Terms of Service

1. About these Terms

1.1 These Terms apply when you use the RaceConnect website, create an account, or enter an event through us. By doing any of these, you agree to these Terms.

1.2 If you are entering on behalf of someone else, or as the parent or guardian of a minor, you accept these Terms on their behalf and confirm you are entitled to do so.

1.3 We may update these Terms from time to time. The current version is always available on our website, and your continued use means you accept the updated Terms.

2. Who we are and what we do

2.1 RaceConnect is an online platform for registering and paying for sporting events. We provide the software that lets event organisers list events and lets you enter them.

2.2 We are not the event organiser. Each event is run by an independent organiser who is responsible for the event itself - its planning, safety, route, rules, results and conduct. We provide the registration, payment and timing software; we do not host, promote or run the event.

2.3 When you pay for an entry, RaceConnect collects that payment on behalf of the organiser as their agent, and pays it over to them. Your contract for taking part in the event is with the organiser, subject to the organiser's own terms, rules and indemnity.

3. Your account

3.1 You must give accurate, complete and current information when you create an account or enter an event, and keep it up to date.

3.2 You are responsible for keeping your login details secure and for activity under your account.

3.3 You must be old enough to contract. If you are under 18, a parent or guardian must enter on your behalf and accept these Terms for you (see section 8).

4. Entering an event

4.1 Entries are subject to the organiser's eligibility requirements, categories, age and other rules, which are shown on the event page.

4.2 You must provide accurate personal, emergency-contact and (where requested) medical information. This information may be essential for your safety on event day.

4.3 An entry is confirmed once payment is completed and you receive confirmation. Submitting an entry does not guarantee a place until it is confirmed.

4.4 It is your responsibility to enter the correct event, race, distance and category. Please check your entry before paying.

5. Fees and payment

5.1 The entry fee and any applicable booking or service fee are shown before you pay. By completing payment you agree to those amounts.

5.2 Payments are processed through a third-party payment provider. We collect the entry fee on behalf of the organiser.

5.3 Booking, service and payment-processing fees are non-refundable, except as set out in the Refund Policy and section 6 (for example, where the organiser cancels the event).

6. Refunds, cancellations and transfers

6.1 Every event has a refund policy. It is based on how many whole days before the race starts you withdraw: the earlier you withdraw, the more you get back. The policy is shown on the event page and at checkout, so you see it before you pay. Most events use the standard RaceConnect policy; some organisers set their own. An organiser's own policy can be more or less generous than the standard one, but it can never give you less than your rights under the Consumer Protection Act, and it is always shown to you before you enter.

6.2 What you get back. If you withdraw, you receive the percentage set by the band you fall into, applied to what you paid for your entry, less a R25 administration fee. On a full (100%) refund, the payment-processing fee is also deducted. The exact amount you will receive is shown before you confirm. You will never end up owing us money: fees are never more than the refund.

6.3 Day licences and physical items (such as a race shirt) are not refundable, because they are paid over or set aside once you enter. This is shown at checkout.

6.4 Withdrawing cancels your entry, even in a band that refunds nothing. Refunds are paid back to the card or account you paid from.

6.5 Death or hospitalisation. If you cannot take part because of death or hospitalisation, you are entitled to a full refund of your entry whatever the band says, on reasonable proof. This is your right under the Consumer Protection Act and no event policy can remove it.

6.6 If the organiser cancels or changes the event. If the organiser cancels the event, you get a full refund of everything you paid, including fees. If the organiser postpones it or materially changes it (for example a new date, venue or distance), you can move your entry to the new event or take a full refund instead, within the window we tell you.

6.7 The refund terms that apply to your entry are the terms shown at the time you entered. Later changes do not apply to your existing entry unless they are more favourable to you.

7. Your responsibilities and the risks of taking part

7.1 You are responsible for ensuring you are medically fit to take part, and for taking part within your ability.

7.2 Endurance and trail sport carries inherent risks. You acknowledge these risks. The event organiser is responsible for event safety, and you may be required to accept the organiser's own indemnity, waiver and rules as a condition of taking part.

7.3 You must follow the organiser's rules, route markings and the instructions of officials on event day.

7.4 You confirm that the information you provide (including medical and emergency-contact details) is accurate, and you understand it may be shared with the organiser for your safety and event administration.

8. Entrants who are minors

8.1 Where an entrant is under 18, a parent or legal guardian must complete the entry, accept these Terms on the minor's behalf, and provide any consent the organiser requires.

8.2 The parent or guardian is responsible for the accuracy of the minor's information and for deciding whether the event is suitable and safe for the minor.

9. Your personal information

9.1 We process your personal information in accordance with our Privacy Policy and the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA).

9.2 We share the information needed to run your event with the relevant organiser, who may use it only to administer that event.

9.3 We will only send you marketing where you have opted in, and you can opt out at any time.

10. Using the website

10.1 You may use the website only for lawful purposes and to enter events genuinely.

10.2 You must not scrape, reverse-engineer, disrupt, or make unauthorised or automated use of the website, or attempt to interfere with its security.

10.3 You must not initiate fraudulent chargebacks or misuse the payment process.

11. Timing and results

11.1 Where timing is provided, results are provisional until confirmed by the organiser, who is the authority on official results.

11.2 RaceConnect is not responsible for timing or results errors that originate outside the timing software - for example incorrect bib allocation, course or marshalling issues, or decisions of race officials.

12. Reviews and content you submit

12.1 If you submit reviews, comments or other content, it must be accurate, lawful, and not offensive, misleading or defamatory.

12.2 You grant RaceConnect a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to display and use the content you submit for operating and promoting the platform and events.

13. Intellectual property

13.1 RaceConnect owns all rights in the website, platform and its software. You may not copy or reuse it except as needed to use the service normally.

14. Our liability

14.1 RaceConnect provides registration, payment and timing software. We are not liable for any loss, injury, damage or claim arising from an event, which is the responsibility of the organiser.

14.2 We are not liable for the acts, omissions, decisions or cancellation of any organiser.

14.3 To the extent permitted by law, our liability to you is limited to the fees we earned on your entry. We are not liable for indirect or consequential loss.

14.4 Nothing in these Terms excludes or limits any liability or right that cannot be excluded or limited under South African law, including the Consumer Protection Act.

15. General

15.1 These Terms, the Refund Policy and the Privacy Policy together govern your use of the website.

15.2 These Terms are governed by the laws of the Republic of South Africa.

15.3 If any part of these Terms is found invalid, the rest continues to apply.

16. Contact

16.1 Questions about these Terms can be sent to support@raceconnect.co.za.