Register to Race. Visit the Registration page to sign up for your race. Your fully-loaded race packet will ship immediately, complete with your race bib and timing chip.

Download the OYO App. The app will lead you through a short tutorial on how OYO works. During your race, the OYO app will also help keep you on course and will sync with the timing equipment to ensure legitimacy and accuracy. Note: You will need your smartphone in your possession during your race, with the OYO app running to ensure proper results. A slim running waist pack is included with registration to carry your smartphone during your race!

We highly recommend that you run your race using earphones. It is much easier to hear the turn-by-turn instructions if you are using earphones rather than your phone's speaker.

Pick a Date to run your OYO race. You do not need to select this date or time in advance, or inform OYO race management of your intended start time. Simply arrive at the start line when you please. If the weather is not favorable on your planned race day, reschedule! If you do not feel ready by your intended race date, give yourself some extra time to train. Any time of the day, any day of the year, your OYO race will be waiting.

Study the Course. Review the course map and become familiar with the race route. Please visit the Course page for more detailed information. But worry not, you will have audible turn-by-turn instructions during the race in case you forget.

Build your Fan Club. Add friends and family to your fan club, and the OYO app will send them text alerts to track your progress throughout the race. If you need even more encouragement and help getting ready for your race, register for the Online OYO Coaching Program!

Get Ready. OYO is a self-supported race. There are multiple drinking fountains available along the course, as shown on the Course page. However, if you wish to bring nutrition or fuel beyond water for your race, you must carry it, stash it along the course prior to the race, get a friend to bounce from one point to the next, or have someone ride alongside you with their bike. Runners are strongly encouraged to create their nutrition support plan before arriving at the start line. If you plan to stash nutrition along the course prior to your race, check out the Course page for more information on suggested nutrition drop spots. Note that any nutrition items stashed along the course are done so at the risk of being tampered with by the public.

Get There. The OYO course sprawls along the scenic Portland Waterfront and features the best running areas in town. The entire route takes place on paved paths and roads. The Start/Finish line is located on the east patio of 2730 SW Moody Avenue, right at the west end of the Tilikum Crossing Bridge.

Runners are encouraged to use TriMet's public transportation services to arrive at the start line. Conveniently, the MAX Orange Line, Portland Streetcar, and multiple bus lines (9, 17, & 291) stop directly in front of the start line at the South Waterfront / SW Moody Max Station at the west end of the Tilikum Bridge.

If it is necessary to arrive by car, runners may park in the parking garage at 2730 SW Moody Avenue. Parking is $4 per hour but there is no maximum time limit. Alternatively runners may utilize street parking along Bond Ave & Moody Ave. Street parking is $2 per hour, but is limited to 2-4 hours depending on location.

Go! Head to the OYO Start Line at the day and time of your choosing. Runners are encouraged to take care of restroom needs prior to arriving at the start line. For last minute needs, the nearest public restroom is located at 1831 S River Dr., which is approximately half a mile north of the start line.

Make sure your bib is fastened vertically and is visible so that it can be captured by the timing equipment. Make sure that your OYO app is running, and that you have plenty of battery life in your smartphone (*Note: it is important that you DO NOT use Low Battery or Battery Saver mode on your smartphone during your race). The app will give you instructions and you will be able to confirm that your timing chip is working by using the kiosk at the start line.

Stretch. Give yourself a pep talk. Start whenever you please. As soon as you cross the start line, your time begins! Good luck.

Keep Going! As you make your way through the course, the OYO app will guide you to make sure you know exactly where to go. You and your fan club will also receive text alerts with your pace and progress.

Revel in Glory. Upon finishing, your results will be displayed immediately on the kiosk and listed on the OYO website. Rock your OYO medal proudly and lay the bragging on thick. You've earned it.

1. OYO runners must use and follow the instructions in the official OYO app to record their official results. Running with the timing chip alone is not sufficient for a certified result. OYO runners must have the app installed and open to begin their race and must keep it open during their race. In the event of a smartphone malfunction or dead battery, official times cannot be properly recorded and will not result in a valid time. Location services must be enabled on the mobile device being used and battery-saving modes cannot be used as they disable GPS functionality.
   
   *Note: runners can still listen to their own music and take phone calls while the OYO app is open and running on their phone. However, it is important that you DO NOT use the voice-to-text function during your race.

2. Runners are responsible for ensuring that their timing chip, which is adhered to the back of their bib, remains on their person in an unobstructed manner during the entire race. In the event that a runner loses their timing chip, timing results will not be recorded. Running with the OYO app alone is not sufficient for a certified result. Timing chips must be worn vertically.

3. The majority of the OYO course is situated on a public paved trail. Please respect all those using the trail and adhere to any posted signs or rules.

4. Although "stashing" your own water or nutrition along the course in advance of your race is welcomed, littering will not be tolerated. Please pack out or throw away any garbage or recyclables you bring in.

5. Do not use the outdoors as a restroom.

6. Once you start your race, you are committed. You will not be able to pause, restart, or cancel your race once you cross the start line. You will not be able to receive a refund or additional free entry if you quit during the race or if you are disqualified for any reason. You only get one shot! (queue the 8 Mile soundtrack)

7. The OYO course is designed to separate runners from vehicles as much as possible. There are very few sections of the course that ever have vehicle traffic. In the extremely rare situations where runners do not have the right-of-way, they must yield to traffic per regular pedestrian rules of the road.

8. Runners who leave the race course for any reason must reenter the course at the same point at which they exited.

9. The entire course must be covered by the runner, regardless of any extra mileage added on by missed turns. In the event of a wrong turn, the runner must return to the original point of error and continue forward from that point.

10. If you take the wrong course and do not make a proper correction, your time will be disqualified, whether it is on purpose or by accident. The OYO app will give you turn-by-turn directions during the race, but it is ultimately your responsibility to make sure you remain on course.

11. Runners must remain on the paved surface of the race course. The official course measurement was performed entirely on the paved portion of the route and any participants found to be running on grass, gravel, or dirt will be automatically disqualified.

12. Runners must complete the entire distance of their race on the specified course and under their own power. The use of any object to assist a participant in completing the race is prohibited. Forbidden objects include, but are not limited to: bicycles, motorized vehicles, wheeled footwear, longboards/skateboards, scooters, wheelchairs, recumbent bicycles, and any other wheeled object. Additionally, runners may not receive any form of physical assistance from other individuals other than being handed non-prohibited items.

13. Runners must register using their legal name, and the registered runner is the only individual permitted to use the timing chip and mobile app assigned to their registration. No individual is permitted to transport the timing chip or mobile app of another individual.

14. Cheating of any kind will not be tolerated. Any attempt to cheat will result in immediate disqualification and a lifetime ban from all OYO races. Please refer to the Keeping It Honest section below for more information on cheating mitigation safeguards.

Although OYO races are self-supported and are completed on the terms of each individual runner, they are still certified races that take place on certified courses. As such, OYO takes extreme measures to ensure the integrity of each race. Runners are advised that a zero-tolerance policy will be strictly enforced; cheaters will be disqualified, have their results nullified, and receive a lifetime ban from all OYO races.

Bluntly stated, cheaters have a much higher chance of success in a traditional mass-participation race than they will in an OYO race. Due to the individual nature of OYO races, the results of every participant are analyzed by compliance staff prior to becoming officially certified. OYO keeps it honest.

Photo & Video Documentation: Runners are required to submit a "selfie" that will be taken at the start line. This will be prompted through the OYO app prior to starting the race. Runners must also submit a picture of their photo ID when prompted by the app.

The "selfie" and the photo ID will be used to verify the legitimate completion of the race. The race course is littered with cameras that constantly capture time-stamped photos and video footage. Some of these cameras are visible but most are hidden. The locations of the hidden cameras are regularly changed to prevent learning. Most cameras are located in areas where course-cutting could be easily accomplished, but many are also placed in non-suspect locations.

The OYO app, which must be activated and carried by the participant for the duration of the race in order for results to be certified, syncs each runner's progress along the route with the time-stamped footage collected by the cameras. OYO compliance staff are thus able to use the footage, along with the recorded "selfie" and photo ID, to verify that runners legitimately complete the race on their own power, without improper aid from other individuals or objects, and without straying from the certified course.

Timing Checkpoints: Runners pass timing checkpoints in the course of their race. Each checkpoint is equipped with timing instruments that collect data from the runner's timing chip. The checkpoints also collect data from the OYO app that is activated on each runner's mobile device. Finally, the checkpoints are accompanied by video equipment that captures time-stamped footage.

Using the data collected from the timing equipment, mobile app, and cameras, OYO is able to verify the legitimate passing of each checkpoint.

In addition to the known checkpoints, there are also hidden checkpoints along the race course. The locations of the hidden checkpoints are regularly changed to prevent learning. A combination of (1) the proper timing chip, (2) the proper app account, and (3) the proper runner (as shown by video evidence) must be verified for all checkpoints in order for results to be certified.

OYO App GPS Data: OYO's custom-developed app streams constant GPS data to the cloud. Because runners are required to run the entire route with the app launched and active, OYO is able to ascertain the exact route taken by each runner. Compliance staff are able to use this data to detect variations from the certified course, as well as irregularities in pace.

Data collected directly by the OYO app is more reliable than data collected from a GPS watch or other mobile application because the latter can be easily altered. Falsifying real-time GPS data is an extremely difficult undertaking.

Publicly Available Data: OYO compliance staff utilizes publicly available data to identify potential misconduct. Online race results from other events will be compared to OYO results and suspicious discrepancies will be cause for further investigation.