Race Requirements, Policies, Procedures and Protocols

Date:

• This year’s race is scheduled for Saturday, May 24, 2025.

CCT 2025 Important Notes and Changes

The race begins at ~9:00 AM at Mosquito Lake State Park, 30 miles north of Haines. Racers paddle across Mosquito Lake, through the “slough” and down the Chilkat River (total ~9 miles), past the Village of Klukwan to the takeout at 21 mile. Racers then cycle 22 miles down the Haines Highway to the Fort Seward Parade Grounds. The race ends with a 5.5 mile run to the Letnikof Cove Pavilion at the mouth of the Chilkat River.

Race Maps

• Paddle Leg
• Cycling Leg
• Running Leg (updated for 2025)
  

Entry Requirements

Solo competitors or one member of each team must fill out the official online entry form. All competitors must sign the race liability waiver form. Registration will not be confirmed until all forms are completed and payment has been received by credit card or PayPal through the CCT website. The fee for each competitor is $125 USD.

Entries will be officially registered on-line on a first come/first served basis beginning on Dec. 15th, 2024, @ 9:00 AM, AST. Fees (less $15 for solos and $45 for a team) will be refundable until April 1st, 2025.

Completion of the official online registration form and signatures (electronic or hard copy) on all required forms and liability waivers and payment in full will constitute the entrant’s entry to the race and further acknowledge their agreement to understand and comply with the rules stated in this document and on the race website. Each entrant shall sign any and all documents or promotional materials requested by the CCT prior to or at a mandatory Pre-Race Meeting that will take place on May 23 @ 6:00 PM in the Chilkat Center Lobby in Haines, Alaska. The CCT reserves the right to reject any entry.

All entrants must be at least 14 years of age by or on May 24, 2025. All participants under 18 years of age will require a waiver of liability signed by the entrant’s parent or legal guardian. All racers must have their own medical insurance, sufficient to cover any injuries or evacuations.

After all race slots have been initially filled (100 total solo or team entries), a waiting list will be established on a first come/first served basis. A non-refundable deposit ($15) is required for placement on the waiting list. If contacted about a race slot the wait-listed entrant must respond to CCT within 7 working days or the slot will be offered to the next person or team on the waiting list and the entrant initially contacted will be moved to the bottom of the list.

Cancellation/withdrawal requests received between March 1^st and April 1^st will be refunded 50% of the entrance fee. Withdrawal after April 1^st will result in forfeiture of the entry fee. Entries are not transferrable to another party. Substitution of up to two members of a three-person team or one person on a two-person team will be permitted until May 1^st, 2025.

If the event is cancelled for any reason, all registration fees will be fully refunded.

Entry Divisions

Race Divisions are Solo Man, Solo Woman, and Team. A team may have only one person in their boat.

Race Officials

A Race Marshall and two Race Judges selected by the CCT Steering Committee (CCTSC) will oversee all aspects of the race from the Pre-Race meeting through the Awards Presentation. The Race Marshall and Race Judges shall answer all questions and settle any disputes. The Race Marshall may impose time penalties for rule infractions or disqualify a competitor.

Pre-Race Meeting

Mandatory Pre-Race Meeting for paddlers will be held in the Chilkat Center Lobby on Friday May 23, at 6pm. Failure to attend the Pre-Race Meeting will result in disqualification.

At the Pre-Race Meeting participants will be given important information about CCT race policies and requirements, a final route description, and updates on weather, course conditions and safety concerns.

Racers will receive race bibs at the Pre-Race Meeting and complete any final paperwork requirements. No one will be permitted to compete in the race without an official race bib or without submission of all completed race forms and waivers by the end of the Pre-Race Meeting.

Vessel/Gear Specifications

Boating Segment:

Racers may compete in a human-powered, non-pedaled kayak, canoe, stand-up paddle board, or pack raft. (Pedal operated rudders are allowed but not pedaled propulsion. Non-racer propulsion methods of any kind (e.g., sails) are not permitted.) Racers must supply their own watercraft and gear. Each kayak, canoe, paddle board, or pack raft must start the race with a spare paddle. Vessel types must be recorded on your application.

Each racer must wear a U.S. Coast Guard or Canadian Department of Transport Class III Personal Floatation Device [PFD]. The PFD’s must be in good, serviceable condition and must be worn by the racer throughout the paddling portion of the race. Self-inflatable PFDs are not allowed. PFDs that have been tampered with or modified in any way that affects their fundamental integrity, such as being cut, slit, or torn will be rejected and the boater will not be allowed to compete. Any racer either not wearing their PFD or who has replaced their PFD with an inferior or non-compliant PFD will be disqualified. Racers from other than the USA or Canada may use PFDs providing a minimum of 50 Newtons of inherent buoyancy conforming to one of the following European or international standards: EN393, EN395, ISO12402-5, or ISO12402-6.

A safety whistle for signaling (provided by CCTSC) must be carried by each entrant in the boating segment of the race.

Bicycling Segment:

Any model or design of human powered bicycle is permitted. Bicycles may not have additional propulsion (e.g., battery-assisted bicycles are prohibited.)

Claims

Each participant agrees to hold the race sponsors and other contributors harmless from any claim or demand based on any alleged action or inaction by any CCTSC staff or volunteers that result in an injury to the participant or his/her property.

Photography
Further, the CCTSC has the unqualified and unrestricted authority to permit race sponsors to photograph and otherwise collect information for advertising, public relations, or other publicity purposes.

Protest

A participant who wishes to lodge a protest shall submit the protest in writing, accompanied by $50 USD protest fee, to the Race Marshall or a Race Judge no later than 1 hour after the official end of the race.

Entrants in Distress

Any racer witnessing another racer(s) in obvious distress at any point in the race is compelled to render all assistance possible until further assistance arrives. Time adjustments may or may not be given at the discretion of the Race Marshall. Racers assisting other competitors will be recognized at the awards ceremony and the Race Marshall may authorize a refund on entry fees. Failure to offer assistance in an emergency situation will result in a lifetime disqualification from the CCT.

Race Drug Policy

Under no circumstances shall a participant consume alcohol during the race or use illegal or performance-enhancing drugs. If there is cause to believe a racer has violated this policy, the CCTSC retains the right to initiate laboratory tests to prove or disprove the presence of any illegal drug in the racer’s body. Refusal to submit samples for such tests will result in disqualification, nullification of any prizes or awards, and a lifetime ban from the CCT. Any participant in the race with a physical ailment for which it is necessary to ingest or inhale a potentially performance-enhancing stimulant type of medication must bring this fact to the attention of the Race Marshall before the race start with proof from a licensed physician that the treatment is required.

Interference

Intentional interference with another racer’s progress will result in disqualification. Racers may not carry firearms while competing in the race.

Waste Disposal

Littering of any kind at any point along the racecourse will not be tolerated. Violators will be disqualified.

Finish Line Procedures

Racers finishing each segment of the race must confirm their arrival with the CCT official assigned at that location to verify completion of that leg. The CCT official will be identified by clothing/insignia at the finish line of each leg. Completion of the entire race will be recorded when the solo racer or final leg team member crosses the finish line at the Letnikof Cove Pavilion and is acknowledged by the Race Marshall or an official Race Judge.

The race will officially end at 6:00 PM May 24. The CCT is not responsible for transporting racers or their gear to or from any race segment, including the starting line or finish line, or for transporting any racer (or their equipment) not completing the course before 6:00 PM. Transport will be provided for racers from the finish line back to the Parade Grounds. Be advised there may not be cell phone coverage at various points along the racecourse.

The Post-Race Awards Ceremony/Banquet will be held at the Letnikof Cove Pavilion, beginning at 6:00 PM. Every racer will be given a ticket that can be exchanged for one dinner at the Race Banquet. Any racer wishing to purchase additional dinners for family or friends ($20/dinner) must do so online no later than April 30^th.

Prizes

Winners of each Division will receive a free entry in the 2026 CCT. Awards and other prizes will be distributed by the CCTSC to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place solo racers, and 1st place team winners. There will be a prize for the fastest senior (65 years of age or older) in each division (a “senior team” must average at least 65 years of age.)

Prize divisions:

• Male Solo
• Female Solo
• Team (regardless of 2 or 3 person – only single-paddler teams are eligible for team prizes)