Best Practice Blog: Participant Safeguarding
By Shane Ohly, Event Director at Ourea Events
Look out for our series of articles about good practice in adventure sports events. We hope other organisers will find these articles useful and thoughtful, and they will also provide insight for our participants into the background operations at our events.
If you enjoy reading this, you might like to attend the annual Adventure Sports Events Conference, where race organisers gather to learn from each other and subject matter experts.
Introduction
This participant safeguarding blog outlines Ourea Events’ approach to reducing risks to participants from sexual offences, stalking, assault, unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour, regardless of whether threats originate from strangers, ex-partners, other participants, the Event Team, or the public, whilst taking part in our events.
This blog also intends to demonstrate Ourea Events’ commitment to raising awareness of safeguarding issues and how we implement procedures to minimise risk at our events. We also hope that by highlighting some of the common complaints by female participants, we can raise awareness of what constitutes inappropriate behaviour.
Some events have features that may facilitate sexual offences, stalking, assault, unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour. This includes solo participation, remote terrain, public GPS tracking, and overnight accommodation. Notable examples are the Northern Traverse®, Dragon’s Back Race®, and the Cape Wrath Ultra®.
We recognise a disproportionate risk to female participants compared to males. Statistics show women face significantly higher risks of sexual violence, stalking, and harassment. Data confirms women are more at risk from known assailants, like ex-partners, than strangers, with assaults by strangers being rare. Therefore, participants likely face the highest risk from each other, which is supported by our anecdotal experience.
Although this blog does not explicitly focus on the experience of LGBTQ+ and other minority groups, especially participants of colour, we are aware they can be discriminated against in ways that create additional and unique safeguarding challenges.
This blog is a significantly abridged version of our more detailed Participant Safeguarding Policy and Risk Assessment, which provides more background and context than is reasonable to cover here.
Participants at the 2024 Dragon’s Back Race® enjoying the remote terrian of day three. © No Limits Photography
Case Study: Dragon’s Back Race® 2024
The Dragon’s Back Race® participants and event staff were the first to benefit from long-term messaging in briefings (video, written and in-person) explaining our approach to inappropriate behaviour in the build-up to the September 2024 event. On reflection, we realised we had ‘permissioned’ our female participants to raise concerns that might have previously been unrecorded. We wanted to make it crystal clear to participants and the event team that we would take a zero-tolerance approach to inappropriate behaviour, and we would support anyone raising concerns at this event. Four incidents were raised during the event, one of which resulted in the immediate dismissal of a freelance staff member, including:
1. Inappropriate comment about someone’s body
2. Inappropriate and unwanted photography
3. A stalker using Dragon Mail to harass a participant
4. Grossly offensive ‘banter’ of a sexual nature
Concerns Female Participants Have
Anecdotal discussions with female participants at our events consistently highlight the following concerns:
Rape or Sexual Assault by a Stranger. Sexual violence from strangers facilitated by a vulnerable situation at the event, such as A) being alone, B) being exhausted, C) being in remote or unsafe areas or D) their GPS revealing their location.
Unwanted Attention and Inappropriate Behaviour. Participating in the event makes women vulnerable to unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour from men, who may assume a female participant wants company, help with navigation or make lewd or suggestive banter.
Identifying Event Officials. Participants worry about identifying race officials, particularly when exhausted and during darkness.
Penalised for Seeking Help. If officials later judge their concerns unfounded, participants worry about penalties or disqualification for seeking help, like pressing an SOS Alert on a GPS Tracker.
Stalking. Participating in the event exposes personal information through public GPS tracking, results, and media coverage that a stalker or abusive ex-partner could use to locate them, potentially facilitating physical or virtual stalking.
Perception of Risk
Risk perception is subjective, varying widely among individuals at the same event. This highlights why event organisers and race directors, mainly white males, should not assume they know best or resist changing operational practices.
Participant Anonymity
Some runners might be high-risk and need special measures to participate in our events safely. They might prefer or require some degree of anonymity. The first step is to instil confidence, allowing them to contact the event organiser beforehand. Publicising this policy builds trust and credibility among ‘high-risk’ participants. However, providing anonymity presents various challenges.
GPS Tracking
After consulting with other event organisers, we know of ZERO incidents of sexual violence or assault linked to GPS Tracking. This technology has SAVED LIVES, and we don't want to raise unproven concerns. However, it's crucial to acknowledge the potential risks, as these perceptions could deter participation and, in rare cases, pose a safety risk. Some participants may still hesitate to want a GPS Tracker despite evidence of increased safety, and the onus is on the event organisers to reassure them.
Unwanted Attention and Inappropriate Behaviour
Unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour are common issues affecting women at events. They stem from ingrained male and societal attitudes that often offend without intent. Most men are apologetic and understanding when their behaviour is challenged. Setting clear expectations about behaviour requires education and consistent messaging from organisers to all participants and team members. The message must emphasise that unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour are unacceptable and should be reported.
‘Permissioning’ our female participants to raise concerns is a crucial first step towards behaviour and attitude change.
Examples of unwanted attention and inappropriate behaviour include:
A presumption that an ad-hoc male-female pairing on the course should continue throughout the event and/or that there is a romantic intent to polite friendship.
A presumption that a lone female participant wants a male partner to run with.
A presumption that it is unacceptable to leave a lone female participant on their own (especially at night).
A presumption that a female participant is less competent than a male participant, typically requiring advice with route choice & navigation.
Comments, jokes and banter about how a female participant looks or dresses.
Comments, jokes and banter of a sexual nature, including innuendo.
Running and/or standing closely behind (in the start pen) female participants and not giving them reasonable personal space.
Unsporting behaviour that is gender biased (e.g. desperately overtaking a female participant on the finish line by a male runner).
Any uninvited touching, including hugging.
Women often find it challenging to ask male participants to cease inappropriate behaviour, and the onus should always be on men to refrain from such behaviour in the first place. Anyone raising safeguarding concerns needs assurance that their issues will be taken seriously, investigated, and addressed. Typically, women raising a concern want their complaint to be dealt with discretely and for the perpetrator to demonstrate insight and remorse.
Female participants enjoying the start line atmsophere in the minutes before the Lake Traverse 2025 began © No Limits Photography
What we do at Ourea Events
Pre-Event
Examples of the communications, internal policy, and briefing to participants pre-event include:
Policy. Have a detailed internal safeguarding policy shared with senior event staff. Publish a summary of our safeguarding policy for participants and event staff to see.
Anonymity. Encourage any participant categorised as ‘high-risk’ to contact the event in advance and request anonymity.
Process. Clearly describe what happens if a participant raises a safeguarding concern during an event or requests emergency assistance.
Briefing. Ensure a briefing to participants and the event team informs them of our safeguarding policy and zero-tolerance approach to poor behaviour.
Facilitate. Ensure participants know that they can approach certain event personnel (Ourea Events staff in ‘Ourea gold’ uniforms and any event medic) in confidence if they wish to raise a safeguarding issue and that the response from Ourea will be discreet and professional.
Event Control. Treat all SOS Alerts from solo female participants as serious until proven otherwise. Discreetly assist unwanted ad hoc partnerships on the course.
Race Management. Encourage reporting of all incidents and safeguarding concerns. Treat all complaints seriously, investigate and take action.
Event Team
Examples of the specific measures we take to prepare the Event Team include:
Checking. Ensure permanent employees pass a basic Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) check, and that a reference has been obtained for all Medics and event staff in positions of trust relating to safeguarding.
Briefing. Ensure a briefing to the entire event team informs them of our safeguarding policy and zero-tolerance approach to poor behaviour. Provide an enhanced briefing to Support Point team leaders, medics, and permanent staff of Ourea Events.
Support Points. Plan for mixed-gender teams to be at all support points, aid stations, etc., so that there is always at least one female member of the Event Team at these locations
Identification. Ensure that all event personnel (volunteers, contractors, media, etc.) are identifiable with an event uniform, tabard, and/or identification lanyard and/or badge.
Friend or Foe. All Event Team are briefed to use the same, and exact words when approaching a participant on the course (especially, in the dark). Such as, “Hello Jane, I am John from the Northern Traverse Checkpoint Point team”.
Participants
Examples of the specific measures we take to prepare participants include:
Registration. Do not insist that participants must have their photograph taken at registration (usually GPS Tracker allocation).
Friend or Foe. Ask all participants approaching each other on the course (especially, in the dark) to introduce themselves. Such as, “Hello, I am John taking part in the Northern Traverse”.
Just Ask. Brief all participants as ad hoc natural groups and pairings form on the course, ask whether the other person wants to join an ad hoc group (…do you mind if we run together for a while?), and to be alert to the subtle suggestions (…”I’ll just have a little break while you push on”) that indicate a participant’s preference.
Comments and Suggestions
We don’t have a monopoly on good ideas. We would be delighted to hear any suggestions you might have on how we can improve our safeguarding procedures, so please don’t hesitate to get in touch.