Relay Category Overview • Athletes may serve on more than one (1) team in the same subcategory at the season opener and regional event; however, we do not guarantee rest or additional space between team runs!
• If an athlete is serving on more than one (1) team and both teams end up having to compete against each other, the athlete must let the Timer know which team he/she will be removing themselves from.
• Athletes competing in the U.S. National and World events may only compete on two (2) teams and that are in different subcategories unless league officals announce otherwise.
• Youngest Team Member Dictates Subcategory: The subcategory selected by the team must be the age category of its youngest member with the exception of the policy below. Youngest Member Policy: this rule does not apply to the Jr. Firefighter / Explorer program. Participants in the Jr. Firefighter / Explorer program are permitted to compete on adult teams, but adult teams are not allowed to compete in the Jr. Firefighter / Explorer division, as this would create an unfair advantage over authentic student participants. • Relay substitutions due to injury, transfers, illness, and shift changes are not permitted after the original team runs. A team may reduce the number of its members so long as the minimum remains at three (3). All members of a team must run each time the team runs. A member cannot sit out for one run, or they will be ineligible to advance. They must complete one leg during play. Relay Category Format Update – Effective 2026 With the continued growth of the sport and the expansion of relay subcategories, the former bracket-based format became operationally unmanageable and could not be supported by a consistent software solution. The new precision-based progression model provides a scalable, software-driven system that eliminates manual pairing and bracketing, ensures fair and consistent advancement, and allows any licensed event to operate the relay category accurately and efficiently.
COMPETITION STRUCTURE Round 1 – Pairing Round
• All registered relay teams, regardless of subcategory, are randomly paired by the timing system. • Each team runs the course to establish the baseline for pairing teams with similar speeds in Round 2. Round 2 – Performance Round • Teams race against the team with the closest Round 1 time, regardless of subcategory. • Round 1 time + Round 2 time = cumulative time.
Advancement Criteria After Round 2 • If a subcategory has four (4) or fewer teams, they will skip Round 3 and advance directly to Round 4 (Podium Round). • If a subcategory has five (5) or more teams, they will proceed to Round 3 to determine which four (4) fastest teams advance to Round 4.
Round 3 – Knockout Round (Only for 5+ Team Subcategories) • Teams are paired by closest cumulative times, regardless of subcategory.
• The four (4) teams with the fastest cumulative times in each subcategory advance to Round 4. • This is not a win or lose race — advancement is still based on cumulative time to this point.
Round 4 – Podium Round • The final four (4) teams in each subcategory race for 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place. • Pairings in this round match teams from the ‘same subcategory’ based on closest times. • Final podium placements are determined by each team’s total cumulative time from all rounds, not just this race .
Policies:
Pairing for Fairness: Teams are always matched with the team whose time is closest to theirs.
Disqualifications: A DQ in any round removes the team from further participation.
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