Overview
In 2010, following a year of hiatus, Across the Years is
celebrating its twenty-seventh year, its seventh at Nardini
Manor. We have had notable runners from a variety of states and
countries, which has translated into some fantastic performances
and records, and expect nothing less this year.
If you are reading this it is likely because you have been
selected by lottery to participate in the 2010, and were emailed
a link to this location. If so, you are already considered
enrolled. The purpose of this process is to register you fully
in the race by getting information from you, and by arranging
for you to make payment.
If you have not already done so, start the registration
program. To proceed, check that you have read these
instructions and press the Continue button.
If you have not been selected to run in the race, you will
not get very far. On the next page you must enter only your last
name and the the Registration Entry Code that was sent to
you when you were notified that you are in the race, then press
Continue. If you lost that code, the only way to retrieve
it is to send email to the
webmasters and ask them real nice to please send it
again.
Starting Registration
Most of what you need to know is on the registration form
itself. Please read everything that is on it carefully. The
following walk-through is provided for clarification.
If you have run Across the Years before, even many years ago,
you are in our database, and are classified as a Returning
Runner. Some of what information we have about you will
appear pre-typed on the form. If any of that information has
changed, just correct it. Your address and phone, even if we
have it, do not appear on this form. Please just resubmit that
information in the fields provided for it.
If you are a newcomer to ATY, at the end of the process, a
new record will be created for you, and you will be assigned a
permanent RID (Runner ID) number, which will become your
permanent bib number and also your unique identifier for the
sake of recording statistics. You might want to take note of and
remember your number.
The Registration Form
At various places you will see links to this help
information. Use this page to answer questions about any
specifics. You may also send email to the race directors, but
be aware that there will be some turnaround time in getting back
to you.
Before the first field to be filled out is a box showing the
race you are in, its start date (all starts are at 9:00 a.m.),
the cost for that race, and the cost if you choose to opt out on
the so-called goody bag, the bag of items given to arriving
runners.
- Goody Bag: At most races, you
sign up and get a number of things in addition to the
opportunity to race, such as shirts and jackets. In recent
years, Across the Years has one of the most generous goody
bags in ultraracing, with garments and other objects totaling,
by some estimates, up to $150 in value.
Those who do not care about the contents of the goody bag, or
just want to keep costs down, can get in the race for $80 off
the standard cost. Select No to get the discount.
You will still get gifts offered by sponsors, regardless of
whether you accept the goody bags.
- Distance Goal: All we want here is a reasonable
integer number of miles or kilometers, so race officials will
know what to expect.
- Trying for a record: Check Yes if you plan
to attempt to set an officially kept record. The various
record keeping institutions require that certain procedures be
observed for the sake of validation, so race officials want to
know about your intent in advance. Do not check Yes
if you merely hope to set a personal record.
- First Name, Last Name: Here we would like your real
name, or some reasonable approximation—whatever you
would put on a credit card. If you're a Robert but
always go by Bob, then by all means use the name you
use. The reason we ask for this is not for the sake of
formality, but to keep us from going nuts keeping records
straight. We've spent hours matching up the Richards with the
Dicks, the Ricks, the Riches, the Rics and so forth. But see
also the comments on the next field. It makes a difference
when calculating lifetime mileages and other statistics.
- Nickname: This is where you list any name you are
more commonly known by—for Davids known as Dave and
Williams known as Bill, and so on. The purpose of this is for
printing your name on your race bib, and for listing you in
the results. The race organizers will use discernment in
deciding what to accept here and may change it.
- Date of Birth: In 2005, we began collecting the
exact date of birth for runners for the sake of accuracy in
record keeping. For those whose birthdays we do not know, we
have assigned the date January 1 of their birth year. If you
are a returning runner, please check what comes up in the
dropdown menus, and correct the date if necessary.
- Gender: This should be self explanatory. We hope no
runner wonders about which radio button to check here, but if
anyone has doubts, stand in front of a mirror after taking a
shower, take a good look, and give us your best guess. If you
need more help, someone from our skilled medical support team
will be glad to help you figure it out.
- Email: To benefit fully from what ATY has to offer
as a race, you must supply us an email address by which we can
get in touch with you. We have moved into the age of
electronic communication, and can no longer do much to support
runners who are difficult to reach.
- Address Lines 1 and 2: This is for snail mail
purposes, for instance, if we have to return a check or money
order. Your mailing address will not be shared with
others.
- City: Also for snail mail purposes.
- State / Province or Region: If you are in the US or
Canada, select your state or province from the dropdown menu.
Otherwise leave this blank and type in something in the Region
box.
- US ZIP or Non-US Postal Code: If you are in the US,
enter a standard format US ZIP code. Persons who reside
outside the US enter something in the postal box.
- Country: Select from the dropdown menu. Checking of
other address fields depends on whether you select the US or
another country, and will ignore anything irrelevant. We won't
guarantee this part of the program is bulletproof. Please
double check your entry and don't enter anything in irrelevant
fields if you have hopes that your registration will be
recorded. If you have any doubts that it will be correct,
repeat your address in the comments box.
- US Phone or Non-US Phone: Your telephone numbers
will not be shared with others. If you are in the US, use the
top set of boxes, entering area code, exchange, number, and
optional extension. Otherwise, skip this line and add a number
in the non-US box. International phone number formats vary so
we can't check it. Make sure it's right.
- Other Phone: This is for a cell phone or any other
alternate phone you care to enter. It's an optional field. If
you are in the US, we prefer you to use the NNN-NNN-NNNN
format.
- Garments 1 and 2: You may skip this section if you
have elected not to get the goody bag. Otherwise, designate
your size. We take gender into consideration when ordering.
Usually the second garment is a bulkier or fancier item, such
as a jacket or sweatshirt, and some people like a size larger,
depending on what it is.
The instructions already say this, but in order to be
clear—you automatically get one of each garment
with your entry fee, if you have selected the goody
bag. The dropdown menus are for extras that you
may want, which will cost extra money. Most people are happy
with one each, but we'll be happy to order more for you. The
extras will be the same size as the ones you get
automatically. ATY is not a clothing store, so you can't order
a matched set of sizes for the whole family.
- Shoe Size: There is a possibility that we may have
one or more items in the goody bag that depend on your shoe
size, such as gaiters or socks. This has not been confirmed
yet, but we are recording shoe sizes just in case. In 2007 we
had to gather these mid-year, and it was a big hassle.
- Require Vegetarian Meals: This box refers to the
catered meals that are brought in. Knowing how many people
would like this will help us in ordering for the race.
- Indoor Tent If you plan to set up a personal tent
inside the large, heated tent, we urge
you—please bring the smallest tent you can
function with! If you can survive with just a mat on the
floor, then please do it. Floor space is limited, and we are
afraid that not everyone will fit. We are allowing inside
tents up to 100 square feet (10x10), but are asking you to
bring smaller if possible. Also, if you have a maximum size
tent and can double up with someone, please do so.
You may set up a mansion of any size outdoors
- Your Running Biography: In the world of
ultrarunning, where races are typically small, runners like to
know about the running history of others who will be there.
This is particularly true at a race like Across the Years,
where runners perform in close proximity over an extended
period, increasing an extraordinary sense of community.
We desire to have 100% participation by all runners in
submitting something for the biographies page. It does not
have to be elaborate. Most people contribute just a couple of
sentences or a paragraph. You might include how long you've
been running, how many ultras you've run, any records you've
set, your PR history, and that sort of thing. But it needn't
be limited to that. Be creative.
- Web Address (URL) to Picture: If you are a
returning runner and see a picture of yourself, you will see a
path in the box that looks like
/bioimgs/rid.jpg where rid is your
permanent runner runner ID. If you have another picture you
would like to submit, you can type in the Web address (URL)
here. Include the http part, e.g.,
http://www.somewhere.com/pics/you.jpg Be sure you
have permission to use this picture, because it will be copied
to our site. You may also email an image later (preferably a
JPEG format file) to the webmasters, who
will likely harass repeatedly you until you send one.
- Your Comments: Use this box
to add anything you'd like, including your unvarnished opinion
of the race committed, your favorite joke, your philosophy of
life, whatever. This section will be read by race organizers,
and if it requires action, we'll get back to
you—eventually.
- Release Form: It is required for you to read the
waiver, and to click the radio button that indicates you have
read it and accept its terms. You will be asked to sign it and
mail it in.
- Share Your Email Address: Some sponsors ask for
access to the email addresses of runners as a condition of
their sponsorship. We agree to share these with them, but only
with your consent. We will not share any other personal data
with anyone. The default is No. Check Yes if
you are willing to let us do this.
When you have completed all fields, press Continue to
Summary. The program will block you from continuing if you
have forgotten anything required, or if any of the information
you have entered does not make sense to a stupid computer.
Please check every item for correctness. Once you
press Complete Registration in the next step, it's a
major hassle to fix things. If you see anything wrong on this
page, press Make Revisions to go back to the previous
page and change anything. Do not attempt to make
changes in the text area boxes on the Summary page. It will
not work!
IMPORTANT: If you do go back using
the Make Revisions button, please double-check
everything on that page. There is a bug in the program
wherein some radio button choices are sometimes (but not always)
lose their data when going back. We agree that this is a lame
request, and apologize for it, but the safest thing to do is to
ask you to be sure everything is right before proceeding once
again.
When you are satisfied that everything is correct, press
Complete Registration. You will be taken to a plain black
and white page. YOU ARE NOT DONE YET!
Print and Mail the Registration Page
The instructions on this page should be clear, but to
emphasize:
- Read the instructions at the top of the page
- Print two copies—one for yourself and one to mail
in.
- Sign the waiver at the end on one.
- Send the signed copy along with a check or money order
made payable to Aravaipa Running to:
Aravaipa Running
5631 Shaw Butte Dr
Glendale, AZ 85304
We prefer payment by check or money order. If you are highly
inconvenienced or unable to mail in a check, we will accept a
credit card payment through Paypal. Please contaact the race
director at rd@acrosstheyears.com
if you would like this payment option.
When you have completed registration, you will be listed
automatically on the Who's
Coming page. Clicking on the link under your name will take
to your biography page, which will display your picture, ATY
race history, and biography, insofar as we have that information.
Be sure to watch the Web site, particularly the ATY Blog and the Facebook
Discussion Group for the latest news about the race.
