitors are permitted as long as they do not include additional features which fall under the category of navigational aids.

Lauri Leppik
8WRC co-ordinator

Ok, thanks for the explanation. My mistake... Which was easy to make as RS200sd is actually a normal RS200+foot pod.

All and all - it seems to me that the IRF rules kind of say it all. So there really shouldn't be any need for lists etc. Pedometers, atimeters, gps's etc. are not permitted. It couldn't be clearer.

Thanks for all the effort on the event and on these pages - it's good to go thru all these issues now when there is still time for the start...

Thanks and good luck with all the organizing!

1st timer in WRC 2008

So, I'll be able to use S625x, or not?

See above, reply from 11.02.08

But as I understand still we don't have any formal IRF or competition rule which bans any type of wristwatch (we can't count forum discussions as "official") It means that formally organizers can't disqualify anybody who's using Polar AXN or similar device. We can just wait until IRF will adjust the rogaining rules...

As cited above, the IRF rule B7 stipulates:
"The only navigational aids that may be carried on the course are magnetic compasses, watches and copies of the competition map. The possession of other navigational aids, including pedometers,
altimeters and GPS receivers on the course is prohibited."

As Polar AXN includes altimeter and digital compass, both of which are excplicitly prohibited under rule B7, Polar AXN is banned.

I shall also point out the IRF rule A4.
"In interpretation and use of these Rules, participants, organisers, committees and jury panel members shall at all times be guided by a sense of fair play."

Another relevant rule is C18.
"Any report of an alleged rule breach by a team, or protest by a team against the organisation of an event shall be considered and determined by a three person jury prior to the announcement of the results for that event."

The rules are clear and there is a procedure to solve any dispute over interpretation. There will be a jury, who will make a decision, if needed. But it is hard to believe that any reasonable participant wants to take the risk of being disqualified by the jury.

Lauri Leppik