So you have decided to become a team captain in „Tatras to Danube“ relay race? Or you are thinking about it? What does it mean, to become a captain? What will you be responsible for? How can you help your team? Well, read this information carefully and you will find out how important the role of a captain is and what awaits you.
1. You have to register the team for the race.
In the beginning it might sound simple, but as you will probably find out later, it is not. If you are the person who decided to set up a team, then you have to find people who will join you. In case you are a group of runners who decided to run the race, it will be easier, as you know more people between you. When the team is complete, you will have to collect the registration fee from each member and pay for the whole team. In case someone for whatever reason can not run, you will have to find replacement. There will be people who want to run, but later realize they are busy or injured etc. It is therefore recommended to find possible replacements well in advance.
2. You are the contact person for the team.
You will be the first to know about possible updates, changes and other important information, therefore you will be responsible for relaying the information to your team.
3. You must name your team and report this name to the organizers.
Team name should not be vulgar and should not be offencive. Organizers reserve the right to disqualify a team with offensive name. You can change the team name until a set date before the race (July 31st).
4. It is your responsibility to give the organizers time for 10 km achieved by individual members of your team, however, not older than 2 years.
There is a good reason for this, it gives organizers the opportunity to estimate total race time and hence a start time of each team. Teams will start at different times in a bid to finish the race between 12 am and 8 pm. Do try to collect real information, as a difference of only two minutes for every runner means a delay of over an hour in the race. That is without losing more time because of traffic conditions or getting lost.
5. You are responsible for planning and coordinating preparations for the race and you have to take care of proper functioning of the team during the race.
You will have to decide together with other team-members how to cover your expenses prior to, and during the race. Whether it is car rental, food or buying compulsory equipment. Every team will have to find a way to secure all necessities, but not everything has to be done by the captain, you just make sure it is done. The best way to go is to appoint duties equally to all members of the team.
Securing your vehicles for the team is a good start, if you are committed to finish the race. We recommend two nine-seat vans for teams with 12 members. Race itself takes more than 24 hours and some comfort is important for all team members during such a long time spent in a car.
6. You are the source of information for your team.
Since probably not one of your members previously participated in the race, everyone will have questions. It is therefore up to you to carefully study the information about the race on this web page and all the information provided prior to the race. You will especially have to study the itinerary and the course maps. We recommend to you to organize a team meeting where you will cover all the questions and start planning the race logistics together. You will have to decide on appropriate form of communication between the team cars during the race. Ideally, there will be a designated mobile phone and a spare phone in each car. There should be a list of names and contact info for everyone in the team together with contact numbers for a close person in each vehicle, in case of emergency. It is quite possible there will be no complications and no problems, however, it is always batter to be prepared for any situation.
We would like to say, that successful management of a captain is fundamental for the success of the whole team. Take it seriously, so you can enjoy the great feeling when your team finishes the race.
