RRCA Insurance
General Liability Insurance Details
Risk Management Guidelines
All events insured by the RRCA are expected to follow our Safe Events Guidelines. Risk management is one of the primary responsibilities of a race director or club leader. It is a shared responsibility of race directors to ensure they are doing everything possible to deliver a safe, well-planned event for their participants.
The RRCA insurance program is a group policy and poor planning by one can affect the program for all.
The RRCA also expects all race directors to follow our Race Director Code of Ethics in the conduct of their events.
While activities including animals, adaptive devices (wheel chairs, push-chairs, etc.), and strollers are not excluded from the insurance policy, additional policies and procedures should have been put in place to minimize the risks associated with their inclusion, especially if pet dogs are allowed.
Bicycles may only be included in events as official vehicles for leading the front of the race, as on course medical and general course support, and as a back-of-the-pack vehicle to monitor final finishers. Other participants beyond official race personnel on bicycles or scooters at events are prohibited.
Note about the use of headphones, strollers, and dogs. The RRCA has a written guideline against the use of personal music devices in running events and group training runs. Race directors and group run should strongly discourage the use of headphones, strollers and pets in races and group runs.
As part of the annual renewal process, RRCA members are required to review the RRCA’s:
- Safe Event Guidelines,
- Safe Group Run Guidelines,
- Race Director Code of Ethics, and
- Music Licensing Information and attest to having read this information. As part of the insurance program,
- ALL RRCA member clubs are required to obtain waivers from their members, event participants, and club guests.
General Liability Insurance Coverage Details
The RRCA offers a tiered liability insurance program that provides:
- $1 million per occurrence policy with a $5 million aggregate limit per event hosted by a member club, event, or event management company (our standard policy), or
- $2 million per occurrence policy with a $5 million aggregate limit per event hosted by a member club, event, or event management company limit
- Visit the Membership section for detailed rate information for:
We recommend members select the $1 million per occurrence liability option if they are not required by their local government to insure their activities for $2 million or more.
If an event needs additional coverage per incident above $2 million, Insurance Management Group can provide this coverage for $1,500 per additional million requested. Email Margaret at [email protected].
For all three membership classes, general liability insurance coverage includes:
- A $1,000,000 per occurrence, aggregate limit outlined above or a $2,000,000 per occurrence, aggregate limit outlined above. No deductible.
- $500,000 in rented property coverage
- $10,000 in accidental medical coverage ($250 deductible per claim). This is standard to the policy and no additional individual membership is required for this coverage. This coverage that is supplemental to a person’s health insurance and should not be construed as basic health insurance coverage for a participant that does not have a basic health insurance policy in their name.
- $1,000,000 in hired and non-owned auto liability coverage. This is not collision coverage/damage to hired or non-owned autos. This covers a member organization in the event that an auto accident occurs while using a hired or non-owned auto and a claim of negligence is filed as a result of an auto accident.
- $500,000 with a $5,000,000 aggregate for abuse and molestation coverage (SAM). Organizations need to adopt Safe Sport Act compliant policies and train volunteers. Learn more >>
- Host liquor liability coverage included, so long as alcohol is not sold at the event, but is given out at no charge to participants of legal drinking age. Will you have a vendor selling beer at the post race party? You will most likely be required to have a liquor license and insurance to cover for alcohol being sold at the event. In that case, contact our insurance agent at 260-338-2925 and ask to speak to Margaret or email her at [email protected]
- Hosting an expo table/booth at an event or hosting of an expo a day or two before an event takes place
- $1,000,000 and $2,000,000 per occurrence coverage is available for volunteer medical personal for an additional fee (see bel0w).
- $25,000 in Crisis Response coverage.
- $10,000 per person with $100,000 aggregate limit for Cyber Privacy and Identity Theft
- USATF is named as an additional insured in the master policy, thus meeting their requirements for obtaining a sanction without utilizing their insurance policy. This coverage only applies to USATF sanctioned events utilizing the RRCA insurance program.
Occasionally, a municipality, property owner, or a sponsors requests to become an additional insured under an existing insurance policy. These “additional insured certificates” are provided at no additional costs by submitting a request to the Insurance Management Group (IMG). IMG will contact you if the additional party cannot be covered, as some exclusions may apply. Learn more >>
Timing companies, police departments, and others contractors cannot be named as additional insured parties. They should provide proof of their own general liability insurance.
Event Management Companies who own more than one event annually may request additional insured certificates, but they must pay the liability premium for each event before making the request for additional insured certificates.
RRCA insurance is non-transferable!
RRCA clubs and event management companies that assist other organizations with events may NOT extend insurance coverage to these organizations.
If the club or race director does not own the race or manage all aspects of the event, it is not an insured event of the club or race directing company. In this case, the organization receiving the assistance must join the RRCA as an event member to obtain insurance for their event.
Race directing companies may insure an event through the RRCA if they OWN the race and direct all aspects of the race. If the race directing company is assisting another organization with timing or finish line services, this event is not owned by the race directing company and not insured.
Transferring or selling of the RRCA insurance by clubs or race directing companies to other events is FRAUD.
For more information read see “Covered Activities”
Directors & Officers Insurance Coverage Details
For Nonprofit Organizations Only – Premium $200
Directors and Officers (D&O) insurance extends a safety net beyond the classic tort, or negligence situation, which might generate a claim against a member organization. Our comprehensive general liability policy offers insurance for an “occurrence” which is generally defined as an act or omission, which gives rise to liability in the area of “torts”. A classic illustration of this type of occurrence is a negligence action resulting in personal injury. D&O coverage will protect the officers and directors of nonprofit clubs and events from certain situations where the member might find itself subjected to a claim as a result of an error in judgment or challenged matter of policy. Some specific illustrations of errors and omissions occurrences are as follows:- A claim of discrimination against a club as a result if barring a runner from participating in an event (e.g. male runner files a suit when barred from a women’s only race).
- A violation of someone’s constitutional rights as a result of policy or procedure taken by a member club.
- An occurrence of age or disability discrimination.
- A decision by a race director to cancel a race (inclement weather), which results in a monetary loss to a runner.
Covered Activities UNDER GENERAL LIABILITY INSURANCE
For all membership categories the following items are covered:
- The policy protects its members against claims arising from incidents, accidents, or random acts of violence that occur and affect participants resulting in a claim being filed against a member organization.
- The policy does protect the RRCA and its members against spectator claims as long as the claim does not involve an excluded condition (see below). If a spectator is injured, the accident medical coverage may cover for a claim.
- Volunteers working on behalf of the RRCA member are included. For example, if a volunteer is named in a liability suit while working a member race, the insurance would protect the volunteer. If a volunteer is injured, the accident medical coverage may cover for a claim.
- Covered events include traditional road races, trail/ultra runs that do not contain man-made obstacles, cross country events following IAAF/USATF course guidelines, and track events that exclude jumps and throwing events (steeple events are excluded). Traditional road races that include runners in costume or events that throw/launch Holi powder (colored powder) are included. Soap or bubble runs that create a man-made slippery course are excluded. Review the exclusions below to learn about event formats that are excluded. If in doubt about a wacky event format, ask before insuring the event with RRCA, email [email protected]
Covered activities for a running clubs include:
- Training programs that meet multiple times per week during the year,
- Youth running programs that comply with the SafeSport Act,
- Walking programs,
- Club-organized group runs, track workouts (running only), social activities, meetings, banquets, community volunteering,
- Fun runs, low-key club races, all the way up to large road and trail races.
Understanding “Club-Owned” Events
Club-owned events are covered through the general liability insurance policy so long as the club has oversight over all aspects of the event. Below are questions to determine if a race is club-owned. If you answer “yes” to most of the questions, it is a club-owned race.- Does the club name appear in the race name? i.e. “Road Runners Club 5K for Heart Health”
- Does the club designated a volunteer or paid race director for the event that reports directly to the club’s board of directors?
- Does the club’s board have final oversight of the event and hold discussions about its status at board meetings?
- Is the race referred to in club minutes as a club-owned race?
- Is the club, or its duly authorized race director, involved at each planning stage of the race including obtaining a permit, maintaining a certificate of insurance on file, safety planning, and risk management?
- Does the club train and supervise, or hire a race director to train and supervise, the volunteers on the course, at the aid stations, and at the start and finish of the race?
- Do the registration and sponsorship funds run through the club’s bank account or event specific account under the control of the club board?
- Could another organization assisting with the event be named in a lawsuit as the responsible party arising from an incident occurring at the event? (If yes, consult with the RRCA)
- If another party, not considered a sponsor, elected not to assist with the organization of the event, would the club still operate the event? If the answer is “no,” the event is most likely NOT a club-owned event.
If your club is hired by a third-party to conduct an event on behalf of another organization, it is NOT a club-owned. The third-party should show proof of insurance from either RRCA,USATF or another insurer.
Clubs that engage in event management services should review the information on the Certified Race Director Insurance Program page. Clubs that report non-owned races for the purposes of insurance coverage will come under the RRCA’s Member Accountability Process.EXCLUDED Activities Under General Liability Insurance
The RRCA group liability policy does not include high risk events that include:
- Overnight relay races run on open roads with no police support, no road closures, or separate lanes for participants. Overnight relay races held on trails ARE included in coverage.
- High risk events commonly referred to as mud-runs, “warrior dashes”, urbanathons, MOB (mud, obstacle, beer) that include man-made obstacles such as, man-made mud pits, man-made slippery slopes, wall climbs, tunnel crawls, or other similar man-made obstacles.
- Events run on man-made trails or cross country courses that do not include man-made obstacles ARE included in coverage, but the course cannot be altered to create man-made obstacles such as watering-down a dry trail or cross country course with a hose to make it muddy. Snowshoe races ARE included but skiing and snowboard races are NOT included.
- As the use of drones to take aerial videos for marketing purposes increases, the RRCA’s position on drone use at events, per our insurance underwriter, is that events should not allow them to be flown by volunteer operators.
- Amusement devices such as moonbounces or bounce houses, dunk tanks, and pools are excluded from the policy.
- Multisport training programs and events (triathlons, biathlons, etc.) are excluded.
- Fireworks, terrorism, fungi or bacteria, pollution and asbestos are excluded.
The RRCA reserves the right to deny access to the insurance program for activities it deems beyond the scope of the covered activities of policy, which is designed to covers for risks associated with traditional road races, trail/ultra runs with no man-made alterations, and cross country events. Each member should review and understand the details of the general liability program prior to obtaining coverage.
Special note about the use of headphones, strollers, and dogs
The RRCA understands that discouraging or banning these items in a race can be a challenge for race directors.
Because of this, the use of headphones, strollers and dogs is not excluded from the insurance policy. This means that if a race director bans the use of headphones or strollers during a race, and a participant uses headphones or a stroller anyway, and is involved in an accident, the insurance policy will cover the cost of litigation defense and any potential settlement arising from a claim.
While the insurance policy does not exclude headphones, and the RRCA does not have an outright ban on their use during races, RRCA members taking advantage of the group general liability and Directors & Officers insurance benefit may not actively promote that headphones are welcome at RRCA insured events.
Optional Insurance Details
Volunteer Medical Liability Insurance
Operations Insurance
Premium – $750*
The insurance program also offers the optional Operations Package, which provides for basic business type insurance coverage for your club or event management companies. This insurance covers for items such as timing clocks, club or event owned computers, etc. It also helps cover clubs in the event that a volunteer or employee embezzles funds from the club or event through theft, forgery, or alterations of documents. Clubs and events MUST have documented evidence that RRCA recommended financial policies and procedures are in place in advance of a claim.- $25,000 business income loss
- $5,000 miscellaneous equipment coverage (in-land marine policy for off-site/out of office equipment)
- $75,000 business personal property coverage (in-office equipment and property)
- $10,000 hardware/software coverage
- $25,000 employee/volunteer dishonesty coverage – must have RRCA recommended financial policies and procedures in place for your club or event management company.
- $25,000 forgery and alterations
- $10,000 theft, disappearance, and destruction
Cyber Liability Insurance
Premium – $270*
Running clubs and events continue to expand their use of technology. Whether it is posting pictures and information through social media, electronic signatures, dates of birth, and other personally identifiable information, or utilization of third-party vendors for race registration and other data resources, it is vitally important that your organization take proactive steps to protect itself when there is a cyber breach or a cybercrime that affects your Board of Directors, your members, and participants. The RRCA has partnered with Insurance Management Group to offer our members a comprehensive and affordable layer of protection against Ransomware, phishing scams, and other cybercrimes that now affect over 50% of organizations nationwide:Know the Facts:
- $36,295 was the average cost of a Ransomware payment in 2019
- Hacked cardholder data was available via the Dark Web for 127 days
- 52% of organizations were breached through remote access
- There was a 300% increase in identity fraud from 2018 – 2019
- Your organization is obligated to notify any customer that their information has been potentially exposed or breached, even if that breach occurred by your race registration company which you contracted with.
When electing this coverage with your RRCA membership, you will be required to answer the following questions*:
- Please provide your prior fiscal year end (FYE) revenue (i.e., your previous year’s total revenue). Please round up to the nearest dollar. (RRCA note: This information is required by the underwriters of the this policy as a condition of coverage.)
- Do “You”, or an outsourced firm, back up your data and systems at least once a week, and store these backups in an offsite location?
- Do “You” have anti-virus software and firewalls in place that are regularly updated (at least quarterly)?
- After inquiry of the “Control Group”, as defined, are “You” aware of any or have any grounds for suspecting any circumstances which might give rise to a claim? (RRCA note: “Control Group” means the board of director members, executive officers, Chief Technology Officer, Chief Information Officer, Risk Manager and General Counsel or their functional equivalents of “Your Organization”. This does not include any administrative staff who work in the offices of these named positions.)
- Within the last 5 years, has “Your Organization” suffered any system intrusions, tampering, virus or malicious code attacks, loss of data, loss of portable media, hacking incidents, extortion attempts, or data theft, resulting in a claim in excess of $25,000 that would be covered by this insurance?
Equipment Insurance
RRCA offers equipment coverage through National Casualty Company at the rate of $2.55 per $100.00 of equipment replacement value. The policy is effective from the date the check is received through 12/31/2021.
The Equipment must be insured to 100% of value. Coverage only applies to clubs who have paid a premium and have been endorsed to the policy. Minimum premium for coverage is $100.00. A $500.00 deductible applies to each loss. This coverage is for direct loss or damage to equipment due to fire, theft, vandalism or other covered causes excluding earthquake and flood (subject to the actual policy terms and conditions).
Download the RRCA Equipment Application to be completed should you desire to obtain or renew coverage on your equipment. Please forward the completed application with your check made payable to Insurance Management Group.
Mail to: Insurance Management Group Attn: Margaret Mayers
12730 Coldwater Road, Suite 103, Fort Wayne, IN 46845 (260) 338-2434