1. The Sierre-Zinal Race, date and route (art. 1-8)
All figures or amounts that are in square brackets in these rules ([...]) may change from one edition to another. However, these figures or amounts are definitive at the opening of the registrations for the edition of the same year.
Art. 1 Organization
The Sierre-Zinal Race is organized by the Sierre-Zinal Association (the "Organizers").
Art. 2 Acceptance of the Rules
Registration for and/or participation in the Sierre-Zinal Race implies express and unreserved acceptance of these Rules, of the ethics of the event and of any instructions sent by the Organizers to participants.
The same applies to agents, team managers or any other private person representing athletes, as well as to athletes' teams with legal personality, who have negotiated the participation of said athletes in the Sierre-Zinal Race.
Art. 3 Sierre-Zinal Race
The “Sierre-Zinal Race” consists of several events:
- an adult race from Sierre to Zinal also called the “Race of the Five Four Thousand Meter Peaks”,
- a junior race from Chandolin to Zinal called the “Junior Race”,
- a children's race held in Sierre, called the “Race of the Five Obstacles".
Together these various events make up the "Sierre-Zinal Race".
Art. 4 Race Date
The Sierre-Zinal Adult Race and the Chandolin-Zinal Junior Race are customarily held each year on the day before the second Sunday in August.
The Children's Race generally takes place at the end of the afternoon on the eve of the Sierre-Zinal and Chandolin Zinal Races.
Art. 5 Categories according to start time
Entrants in the Sierre-Zinal Race can choose to run either in the ”Tourist” category or in the “Runner” category, depending on their estimated running time.
- "Tourist" category: the participant registered in this category does more than 4h30
- "Runner" category: the participant registered in this category does less than 4h30
Participants in the "Tourist" category will receive an official time, but no ranking and will be awarded no qualifying points for other competitions. In addition, participants in the "Tourist” category cannot include Sierre- Zinal in the calculation of their ITRA or UTMB indexes.
In these Rules the collective plural refers to both the masculine and feminine genders and is used for conciseness purposes only. Similarly, the singular can have a plural meaning and vice versa.
Art. 6 “Runners’” Subcategories
Participants in the "Runner” category shall be grouped according to their age and gender in the following sub-categories:
- Elite Men and Women: years [1984] to [2003];
- Veterans I and Women I: years [1974] to [1983];
- Veterans II and Women II: years [1963] to [1973];
- Veterans III: years [1900] to [1963].
Art. 7 Adult Race
Unless modified due to weather conditions (See Art. 12 Reservations for Weather Conditions) the Sierre-Zinal Adult Race follows a 31 km mountain trail involving a 2200 meter elevation gain and a 1100 meter vertical drop. The course of the Sierre-Zinal Adult Race is not quite identical for the "Tourist" and "Runner" categories:
- Athletes in the "Tourist” category can choose between two departure options: either via Niouc or via the Chapelle Saint-Antoine (Race Profil).
- For athletes in the “Runner” category, only the route via Niouc applies (Race Profil).
Art. 8 Junior and Children's Courses
Unless modified due to weather conditions (See Art. 12 Reservations for Weather Conditions) The Chandolin-Zinal Junior Race is a 19 km trail involving a 800 meter elevation gain and a 1100 meter vertical drop.
The Children's Race takes place in the town of Sierre.