Race for Life Rules 2026

Children under the age of 16 may only participate in an Event on the condition that:

a) they meet the age requirements (and height requirement in the case of Pretty Muddy Kids) for their Event;

b) they are under the direct supervision of their parent or legal guardian / a registered accompanying adult aged 18 or over at the Event;

c) their parent or legal guardian has read and accepted these Rules on their behalf and take responsibility for their participation in the Event in accordance with these Rules;

d) their parent or legal guardian’s contact details were provided when registering for the Event; Children aged 16 or 17 can take part in their Event without being accompanied by an adult but must have the permission of their parent or legal guardian to be registered for and take part in the Event.

If you are registering as the accompanying adult for child participants in Race for Life 3k, 5k or 10k/a Pretty Muddy 5k we recommend a ratio of one accompanying adult to four children maximum. As an accompanying adult you must ensure:

i. your name and contact details and the child’s name and contact details are written on the child’s race number;

ii. you write the race number of each of your child participants on your own race number;

iii. you and each child wears their race number at all times during the Event.

Adults who have registered for a Race for Life 3k, 5k or 10k Event can bring children under the age of 6 without charge. Those children will not be registered participants and so will not be issued with a Race number and will not be given a medal at the end of the race

Pretty Muddy Kids – additional requirements

If you are registering as the accompanying adult for child participants for a Pretty Muddy Kids Event, you agree that:

a) you will register no more than 3 child participants under your registration;

b) you are responsible for paying the entry fee for your child participants;

c) you will ensure that your child participants wear suitable footwear with grip for the Event - wellington boots are not allowed.

d) you will ensure that your child participants do not wear any hair slides and/or jewellery when taking part in the Event; and

e) you will directly supervise your child participants at all times, keeping pace with their progress from the sidelines and completing the course as a group. You will not be permitted on the obstacles

Accessibility

The individual Event pages on the Race for Life website will provide details about the accessibility of each Event, including whether an Event is wheelchair accessible and/or suitable for pushchairs. You can also call us on 0300 123 0770* with any questions about accessibility. You should check the Event details information carefully before registering and paying for your place.

Arrival, Start Times and Event Cut-Offs

Please note:

• For a 5 & 3k you should arrive no more than 30 to 55 minutes prior to your start time.

• For a 10K you should arrive no more than 60mins prior to your start time, as you will need to collect your race number at the enquires marquee.

• For Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids you should arrive 15 to 20 minutes prior to your start time.

• We cannot guarantee your exact start time, and there may be some waiting on the day.

• If you have your race number, there's no need to check in, just enjoy the build-up to the start of the event and the amenities on site. If you need to collect your race number, or require any assistance please head to the Enquiries marquee.

If you arrive late for your Event, you must follow the instructions and decisions of the Event Manager or their representative at the Enquiries Marquee. For health and safety reasons it is possible that latecomers will not be permitted to take part.

We reserve the right to shut down the Event route and close access to our finish venues at each Event after an appropriate amount of time has passed from the start of the Event.

If you choose to join the Event late without our permission, or if you have not completed the Event route before cut-off or closure but choose to continue, you do so at your own risk with the understanding that you are no longer considered a participant of the Event, and as such are not eligible for any Event resources (including but not limited to pit stops, suppliers, venues, refreshments, course direction/support, personnel etc), and that you absolve us of any and all responsibility and progress entirely at your own risk.

Event Changes

If we change your Event venue and/or date, we will notify you of this change as soon as possible. Your Event place will be automatically transferred to the re-scheduled Event unless you tell us you are no longer able to attend. In these circumstances you can ask for a refund of your entry fee or you can choose to donate this to Cancer Research UK.

If we need to cancel your Event, we will notify you of this cancellation as soon as possible. Where possible, we will transfer you to another local Event (within 10 miles). If we are unable to transfer you and/or you are no longer able to attend, you can ask for a refund of your entry fee or you can choose to donate this to Cancer Research UK.

Once you have registered for an Event, you can only transfer to another Event or (in the case of Race for Life Pretty Muddy Events) start time with our permission. There are strict capacity limits for each Event and start time, and for health and safety reasons we need to make sure that neither the Event nor the start time exceeds its individual capacity. If you wish to transfer to a different Event or (where applicable) start time, please call us on 0300 123 0770*.

We reserve the right to refuse entry if you try to take part in the wrong Event or at the wrong start time without our prior approval. We will not refund your entry fee in these circumstances.

We reserve the right to alter or reduce Event routes. If your Event is affected, we will try to notify you in advance of any significant changes where we are able to do so.

Conduct

On the day of the Event we ask that:

• You do not use aggressive or abusive language towards Event organisers, marshals, officials, event suppliers, volunteers and other participants.

• You avoid behaving in a way which may cause injury or harm to other participants and/or spectators, or which may cause offence or damage the reputation of CRUK.

• You do not smoke tobacco products or use e-cigarettes whilst at your Event. Cancer Research UK opposes the promotion and use of tobacco in all its forms.

• You are respectful of local residents while you are on your Event route, which includes not making any excessive noise.

• You use the litter and recycling facilities available at your Event or take litter home with you to dispose of responsibly.

You must abide by the rules above and ensure any child participants you accompany, and any supporters joining you, at an Event act in accordance with these rules too.

You, your supporters and any children you accompany must also follow any instructions or regulations displayed or given before or on the day of the Event by CRUK, police and/or Event officials, including those relating to the health and safety of participants and supporters.

Please note that spectators will not be permitted on the Event course. Everyone taking part in the Event must be a registered participant.

Participants in Race for Life 3k, 5k and 10k Events can take part with their dogs at a wide selection of venues. To confirm whether a particular Event allows dogs, please visit the relevant Event page on the Race for Life website or call us on 0300 123 0770* before entering. Service dogs are permitted at all Events.

If you do bring a dog to your Event, you are responsible for that dog at all times and must make sure that:

a) the dog is kept on a short lead (extending leads are not suitable), under close control at all times, and any usual equipment (muzzle / harness etc.) used to control the dog is used on the day;

b) the dog has a collar with a clearly identifiable tag;

c) adequate water is supplied for the dog to keep them hydrated;

d) any dog mess is cleaned up and disposed of responsibly;

e) the dog is not kept in a car on a hot day; and

f) all instructions given by the Event Manager and officials on the day are followed, including starting your event after the walkers if required.

We reserve the right to ask participants and supporters on the day to leave the Event if they do not follow the rules above, or if they bring a dog (which is not a service dog) to a race for life venue where dogs are not allowed, and no refunds will be given in these circumstances.

Health and Safety

All Events are non-competitive, non-UK Athletics’ accredited walks, jogs or runs. We therefore allow under 16-year-olds to participate in the Events, subject to strict requirements being met in terms of age and height restrictions and only if a child participant is accompanied at all times by their parent or legal guardian (or by another adult who has the permission of the child’s parent or legal guardian). Please see the Age & Height Restrictions section for full details.

You are responsible for ensuring that you or your child (in the case of parents or legal guardians of child participants) are sufficiently fit and healthy to take part in your Event. Anyone unsure of their physical ability to take part in an Event for any reason, including pregnancy or any health condition, must seek advice from a general practitioner before registering and taking part in the Event.

Regardless of any medical advice you receive we reserve the right to refuse entry to an Event in our absolute discretion, with no refund provided, if for whatever reason we consider you are unfit to take part. We may also ask you to withdraw during an Event if we have concerns about your ability to complete it due to fitness, injury or otherwise. If you choose to continue in the Event despite this request you do so on the understanding that you are no longer considered a participant of the Event and that you absolve CRUK of all and any responsibility (as far as permitted by law), and progress entirely at your own risk.

You must write the following on the reverse of your official Race for Life number which must be worn on your front during the Event:

• your name

• details of any health problems or medication you are taking

• the name and number of a person to contact in case of an emergency

• any other information you consider could be relevant in the event of a medical emergency

If you are taking party in a Pretty Muddy Event, you will be asked to write the details above on the front of your race number.

You are also responsible for ensuring that you (and any child you are accompanying) are wearing appropriate attire (including footwear) when taking part in your Event, taking into account the nature of the Event, the weather forecast and the terrain involved.

You are responsible for ensuring that children under the age of 3 do not play with medals handed out on the day.

You are responsible for ensuring that children under your supervision who aren’t taking part in the Event are suitably supervised at all times whilst you take part in your Event.

All Race for Life Pretty Muddy Events contain obstacles consisting of structures and/or inflatables as part of the course, and some Event courses also feature natural water obstacles. You may choose to avoid any such obstacles if you so wish.

We take all reasonable steps to minimise the risk of injury to participants during our Events. There is a stringent risk assessment process in place for each Event which aims to minimise or eliminate the risk to everyone taking part. Notwithstanding these steps you acknowledge the possible risk in the nature of the Events as public exercise, in particular for Race for Life 3k, 5k, 10k, Pretty Muddy and Pretty Muddy Kids which take place on cross country courses on grass, paths, metalled roads and tarmac, By taking part in an Event, you also acknowledge that there may be conditions or circumstances beyond our control that can lead to unforeseen risks. If you have any concerns or queries, please contact us on 0300 123 0770* before taking part in your Event.

A small number of venues used for the Events have animals grazing on them throughout the year. Participants at our events to are encouraged to wash or sanitise their hands thoroughly after taking part in these events to minimise any possible risk of transfer of animal borne diseases.

Fundraising and Donations

To help us beat cancer sooner, we ask you to try to raise at least £50 for Cancer Research UK.

You have a legal responsibility to ensure that all sponsorship money you receive personally for your Event is paid to Cancer Research UK, and we ask that you do this as soon as possible after your Event. You can:

a) Set up a Cancer Research UK Giving Page in which case funds will be automatically paid to Cancer Research UK.

b) Pay in your sponsorship money online with your credit or debit card or call us on 0300 123 0770* with your credit or debit card details to make a payment over the phone.

c) Send a cheque made payable to "Cancer Research UK" (stating your full name, your unique reference number provided in your registration confirmation email and the name of your Event on the reverse of the cheque) to:

Race for Life, PO Box 1579, Oxford, OX4 9HX

Please ensure that all donations and/or sponsorship forms are returned to Cancer Research UK at the above address to enable us to claim Gift Aid where possible

Please note that we are unable to accept any sponsorship money on the day of the Event.

Use of your information

When you register for an Event, we collect personal data relating to you and anyone else that you register. We will use this information for the purposes of organising, staging and administering the Event, including to send you your fundraising pack and additional information about fundraising. If you provide personal information on behalf of other entrants, please only provide this if they have confirmed that they are happy for you to do so as we will use this information for the same purposes.

Following your registration, we will contact you with information about your Event, including to discuss ways to improve your fundraising and hints and tips to support your preparation for your event. This may include information about how you can get hold of CRUK merchandise and offers from our partner organisations.

In the case of an emergency, we may pass the personal details provided by you (either the information you provided when registering for the Event or from the details on the reverse of your Event number) to the emergency services or health care professionals, and also use them for the purposes of contacting your emergency contact.

First aid facilities will be provided at your Event. If you are treated by medical providers, your details will be passed on to us only for health and safety purposes and in order to fulfil our legal obligations (including those under the Reporting of Injuries, Diseases and Dangerous Occurrences Regulations 2013). All accident details will be held on the Cancer Research UK Accident Database in line with statutory requirements.

Subject to the marketing preferences we hold for you, your personal data may also be used for the purposes of sending you information about how you can support Cancer Research UK’s work and details of our future events if this is something you have confirmed you would like to hear from us about.

All personal data held by us will be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws and CRUK’s privacy statement which can be found here.

Filming and Photography at the Events

Please note that we (or our authorised service providers and agents) or our commercial partners may film (including through the use of aerial and/or drone photography / videography) or photograph participants, volunteers and spectators taking part or attending Events and use such footage or photographs for the following reasons:

a) to publicise the Event for commercial and/or fundraising purposes including, but not limited to, television broadcasts, advertising, publications, marketing material, merchandising, and other documents that may be made available to the public;

b) for our commercial partners to publicise their involvement and/or association with the Event; and,

c) for other commercial and/or fundraising activities in support of Cancer Research UK’s work including, but not limited to, television broadcasts, advertising, publications, marketing material, merchandise, social media, personalised direct mail, social media and other documents that may be made available to the public.

No personal details (including names) of any under 16-year-old participants will be used in any publicity materials without the written consent of their parent or legal guardian, but we may use images where children are incidentally included e.g. of mass participation in an energiser or on the starting line.

Please only register a participant who is under the age of 16 if the participant and/or parent/legal guardian (as applicable) are happy for their images to be used in the manner described in these Rules.

If you are not happy with having your or your child’s image taken and used in the ways described above, please let the relevant representatives know as soon as possible upon arriving at the Event.

Chip Timing

We appoint an independent third-party chipped timing company to record and track registered participants’ timing and location at your Race for Life 10K Event. Their service includes uploading the chipped timing results to the Cancer Research UK website and/or the chipped timing company’s website which is open to all members of the public. We will pass on the full name, phone number and race number of each registered participant to the chipped timing company so that you can receive a text with your finishing time at the end of your Event.

If you would prefer that we did not pass on your details, and/or do not wish to have your finish time (and/or the child’s finish time in the case of parents/guardians of under 16s) displayed on the Cancer Research UK website and/or chipped timing company’s website, please contact us on 0300 123 6624* as soon as possible before the date of your Event.

Liability

Use of the Race for Life website is subject to our website terms and conditions.

All participants and spectators attend and enter an Event entirely at their own risk. CRUK shall not be liable for any injury, damage or loss to persons or their property that might occur as a result of their participation in or attendance at an Event other than in respect of any injury or loss arising as a result of our negligence. For the avoidance of doubt, nothing in this clause shall limit our liability for any other liability that cannot be limited or excluded by law

Merchandise

We may sell Official Race for Life merchandise or other items at selected Events. For information on our Returns & Refunds policy which will be applicable for these items please contact Supporter Services*

All participants understand that any free products distributed in fundraising packs or at the Event are subject to availability, and any promotion specific terms and conditions, and may be withdrawn or substituted.

We are not responsible for the actions of any third-party supplier supplying merchandise or other items on the day of the Event.

Contacting us

Race for Life telephone support is provided through our contact centres. Calls may be transferred to a specialist department to ensure the best level of assistance can be provided. Initial contact is through our main helpline number (0300 123 0770).

Up-to-date contact details and opening hours, as well as frequently asked questions, can be found here: https://raceforlife.cancerresearchuk.org/about-us/contact-us

Last updated: September 2025