Q: What team am I on?

A: Teams will be formed December 20th. After admins clink the magic button, you will go to 2021>other editions>My Team. The Admins will start a thread for each team in the 2021 forum so you can find the rest of your team before you head off to your individual team subforums. 

Q: I want to change my goal.

A: If you signed up for a team, you can make changes until the team signup deadline December 13th 11:59 PM. Please try to sign up with the goal you want to start the year with. We try to balance the teams so mileage totals are comparable.  Individuals can make changes until the Individual signup deadline December 31 at 11:59 PM. After that, you can request 1 goal change before June 30. Keep in mind, if you change your goal, your part of the weekly team goal will be altered as well.

If you are on a team, your updated goal will not show on your MyTeam page until the week resets following your goal change. The MyTeam page is display only. Your weekly goal is Annual Mileage Goal/ 52.14285 = Weekly Goal.

Q: I want to switch from Team to Individual, or from Individual to Team.

A: You can do that until the Team signup deadline December 13 at 11:59 PM. After that, no changes will be made to teams. Please remember it is a 12 month commitment to your team. Even if you get injured, you can be supportive to your teammates.

Q: I missed the sign up deadline for a team. Can you still fit me in?

A: No, we will not be making changes after teams are formed. You can still join the individual game until Dec 31.  

Q: My team wants to be on FaceBook only. I don’t do FB.

A: This is a Running Ahead based game. No runner is required to go offsite to communicate with their team. Please be considerate of this. Runners sign up with the expectation there will be communication here; we have sub-forums specifically for each team. It is fine for a team to have off-site communication, but it should not be your primary communication. (If your team is breaking this rule, please let the Admins know.)

Q: Why does the bar at the top still say 2020? Where is 2021?

A: At the start of 2021, that will be the default. Until then just click 2020>other editions.

Q: I want to be on a team with ___.

A: Team formation is completely automated. We do not have any input.

Q: How do I start a team group?

A: User Groups>Start a group (at the bottom). Set the group to whatever level of privacy you want.

Q: Something is wrong. All of the teams have the very same goal.

A: That’s that way the Game works. Everyone is equal at the start.

Q: How is each team’s weekly goal calculated?

A: The team’s weekly mileage goal is the combined weekly mileage goal of all their runners. This does not change through the year, except that runners who are put on Injured Reserve are not counted and it is adjusted if runners  change their annual goal. The weekly mileage goal for each runner used in this calculation is Annual Goal/52.1428=weekly mileage goal. 

Q: How does Injured Reserve/Leave of Absence Work?

A: If you are injured and have a zero in the previous week’s results, you are eligible to be place on injured reserve or leave of absence from the game. The request to go on IR must come from one of your team captains for Admins to make this change. Your numbers will not affect the team while you are on IR. When you are ready to be activated, the request must be made before Sunday night; requests after that will be made after results post on Tuesday night. Runners on IR are allowed to run; we understand that sometimes you might have some mileage as you are coming back from injury.  Mileage run while on IR will count toward your individual, but is not not counted for or against your team. 

Q: Is there something similar to IR for dealing with unsafe weather issues that could leave us unable to run (wildfires, hurricanes, extreme cold, etc)?

A: Unfortunately no. The game does not have that built in. Be safe and make the right choice about whether to run. Then talk to your team and let them know what is going on. On a team, there are often runners who can log a few extra miles to help cover. Take advantage of this if you need to. We are all in this together. 

Q: What is the deadline for posting miles? 

A: Mileage must be posted to RA by 10pm EST Tuesday night to be counted for the previous week. There can be consequences for zero mileage weeks.

Q: What if I have a zero week (cutback week, recovery after a race, busy life, whatever)?

A: It happens. Best option in the team game is to let your team know as soon as you suspect you might have a zero week so your team can try to cover your miles. Please let your captain know if you have a zero week. If you are injured, you can be added to the injured reserve once that zero shows on the results.

 If you post zero miles for 3 consecutive weeks without notifying your captain and are not on IR, you will be removed from your team. If you post 3 non-consecutive weeks without talking to your team captain, your team has the option to vote you off the team. The vote is confidential and completed by the Admins. Players removed for non-posting or voted off by teammates are not permitted to join the team game the next year; the ban is only for one year.

*****Race points are suspended indefinitely because of COVID*****

Q: What is a positional round week?

Positional round weeks are based on the game standings after Tuesday’s results are posting. Your team may start the week not knowing who your competition is. 

1 plays 2

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5 plays 6

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Q: Who do I ask if I have questions or concerns?

A: Talk to your team captains. Each team will have two in case one is on vacation or unavailable.  You can also message the admins stealth.rnr and CanadianMeg, or post in the 2021 forum Questions For Admins thread. If you send a message to admins, send it to both of us. One of us may be away from RA for a few days. In that case, the first admin to see the message will respond.