The following outlines the rules of competing in the Washie 100 Miler.

By entering this race, all entrants agree to abide by these rules, and to accept any and all consequences for breaking them.

General Race Rules (all athletes)

1. Entries are online only via the official website washie100miler.com.
2. Entries close at midnight on Sunday 19th July 2026
3. The race entry fee for seconded athletes is R1900 for novice (first time) Washie runners, and R1500 for previous Washie finishers.
4. The race entry fee for solo athletes is R2600 for novice Washie runners, and R2200 for previous Washie finishers.
5. All South African athletes must be licensed with an ASA club.
6. The race is run in strict accordance with the rules of World Athletics, Athletics South Africa and Border Athletics.
7. All foreign athletes must comply with World Athletics rules and have permission from their local federation to compete in this event, and will be issued with an ASA temporary license at registration.
8. Athletes are not required to qualify for the Washie 100 Miler.
9. All participants must be 20 years or older.
10. Registration will be at the start (Cathcart Country Club) from 13h00 to 15h30 on Friday 31st July.
11. All entrants must collect their race packs, wrist bands and trackers at registration between 13h00 and 15h30 on 31st July.
12. All athletes will be required to run with a small satellite tracking device. This device must be carried on their person at all times. The athlete tracking data will be checked prior to publication of the final results.
13. All seconding team members must must collect their car signs, wrist bands and sign the seconding register between 13h00 and 15h30 on 31st July.
14. Only official participants displaying their race numbers, and accompanying registered seconding teams & vehicles displaying their car signs are allowed to interact on the route.
15. The athlete’s race number must be worn on the front at all times and must be clearly visible.
16. Race briefing is compulsory for all runners AND nominated seconding drivers, at 15h45 on Friday 31st July. Any runner not present at the race briefing will NOT BE ALLOWED TO START.
17. The route will be discussed in detail at the race briefing.
18. The race starts at 17h00 on Friday 31st July. NO LATE STARTS will be permitted.
19. The race ends at 19h00 on Saturday 1st August, allowing competitors a maximum of 26 hours to complete the course.
20. There are in-race time cutoffs at 23h00 on Friday at the ¼ way (~42km mark), and at 06h00 on Saturday at the ½ way (~82km mark). Any athlete not making it these points in the allocated time will be retired from the race.
21. Spot checks will be set at various points during the race at the discretion of the committee and race referee.
22. SAFETY IS A PRIORITY – runners must be as visible as possible at all times and must run with the Washie reflective vest that will be provided at registration. Any runners found breaching this rule will be disqualified immediately.
    
23. All runners must wear a headlamp during the night time running sessions. Any runner found running without a light may be disqualified. Ensure that you have sufficient batteries and TEST YOUR HEADLAMP during your training sessions.
24. All runners, seconds and seconding vehicles need to be as visible as possible for the duration of the event.
25. Personal music players or devices with headphones are NOT ALLOWED due to safety hazards (ASA Rule 34.10.6)
26. Entries are not refundable for non-participation for any reason.
27. Should an athlete not be able to participate for any reason, they may defer their entry for a maximum period of 1 year. A deferral administration fee of R250 will apply.
28. There is a 35km loop just out of Cathcart on which there will be NO VEHICLE SECONDING permitted. There will be water tables provided on this stretch by the organisers. Pacer (runners & bike) seconds are allowed.
29. There will be timing checkpoints at the 42km, 82km and 120km marks on the course. All runners must ensure they are ticked off as they pass these timing points.
30. Race officials will continuously traverse the route while the race is in progress.
31. ONLY registered athletes and their registered seconding teams (ie. those with official wristbands) will be allowed in the finisher chute. NO OTHER supporters will be allowed in the finishing chute.
32. No person may use the Washie 100 Miler logo or branding for any reason without prior consent from the Buffalo Road Runners Club.
33. The organisers and race officials reserve the right to amend these rules at any time.

Solo Athletes – Additional Rules

In 2025 we introduced the option to run the Washie 100 Miler as a solo athlete (without a seconding team).

If you choose this option, you will be allowed 3 drop bags that you can access at the 42km, 82km and 120km Checkpoints. These will be brought back to the finish line for you after the race. These can contain anything you want – race specific nutrition, extra socks or clothes, spare shoes etc.

PLEASE NOTE: Your drop bags MUST fit inside our supplied plastic bags (410mm x 900mm) – these allow us to easily mark and transport the drop bags. Please be reasonable when packing your drop bags.

The race organisers will provide additional Checkpoints with nutrition and hydration support roughly every 12km-14km between the drop bag CPs. These will have coffee, tea, soup, sandwiches (peanut butter/marmite), fruit, potatoes, sweets, water and cooldrink available. If you require specific nutrition (eg. Gu/Hammer/Tailwind etc) you must provide this yourself – either in your drop bags or carried in your pack.

There will be a total of 12 Checkpoints along the route for solo athletes only.

You will also be required to run with the following compulsory gear:

1. Hydration pack with bladder / soft flasks with a minimum 1.5 liter capacity
2. Reflective vest
3. Buff/beanie
4. Thermal base layers – long sleeve top and leggings (last year temperatures dropped to 2 degrees above freezing in Stutterheim)
5. Gloves
6. Fully charged cellphone
7. Headlamp with 2 sets of batteries
8. Full waterproof jacket with taped seams & hood
9. Space blanket
10. Strapping
11. Medical info card (supplied at race briefing)

We will do a kit check at registration in this regard. You must bring your pack with all required gear to registration.

Should you wish to withdraw, you can do so at a Checkpoint only. You must also notify the Checkpoint team and we will then arrange to extract you back to the Buffs club. Note that this will be subject to availability of support vehicles, and may mean you wait at a checkpoint for a while before being extracted.

Solo athletes are not allowed pacers.

Supported (Seconded) Athletes – Additional Rules

If you choose to run as a supported athlete, it is a condition of entry that you will provide your own seconds and seconding vehicles, along with all your own nutrition and hydration requirements.

We recommend the following gear be included in your race preparations:

1. Buff/beanie
2. Thermal base layers – long sleeve top and leggings (last year temperatures dropped to 2 degrees above freezing in Stutterheim)
3. Gloves
4. Spare headlamp with 2 sets of batteries
5. Full waterproof jacket with taped seams & hood
6. Space blanket
7. Strapping

The following rules are specific to seconded runners & their seconding teams:
  

1. Seconding teams are limited to a MAXIMUM OF 2 CARS PER ATHLETE, and a maximum of 6 people in total for the seconding team. Each seconding vehicle must be registered with the organisers, along with the nominated drivers. All nominated drivers must also attend the race briefing.
2. Seconding vehicles must display the official seconding signs in their front and back windows at all times.
3. They must also be clearly visible at all times through the use of hazard lights or other flashing lights (amber or white only!).
4. Seconding teams must adhere to the South African traffic rules of the road at all times.
5. All seconds must wear reflective vests and headlamps when assisting athletes during the night sessions.
6. Any seconding team found violating any of these conditions will result in the immediate disqualification of their athlete.
7. Any interference with another participant by either the athlete or their seconding team will result in immediate disqualification of the athlete.
8. Any athlete and/or seconding team caught cheating in any way will result in the athlete being disqualified immediately. The athlete will also be permanently banned from any future Washie races.
9. Seconded athletes will NOT be allowed to make use of the solo athlete support Checkpoints.
10. If a runner decides to withdraw, their seconding team must notify the organisers immediately via the emergency contact number provided at the race briefing.
11. Any seconds pacing a runner are bound by the same rules as runners regarding being visible. If you plan to have pacers, you must notify us on the entry form. A maximum of 2 pacers may be moving with an athlete at any given time.

Appeals/Objections

Appeals against another participant will be regarded in a very serious light, so please report a contravention of any of the rules by another participant or participant’s supporters.

Be sure of the appeal and complaint before lodging an objection.
  

Procedures for lodging an appeal

1. If a participant witnesses a contravention to the rules by another participant, record the name and/or number of the participant breaking the rule.
2. Try to solicit a witness and take down the name and number of the witness.
3. Report the incident to the race referree and give a brief description of what occurred, as well as the details of the witness.
4. Complete an appeal form at the finish of the race.
5. The fee for this is R500.00.
6. If the appeal is valid the fee will be refunded.