Okavango Marathon Project (OMP)
General Event Terms and Conditions
Organiser: Okavango Marathon Project (OMP)
Applicable to: OMP monthly trail runs, Backyard Ultra events, training runs, community runs, trail-running weekends, and similar running or outdoor endurance events organised, hosted, facilitated, or supported by OMP.
Important: These Terms and Conditions apply together with the OMP Participant Waiver and Indemnity and any event-specific rules, instructions, registration terms, safety briefings, route information, refund rules, and participant information published for a specific event.
1. Purpose and Scope
These Terms and Conditions govern registration, participation, attendance, conduct, safety, refunds, media use, and general event administration for OMP events.
They are designed as general terms for recurring and similar events, including but not limited to:
• monthly trail runs;
• Backyard Ultra events;
• training runs;
• community runs;
• trail-running weekends;
• informal endurance activities;
• other outdoor running or endurance events arranged by OMP.
Event-specific terms may be published for individual events. Where event-specific terms conflict with these general terms, the event-specific terms apply for that event.
2. Acceptance of Terms
By registering for, paying for, attending, volunteering at, supporting, or participating in an OMP event, the participant confirms that they have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and Conditions.
Participation is also conditional on acceptance of the separate OMP Participant Waiver and Indemnity.
OMP may refuse participation where a participant has not accepted the applicable terms, has not paid the entry fee, has provided false or incomplete information, or has failed to comply with event requirements.
3. Registration and Entry
Participants must provide accurate, complete, and current information during registration.
Entries are only confirmed once the required registration process has been completed and, where applicable, payment has been received.
OMP may limit entries by distance, venue capacity, safety capacity, staffing, available resources, landowner conditions, or operational requirements.
OMP may refuse, cancel, or revoke an entry where there is a legitimate reason, including safety concerns, false information, non-payment, abuse, misconduct, previous rule breaches, or failure to meet event requirements.
Unless a different refund, transfer, credit, substitution, or deferral arrangement is expressly stated in the event-specific registration terms, all entries are non-refundable. This includes non-attendance, injury, illness, travel disruption, change of plans, lack of training, withdrawal, disqualification, or failure to meet event requirements.
4. Age Requirements and Minors
Minimum age requirements may differ between events and distances.
Where an event permits minors, a parent or legal guardian must complete or approve the registration and accept responsibility for the minor’s participation, conduct, transport, safety, and compliance with event rules.
OMP may require a parent or guardian to be present at the event venue or to accompany the minor during participation, depending on the event format, location, distance, and risk profile.
For higher-risk or longer-distance events, OMP may set stricter age limits.
5. Participant Responsibility
Participants are responsible for ensuring that they are physically, medically, and mentally fit to participate in the event they enter.
Participants must assess the distance, terrain, weather, time of day, event format, and risk level before entering.
Participants are responsible for their own pacing, hydration, nutrition, clothing, footwear, equipment, navigation awareness, personal safety, and decision to continue or withdraw.
Participants must stop or withdraw if they become injured, unwell, lost, severely fatigued, dehydrated, overheated, or unable to continue safely.
6. Event Risk
OMP events may involve trail running, bush trails, farm roads, gravel roads, road sections, uneven terrain, sand, mud, water crossings, heat, cold, darkness, wildlife, livestock, insects, snakes, vehicle movement, remote areas, limited communication, limited medical access, and changing weather conditions.
Backyard Ultra and longer trail events may involve fatigue, sleep deprivation, repeated loops, night running, psychological stress, dehydration, overuse injuries, falls, collisions, and reduced decision-making capacity.
Participants acknowledge that outdoor running and endurance events carry inherent risk, including serious injury, illness, permanent disability, property damage, financial loss, or death.
7. Event Rules and Safety Instructions
Participants must comply with all event rules, route instructions, safety instructions, marshal directions, venue rules, landowner conditions, cut-off times, and organiser decisions.
OMP may remove, stop, disqualify, or refuse further participation to any participant who:
• creates a safety risk;
• ignores instructions;
• behaves abusively or irresponsibly;
• litters or damages property;
• enters restricted areas;
• disturbs wildlife or livestock;
• consumes prohibited substances;
• receives prohibited assistance where not allowed;
• fails to carry required equipment;
• fails to meet cut-off times;
• provides false information;
• breaches these Terms and Conditions.
Disqualification, withdrawal, or removal for these reasons does not create an automatic right to a refund.
8. Equipment and Self-Sufficiency
Participants must arrive with suitable clothing, footwear, hydration, nutrition, lighting, charged devices, and other equipment appropriate for the event, distance, terrain, weather, and time of day.
Some events may have mandatory equipment requirements. These will be published in event-specific information where applicable.
Failure to carry required equipment may result in refusal of entry, removal from the course, disqualification, or exclusion from results without refund.
Even where support points, water points, route markings, marshals, or aid are provided, participants remain responsible for their own preparedness and safety.
9. Route, Venue and Land Access
OMP events may take place on private land, community land, public roads, gravel roads, trails, farms, conservation areas, or other third-party venues.
Participants must respect landowners, venue rules, community protocols, conservation rules, farm rules, gates, fences, livestock, wildlife, crops, facilities, and restricted areas.
Participants must not litter, start fires, damage property, harass animals, leave gates open, enter prohibited areas, or act in a way that may compromise future land access.
OMP may change the route or venue if required for safety, land access, weather, environmental, legal, or operational reasons.
10. Medical Support and Emergency Assistance
OMP may provide or arrange first aid, event safety personnel, volunteer assistance, emergency transport, or medical support depending on the event type and location.
The level of medical support may differ between events.
Participants understand that medical assistance may be limited, delayed, unavailable, or provided by non-specialist first responders depending on event circumstances.
Participants authorise OMP, event staff, volunteers, medical personnel, first responders, and appointed service providers to arrange or provide assistance, treatment, transport, evacuation, or emergency support where deemed necessary.
Participants are responsible for all medical, transport, evacuation, hospitalisation, recovery, repatriation, and related costs arising from participation, unless otherwise required by law.
OMP strongly recommends that participants hold suitable medical aid, personal accident cover, and travel insurance where relevant.
11. Event Changes, Postponement and Cancellation
OMP may change the route, distance, start time, event format, venue, cut-off times, rules, programme, safety requirements, or support arrangements where reasonably necessary.
OMP may postpone, suspend, shorten, neutralise, or cancel an event due to safety concerns, weather, land access issues, government action, public health restrictions, environmental conditions, force majeure, low entries, operational issues, or circumstances beyond OMP’s reasonable control.
OMP will make reasonable efforts to communicate material changes, but participants remain responsible for checking official event channels and communications.
12. Refunds, Transfers, Substitutions and Deferrals
Refunds, transfers, substitutions, credits, and deferrals are only available where expressly stated in the event-specific registration terms or refund policy.
Unless otherwise stated for a specific event, entry fees are not automatically refundable because of personal non-attendance, injury, illness, travel disruption, lack of training, change of plans, disqualification, withdrawal, or failure to meet event requirements.
Where OMP incurs non-recoverable costs before an event, refunds may be limited or unavailable.
Where an event is postponed or cancelled due to circumstances beyond OMP’s reasonable control, OMP may offer a partial refund, credit, transfer, substitute event, or no refund, depending on the event-specific terms, timing, and costs already incurred.
13. Timing, Results and Prizes
Where timing or results are provided, OMP will make reasonable efforts to ensure accuracy.
Results may be adjusted after review, timing checks, route compliance checks, protests, or rule breaches.
OMP may remove a participant from results or prize eligibility if the participant breaches rules, misses part of the course, receives prohibited assistance, fails to complete required loops or checkpoints, or does not comply with event instructions.
Prizes, awards, or incentives may differ by event and may be changed, substituted, or withdrawn where necessary.
14. Spectators, Supporters and Volunteers
Spectators, supporters, crew, and volunteers must follow event rules, venue rules, marshal instructions, and safety directions.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that their supporters or crew do not interfere with the event, create safety risks, enter restricted areas, litter, disturb wildlife or livestock, or provide prohibited assistance.
OMP may remove any spectator, supporter, crew member, or volunteer who behaves inappropriately or creates a safety or operational issue.
15. Personal Belongings and Property
Participants and attendees are responsible for their own belongings, equipment, vehicles, valuables, and personal property before, during, and after the event.
OMP is not responsible for loss, theft, damage, or misplacement of personal property, including items left at registration, aid stations, venues, vehicles, accommodation areas, or with third parties.
16. Media, Photography and Image Rights
Participants and attendees grant OMP and its partners the right to use names, images, likenesses, voices, biographies, club/team names, interviews, photos, video, results, timing data, GPS/activity data, and event-related content for event operations, media, marketing, reporting, archival, sponsor, documentary, and promotional purposes without further approval or compensation.
Participants understand that event photography, video, live updates, results, and social media content may be published publicly.
17. Data Protection and Communications
OMP may collect, store, process, and share personal information, emergency contact details, medical information supplied by participants, results, and participation data where reasonably necessary for registration, payment, safety, timing, communication, emergency response, reporting, and event administration.
OMP may contact participants with event information, safety notices, updates, results, future event information, and related communications.
Participants are responsible for ensuring that their contact details are correct and that they read official event communications.
18. Third-Party Services
Some events may involve third-party venues, landowners, transport providers, caterers, accommodation providers, timing providers, medical providers, sponsors, partners, or other service providers.
These third-party services may be subject to their own terms, rules, risks, and limitations.
OMP is not responsible for third-party acts, omissions, service interruptions, delays, losses, or failures, except where required by law.
19. Liability and Indemnity
Participation in OMP events is subject to the separate OMP Participant Waiver and Indemnity.
To the fullest extent permitted by law, OMP, its founders, directors, officers, staff, contractors, volunteers, sponsors, partners, service providers, medical providers, landowners, venue owners, community partners, affiliated organisations, and event supporters are not liable for injury, illness, disability, death, property loss, property damage, delay, cancellation, financial loss, or any other loss connected with an OMP event.
Participants agree to indemnify and hold harmless the Released Parties against claims, damages, losses, costs, legal costs, liabilities, or expenses arising from their participation, attendance, breach of rules, negligence, misconduct, or false information.
20. Governing Law and Jurisdiction
These Terms and Conditions are governed by the laws of Botswana.
Any dispute arising from participation in or attendance at an OMP event shall fall under the jurisdiction of the courts of Botswana, unless otherwise required by law.
21. Updates to These Terms
OMP may update these Terms and Conditions from time to time.
The version applicable to a participant is the version published or accepted at the time of registration, unless an update is required for safety, legal, or operational reasons.
22. Participant Acknowledgement
By registering for, attending, volunteering at, supporting, or participating in an OMP event, I confirm that I have read, understood, and accepted these Terms and Conditions and the separate OMP Participant Waiver and Indemnity.