Entry Info

We are incredibly excited The Pioneer, fuelled Nutri-Grain will be returning from 18 - 23 April 2021 to a new location in the Central North Island! 

ENTer here

All entry fees are per person. This means team members are not guaranteed the same entry fee price as each person must register individually.

The entry price will increase once the number of available entries in that category have sold out, or by the stated closing date - whichever comes first. 

* All Entry Fees are in $NZD

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ENTRY PROCESS

Registration requires one team member to register first as the team captain, and the other team member to then join a team.

Step One: Team Captain Registration. When registering as the team captain, you will be required to "create a team" name and password under the Team Information heading. Once you have successfully entered as team captain, please inform your team mate of the team name and password.

Step Two: Team Member Registration. When the second rider registers, they are required to register as a team member. As part of their registration process, they will need to select "join a team" under the Team Information heading, and here they will need to search for your team by name, select the team and then enter the password.

The Team Member must register within 10 days of the Team Captain entering.  Once both successfully entered, you will be registered as a team within the registration system.

We understand that making the commitment to enter The Pioneer is a big investment, so we would like to offer the following payment option that eliminates having to front up with the total entry fee all in one go! The part payment option is as follows:

• Part payment is available for a finite period, opening 30 January 2020 and closing midnight, 31 October 2020.
• A $1,000 NZD deposit is required upon registration. The remaining balance is required in three instalments by the dates given below. Note: all instalment payments will incur a 3% Active fee.
• If a rider requests a refund prior to the completion of all payment instalments, upon requesting a refund, riders will be eligible for a refund of their total payments to date (in accordance with the Rider and Team Withdrawal dates given in the Entry Policies). If all entry fee payments have been made, the normal refund policy applies.

Please note, you can book any Add-on Packages while entering, or at a later date through your MyEvents account. All packages are subject to availability. We recommend you place an order early to avoid disappointment.

More packages will be added in due course. 

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The Pioneer, fuelled by Nutri-Grain is open to aspiring amateur and professional mountain bikers from around the world. Entrants must be 18 years of age as at Day 1 of the race. The race features challenging distances and terrain including lots of climbing. It is the rider’s responsibility to arrive at the event with the necessary fitness and stamina level to participate.

All riders are required to sign a waiver form when entering.

Please note: the mandatory gear list will be reviewed during the course launch.

The mandatory gear list contains what we believe is the absolute minimum to keep you safe during the event and in New Zealand's unpredictable weather systems.

The Pioneer passes through remote trails, where protection from the elements and medical/support services could be some time/distance from riders needing assistance. It is therefore imperative that the mandatory gear is carried at all times. A gear check will be carried out initially at Rider Registration on both your Mandatory Basic Gear and your Additional Mandatory Gear. Random checks will be made at the start chute each morning and at any time during the race.

Should you need to purchase gear in Rotorua on arrival, click here to find a list of stores you could visit. 

Mandatory Basic Gear

These mandatory and extra gear requirements need to be suitable for you if you are riding or stationary due to injury or the race is stopped for any reason. Must be carried on every stage, and is subject to change up until race day:

• A helmet
• Beanie or buff (buff must be wool/merino)
• Windproof jacket with sleeves (a hood is optional but recommended)
• Tool kit – 1 per team
• Must contain two spare tubes (if using tubeless ensure sealant is refreshed every 2 months and carry at least 1 tube as an emergency back-up), a bike pump, a multi-tool, tyre levers, patch kit and a chain breaker (that you know how to use). A speed link/spare chain link is also useful
• First Aid kit – 1 per team
• Including bandages, plasters, tape, gauze, whistle and two survival blankets. We also recommend carrying pain relief medication (e.g. Panadol) for headaches, sunscreen and electrolyte replacement powder (e.g. Gastrolyte) for cramps (Cramp Stop Spray is recommended), along with other medications you might need (e.g. prescription or hay fever medication).

Additional Mandatory Gear

The Additional Gear will only be used if advised by Race Organisers at the Race Briefing the night before or on the morning of each race day. This will be in cases of impending weather or climate changes.

• Long sleeve thermal torso layer
• Warm tights (merino or polypropylene) or leg warmers
• Full fingered gloves
• Waterproof jacket - with tape sealed seams including a hood and sleeves.

WHAT’S BEING CHECKED DURING YOUR BIKE CHECK?

Click here to view race rules

Online entries close on 8 March 2021, unless sold out prior.

RIDER AND TEAM WITHDRAWALS

If you or your team cannot participate in the event, entry fee refunds are available in accordance with the below stated Rider and Team Withdrawal dates. After the stipulated dates, entry fees are non-refundable for withdrawals initiated by the rider. Requests for refunds must be notified to the organiser via email pioneer@ironman.com

ELIGIBLE REFUNDS

Where eligible, please allow up to 30 days for your refund to be processed. The refund is automatically issued to the credit card originally used to pay for the registration. If this card has since been cancelled or has expired, please email pioneer@ironman.com

RIDER AND TEAM WITHDRAWAL DATES

RIDER AND TEAM WITHDRAWAL DATES

**For riders transferred from the original 2020 Event Date into the Rescheduled Event, all selections are final and no further refunds (unless set out above) are available. Deferrals and transfers may be made in accordance with the Transfer and Deferral Options set out below. Any additional purchases (including but not limited to) ACTIVE Fees, Photo packages or Add-On Packages paid at the time of entry are non-refundable at any time.

TRANSFER YOUR ENTRY TO SOMEONE ELSE

Riders can transfer their race entry to someone else in accordance with the below stated Person to Person Transfer dates. No transfers will be accepted after this date.

• A transfer fee of $154.50 including all fees and taxes will be charged to the withdrawing rider.
• All Add-On Packages are non-refundable and non-transferrable. The person purchasing the transferred entry will need to purchase new Add-On Packages at the time of the online transfer.
• To transfer an entry to someone else, the initial registrant goes to myevents.active.com and logs in using their active.com account, finds the registration they wish to transfer and clicks the link ‘Transfer the registration to another athlete’, and then follows the necessary steps. Please note: the receiving athlete will need to pay for the entry fee in order for the transfer to process, then the original athlete will be refunded their entry fee less the $154.50 including all fees and taxes transfer fee.

**As stated in the Event Waiver, under no circumstance are you permitted to give your race plate/bib to another person. The safety of our riders is paramount, therefore we need to ensure we have correct details of all our riders on course.

ONLINE PERSON TO PERSON TRANSFER CUT OFF DATE

31 March 2021    Person to Person transfers close for Rescheduled Event.

DEFERRAL OPTIONS

Riders confirmed in The Pioneer, fuelled by Nutri-Grain 2021 before 29 March 2020 are able to defer their race entry to The Pioneer, fuelled by Nutri-Grain 2022 in accordance with the below stated Deferral Cut Off Date.

• A deferral fee of $154.50 including all fees and taxes will be charged to the deferring rider when re-registering for the event. The deferral fee charged is per-rider.
• Under no circumstances will deferral requests will be accepted after this date.
• Riders must have paid the entry fee in full to be eligible for a deferral.
• All Add-On Packages are non-refundable and non-deferrable.

Riders confirmed in the race who wish to defer their entry to 2022, must do so in writing to the race office via email at pioneer@ironman.com

It is the riders responsibility to ensure the race office has received any communication. If you do not receive a response from the race office within 10 business days of request, it should be assumed that it has not been received and you should contact us by phone 09 601 9590.

Note: Once a deferral has been granted or completed the option to receive any retrospective refund or make further deferrals is no longer available.

DEFERRAL CUT OFF DATE

24 September 2020    Deferral requests can be made up to this date.

The Pioneer has seven different race categories, the age of the youngest team rider determines the race category: 

1. Open Men: Both riders are male.
2. Open Women: Both riders are female.
3. Mixed: One rider is male and one rider is female.
4. Masters Men (40+): Both riders are male, aged 40 years or older on 31 December of the year of the race.
5. Masters Women (40+): Both riders are female, aged 40 years or older on 31 December of the year of the race.
6. Grand Masters Men (50+): Both riders are male, aged 50 years or older on 31 December of the year of the race.
7. Grand Masters Men (60+)*: Both riders are male, aged 60 years or older on 31 December of the year of the race.

* A minimum number of 5 teams will be required to enter this category to make it competitive. If this number is not reached all teams currently within the category will be rolled into the lower age category.

Daily Awards: a daily awards ceremony is held at the end of each day in the Race Village. This will include the awarding of the ‘leaders jersey’ in each age category with the fastest cumulative time for both team members after each day. In addition to this, prizes will be awarded for daily stage winners in each category.

The Final Prize giving will be held in Rotorua, prizes will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, 3rd in each age category and the below prize money will be awarded to the overall winners. 

PRIZE MONEY 

The overall winners in each age group category will be the team with the fastest cumulative time for both team members over the 6 days of racing.