Health, risk & liability.

01

Who this applies to

This Health, Risk & Liability Agreement is between Claude Truter, trading as Apex Rises Coaching ("we", "us", "the coach"), and every athlete who receives coaching or uses a training plan from us ("you"). It forms part of your coaching agreement, together with our Terms & conditions and Privacy policy.

It replaces our earlier separate US Liability Waiver, UK/EU Client Agreement and printed Assumption of Risk, Waiver and Indemnity forms. One agreement now applies to every athlete, wherever you live, with your local legal protections preserved.

02

Coaching is not medical care

Apex Rises Coaching and Claude Truter are not doctors, physiotherapists or other medical professionals. We cannot diagnose, treat or rehabilitate injuries or illnesses. Training, nutrition, fuelling, recovery and strength guidance is educational and performance focused, and is not medical advice.

If you have pain, an injury or a health concern, see a qualified health professional. We are happy to work alongside your doctor or physiotherapist and adapt your training to their advice.

03

Readiness and medical clearance

Before coaching starts, you complete a Physical Activity Readiness Questionnaire (PAR-Q). It asks about heart conditions, chest pain, dizziness or fainting, bone and joint problems, prescribed medication and any other reason you should not exercise.

• If you answer yes to any question, you must get clearance from a doctor before starting training, and tell us what they advise.
• We strongly recommend a medical check before starting any new training programme, especially if you are new to endurance sport, returning after a long break, over 40, or have a known health condition.
• You must tell us promptly about any change in your health, new injury, new medication or pregnancy.

04

The risks of endurance running

Running, especially trail and ultra distance running, carries inherent risks that careful coaching can reduce but never remove. They include:

• Overuse and musculoskeletal injuries, such as stress fractures, tendon problems, muscle strains and joint injuries.
• Falls, trips, sprains, fractures and head injuries, particularly on technical terrain, steep descents, wet rock, mud, snow and ice.
• Cardiovascular events, including cardiac arrest, which can occur even in people who feel healthy.
• Heat illness, dehydration, overhydration (hyponatraemia), hypothermia, frostbite and altitude illness.
• Getting lost, navigation errors, darkness and being far from help in remote or mountain areas.
• Traffic, road crossings, animals, other people, lightning and sudden changes in weather.
• Injury during strength, mobility or cross training sessions.
• Health effects of under fuelling, poor sleep, illness and accumulated fatigue.
• Mental and emotional strain from high volume or high intensity training and racing.

In rare cases these risks can lead to serious injury, permanent disability or death.

05

Your responsibility in every session

We plan your training, but you are the person on the trail or road. You decide whether, when, where and how to complete each session. You agree to:

• Adjust or stop any session when heat, cold, weather, terrain, traffic, darkness or how you feel make it unsafe. A missed session is always better than an injury.
• Use the RPE scale, heart rate and pace guidance as we explain them, and ease off when your body tells you to.
• On remote, mountain or night runs, carry a charged phone, water, food and suitable clothing, and tell someone your route and expected return time.
• Follow the rules, mandatory kit lists and safety instructions of every event you enter.
• Make sure your shoes, equipment and any devices you use are suitable and in good condition.
• Tell us honestly how training is going, including pain, illness, fatigue and stress.

06

Assumption of risk

You take part in training, racing and any related activity voluntarily. You understand the risks described above, including risks that are not listed or not foreseeable, and you accept and assume them. This applies whether you train on roads, trails, tracks, mountains, treadmills, in a gym or elsewhere, and whether or not the equipment or facilities you use are provided by us.

07

Release of liability

To the fullest extent permitted by the law that applies to you, you release Apex Rises Coaching, Claude Truter and anyone working with us from any claim for injury, illness, death, loss or damage arising from:

• the inherent risks of running, training and racing;
• your own decisions about whether and how to train or race;
• information about your health or training that you did not give us, or gave incorrectly;
• events, venues, equipment and facilities provided by other people; and
• the failure of any training platform, device, app or communication service.

This release applies to you and to your heirs, executors and personal representatives.

08

Indemnity

To the extent the law allows, you agree to cover any claim, cost or expense, including reasonable legal fees, that Apex Rises Coaching or Claude Truter incurs because of your breach of this agreement, false or incomplete health information you provide, or a claim brought by someone else as a result of your actions.

09

What this does not exclude

We take reasonable care in designing and delivering your training. Nothing in this agreement limits or excludes any liability that the law does not allow us to limit or exclude. In particular:

• United Kingdom and EU: we do not exclude liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence.
• South Africa: under the Consumer Protection Act, we do not exclude liability for gross negligence, and this notice is drawn to your attention before you agree to it.
• Everywhere: we do not exclude liability for fraud, wilful misconduct or anything else that cannot legally be excluded where you live.

10

Athletes under 18

We only coach athletes under 18 with the written consent of a parent or legal guardian. The parent or guardian accepts this agreement on the athlete's behalf, confirms the PAR-Q has been completed honestly, and is responsible for appropriate supervision of training and racing.

11

Insurance

We strongly recommend that you hold your own medical, accident and travel insurance, including cover for mountain rescue and evacuation if you run or race in remote areas or abroad.

12

Governing law and acceptance

This agreement is governed by the same law as our Terms & conditions. If any part of it is found to be unenforceable, the rest remains in force.

You accept this agreement by ticking the confirmation box on our application form or by signing your onboarding agreement. By doing so, you confirm that you have read and understood it, that you had the chance to ask questions, that you accept it voluntarily, and that you are 18 or older or have a parent or guardian's consent.