Official Rules

Lupine Racing Rules.

July 14th, 2026 - v1.5.0

These rules apply across all Lupine Racing multi-day events. Start with the quick guide below, then read the full rules if you're chasing a podium or want the finer detail.

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Quick Start Guide

Welcome to Lupine Racing! At its heart, this is a long-distance public transport puzzle. Your goal is to solve the route, visit the checkpoints and reach the finish before everyone else.

The basics are simple:

  • Between cities, and outside our Private Transport Zones, travel by public transport. Think trains, coaches, buses, ferries, metros, trams and any other service a reasonable person would consider public transport.
  • Inside our Private Transport Zones, taxis and other private transport (defined later) are allowed. This keeps the event accessible and avoids racers getting stranded in unfamiliar places in the middle of the night waiting for infrequent public transport.
  • Visit every checkpoint in the specified order.
  • Collect the evidence requested in your race pack.
  • Be respectful, stay safe and don't look for loopholes.

That's really it.

If you're aiming for a podium finish, or just want to understand the finer details, the remainder of this document explains how the event is run and how results are invigilated.

These rules cannot anticipate every transport system or situation you may encounter. Where a rule is unclear or silent, Race Control will interpret it according to its intent, applying the principles of fairness, participant safety and competitive integrity. Race Control's decisions are final.

The Full Rules

Pay close attention to these rules. Most exist as a result of situations/clarifications in previous events.

1 Route and Checkpoint Rules

1.1
The start line, checkpoints, and finish line must be visited in the order provided.
1.2
You must be present at the start line when the race begins, and reach the finish before the cut-off.
1.3
Once you cross the finish line, your race is over, you may not go back for missed evidence or to collect more points.
1.4
The race pack given at the start line will detail the specific evidence needed to validate each checkpoint.
1.5
The rules below refer to your linear route to complete the challenge. If personal safety forces you off the route, record the spot (GPS screenshot) and return to that exact point before resuming.

2 Tickets & Proof

2.1
Transport evidence - If your result is selected for invigilation (for example after achieving a top placing with prize), Race Control will assess your journeys against the following two evidence principles.
2.1.1
Principle One - Can we reasonably determine which service you travelled on? Race Control must be reasonably satisfied which transport service you used. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, GPS tracking consistent with the route taken, a ticket or reservation, a photograph or video showing the vehicle or service, journey history from an operator's app, timetables that align with your GPS tracking, or any other reasonable evidence demonstrating the service used so we can confirm it is public transport.
2.1.2
Principle Two - Can we reasonably determine that your travel complied with the operator's conditions of carriage? Race Control must be reasonably satisfied that a reasonable person would conclude your journey was made honestly and in accordance with the operator's rules. Evidence may include, but is not limited to, a valid ticket, bank payment history, an Interrail, Eurail or similar travel pass, official receipts, operator account history, or any other evidence demonstrating a legitimate entitlement to travel.
2.1.3
Participants should retain sufficient evidence to support their journeys until Race Control confirms that invigilation has been completed.
2.2
Region-proof for points rule - For a visit to qualify for points, participants must submit a geo tagged photograph captured using the official event application or another approved secure method. The embedded GPS metadata of the image must demonstrably place the location of capture within the relevant country or regional boundaries as defined by Google Maps. Submissions that do not satisfy this requirement may be deemed invalid at the discretion of the organisers.
2.2.1
A country or territory will only be considered visited if the GPS location is recorded on land within its borders. Sections of bridges, docks, or similar structures that are suspended over water will not count. Entry into territorial waters alone does not constitute a valid visit.

3 Teams

3.1
Each team member pays an individual entry fee and must follow all rules as a single entrant.
3.2
Splitting up and sending different people to each checkpoint will not count.
3.3
Each team member is issued their own ranking in the results as single entrants based on their own finish time/points.
3.4
For teams that stick together, we will accept tracking evidence from one device to cover the whole group.

4 Travel Between Cities

4.1
This is a public transport-based event and not a car rally.
4.2
Overland travel only; no planes or helicopters. Ferries are allowed.
4.3
Hitchhiking is not allowed.
4.4
If you are traveling using a public transport pass, such as the Interrail pass or similar, this is acceptable.
4.5
Marshrutka minibuses will be considered public transport for the purpose of this event. If a ticket is not provided, please collect photos/video proof of the transport as evidence of the journey, ideally showing route destinations, which are usually displayed on the front of the minibus.

5 Travel Within Cities/Towns

5.1
Taxis and other forms of private hire transport are allowed, including rental bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters.
5.2
Public transport is allowed.
5.3
If you wish to bring personal transport, such as a folding bike, skateboard, or rollerblades, for travel within a city, this is allowed. Personal transport must not cross the city-limit line defined below.
5.4
City or town limits will generally be defined by the outline drawn in the Lupine Racing Private Transport Zones map.

6 Country Counting Classification

6.1
A point will be awarded for each visit to a unique UN member state, plus Kosovo, Gibraltar and Vatican City. Each event may also have bonus points, detailed below. A point is logged the moment you obtain Section 2 proof issued inside that country/region.
6.2
In the event of a tie in terms of the number of countries visited, the fastest finish time will be used as a tiebreaker.
6.3
You must keep the race director updated on your points score throughout the race using the specified method (a webpage) within 2 hours of earning a point. This is to facilitate the pre-invigilation of GPS tracking as well as the points leaderboard.
6.4
Bonus Points - The borders of these regions will use the Google Maps defined limits, unless otherwise stated.
6.4.1
If a bonus point area is the only part of that UN member state that you visit, you will still be granted both points: one for the country and one for the bonus.
6.4.2
2026 Slovenia Bonus Points
1 pointBornholm, Öland, Gotland, Listenbourg, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily
2 pointsHeligoland, Jersey, Guernsey
3 pointsWales, Lampedusa
4 pointsArctic Circle (66° 34' N and above)
6.4.3
2026 Istanbul Bonus Points
1 pointBornholm, Öland, Gotland, Corsica, Sardinia, Sicily, Republika Srpska, Corfu, Wales
2 pointsHeligoland, Jersey, Guernsey, Gagauzia, Scotland
6.5
Mandatory Pit Stop (Country Counting Award Only) - For those aiming for a Country Counting Award Prize eligable ranking, participants are required to make one pit stop during events that are longer than three days. A pit stop is logged by taking two GPS tagged and timestamped photographs of the participant in the same location, no less than 12 hours apart. No travel may be logged during that 12 hour window, creating a mandatory rest period. Failure to complete a valid pit stop will make the participant ineligible for the Country Counting Award. The pit-stop can be initiated at anytime, but not within the first 24 hours of the event.

7 The Savvy Award (Low Cost)

7.1
Your cost is based on the sum of your long-distance, city-to-city travel costs.
7.2
Accommodation costs are not factored in. For safety reasons, we do not wish to encourage rough sleeping.
7.3
If you contact companies and negotiate discounts or free transport, you will be excluded from this award.
7.4
Only one person can win. If there is a tie, the prize will be split.
7.5
For multi-day passes like Interrail, the total cost of the pass will be factored into your submission.

8 Conduct

8.1
Fair play - No deception, sabotage or rule-bending. Obey event rules and all local laws.
8.2
Safety & respect - Put personal and public safety first. Treat racers, organisers and bystanders with courtesy. Follow organiser instructions. Many aspects of the event have been designed with safeguarding as a core element, such as prize categories, our tracking and evidence solutions, checkpoints and many other elements. It is forbidden to create your own version of any event elements or attempt to organise unofficial events within the event with their own rules. These actions will be considered circumventions of safeguarding measures and may lead to disqualification and potential bans from future events.
8.3
Clarifications - If a rule seems grey, ask the Race Director immediately, their public ruling is final.
8.4
Physical trophies must be collected at the awards by prize winners or by their nominee, or they will be forfeited.
8.5
All racers must be officially registered. No tagalongs, no ghost teammates. Any entrant found racing with, or facilitating, an unregistered participant will be disqualified, removed from the event, and may be banned from future races.
8.6
Respect for event operations - Official event communication channels and in person event activities exist to support the running of the event and the participant experience. Participants must not repeatedly challenge, campaign against, or attempt to undermine event rules, organiser decisions or event operations in a manner that disrupts staff or other participants. Feedback, suggestions and criticism should be submitted through official feedback channels after the event. Organisers may moderate or remove disruptive discussions and may apply penalties, including disqualification or exclusion from future events, where necessary.

9 Close Finish Rules

9.1
If it becomes apparent there is going to be a very close finish, the Race Director may distribute extra rules to handle the circumstance.

10 Penalties

10.1
Philosophy - The aim of Lupine Racing is not to disqualify participants. Our events are built around adventure, community and fair competition. Where possible, Race Control will seek to apply proportionate penalties that preserve a participant's race while maintaining fairness for everyone.
10.2
Types of penalties - Depending on the circumstances, Race Control may apply time penalties, points deductions, country count deductions, bonus point removal, checkpoint invalidation, disqualification from individual prize categories, or full disqualification from the event. Poor conduct will take a yellow card, red card approach similar to Football/Soccer.
10.3
Competitive advantage - Where a rule breach results in a competitive advantage, Race Control may apply a time penalty of no less than the advantage reasonably believed to have been gained, together with any additional penalty considered appropriate.
10.4
Partial journey invalidation - Where a rule breach affects only part of a participant's journey, Race Control may invalidate only that portion of the race and adjust the participant's score accordingly. For example, in Country Counting events, countries or bonus regions visited during an invalid portion of the journey may be removed from the final classification while preserving the remainder of the race wherever reasonably possible.
10.5
Fruit of the Poisonous Tree - In some circumstances, a rule breach fundamentally affects the validity of everything that follows. This may occur where a participant fails to legitimately complete a mandatory checkpoint before continuing, obtains a competitive advantage that cannot reasonably be separated from the remainder of the journey, or creates evidence failures that make subsequent sections of the route impossible to validate. In these situations, the remainder of the journey may be considered invalid, resulting in disqualification from the affected classification or, where appropriate, the event itself.
10.6
Cooperation during invigilation - Participants must cooperate with reasonable requests from Race Control during invigilation. Failure to provide requested evidence within a reasonable timeframe, without good reason, may result in penalties up to and including disqualification from the affected classification.

§ Appendix - Definition of Terms

TaskAny action, evidence submission, checkpoint requirement, or objective specified by the organisers that must be completed in accordance with these Rules to obtain points, validation, or ranking.
ParticipantAny individual officially registered for the event who has paid the entry fee and is authorised to compete. Each Participant is treated as an individual entrant for timing, scoring, compliance, and ranking purposes, regardless of whether they travel with others.
CheckpointAny designated location, region, or objective set by the organisers that must be visited or completed as part of the event, and for which specified evidence is required. A Checkpoint is completed only when all required evidence has been properly submitted and validated.
StartThe official event starting point, time, and location designated by the organisers, where Participants must be physically present when the race begins.
FinishThe official event endpoint designated by the organisers. A Participant’s race ends immediately upon crossing the Finish line, after which no further evidence may be collected or submitted for points.

This page reflects the current rules. The revision history and a full log of historical changes is maintained in our public repository: github.com/LupineRacing/Rules.