Terms of Service

1. About these Terms

These Terms of Service ("Terms") govern your access to and use of the Bield platform (the website at bield.run and the Bield mobile app, together "the Service") operated by Olive Wood IT Limited, a company registered in England and Wales ("we", "us", "Bield").

By creating an account or using the Service, you agree to these Terms. If you do not agree, do not use the Service.

2. The Service — what Bield is and is not

Bield is a platform that connects endurance runners, marshalls, pacers, crew, and race organisers. We provide:

• A directory and matching service for runners to find and book pacers, marshalls, and crew
• Race management tools for organisers (GPX courses, kit lists, marshall coordination, etc.)
• A unified race history and profile for participants

Bield is an introduction platform, not a payment intermediary. We do not handle, hold, process, or take a cut of any money exchanged between users for pacing, crewing, or marshalling services. Any financial arrangements — whether cash, bank transfer, service swaps, or volunteering — are agreed directly between the relevant parties. Bield bears no liability for any such arrangements.

Bield is not a race entry platform. We display race information but do not sell race entries or process race entry payments.

You are responsible for your own due diligence. Bield does not employ, vet, endorse, background-check, or guarantee any user, and does not verify the qualifications, insurance, fitness, or suitability of any pacer, crew member, marshall, or organiser. You should independently satisfy yourself as to the suitability of anyone you arrange to run, crew, or work with — for example by checking experience, references, insurance, and any relevant certifications — and we recommend putting paid arrangements in writing. Participation in endurance events carries inherent risk, which you accept as your own.

3. Accounts and eligibility

• You must be at least 16 years old to create an account.
• You must provide accurate information when registering.
• You are responsible for keeping your account credentials secure. Notify us immediately at hello@bield.run if you believe your account has been compromised.
• You may not create multiple accounts or impersonate another person.

4. Subscription and fees

Free access: Marshalls, pacers, crew, and race organisers may use the core features of Bield free of charge. Our intent is to keep this free permanently.

Bield Premium (runners): Full runner features — including Strava verification and full race history — require a Premium subscription at £4/month or £30/year. Premium can also be earned at no cost by completing 6 verified marshall engagements. Pricing is displayed in the app at the point of purchase.

Subscriptions are billed through the Apple App Store. Apple's own terms and refund policies apply to subscription billing. We do not process or store your payment card details.

We may change subscription pricing with at least 30 days' notice to existing subscribers. Price changes will not apply to your current subscription period.

5. Acceptable use

You agree not to:

• Use the Service for any unlawful purpose or in any way that violates these Terms
• Submit false, misleading, or fabricated profile information, race data, or reviews
• Harass, threaten, or harm other users
• Scrape, crawl, or systematically extract data from the Service without our written permission
• Attempt to access any part of the Service you are not authorised to access
• Use the Service to transmit spam, malware, or any other harmful content
• Misuse the share-pack system by disclosing another user's personal or medical information outside the platform
• Impersonate Bield staff or another user

We reserve the right to suspend or terminate accounts that violate these rules.

6. User-generated content

You retain ownership of content you submit to Bield (profile information, race data, GPX files, reviews). By submitting content, you grant Bield a non-exclusive, royalty-free licence to store, display, and process that content solely to provide the Service.

You are responsible for ensuring that content you submit does not infringe third-party rights or violate any law.

We may remove content that violates these Terms or that we reasonably consider harmful, misleading, or unlawful.

7. Strava integration

Bield uses the Strava API to verify race activity overlaps for review authentication. By connecting your Strava account you authorise us to read the activity data necessary for this purpose. You can revoke this access at any time from your Strava account settings. Revoking access will disable Strava-verified reviews on your profile.

Bield's use of Strava data is governed by the Strava API Agreement. We are not affiliated with Strava, Inc.

8. Limitation of liability

The Service is provided "as is" and "as available". To the maximum extent permitted by law:

• Bield does not warrant that the Service will be uninterrupted, error-free, or free of harmful components.
• Bield is not responsible for any arrangements, agreements, or disputes between users made through or facilitated by the platform, including any financial arrangements for pacing, crewing, or other services.
• Bield is not responsible for the accuracy of race information provided by race organisers.
• Bield is not liable for any loss or damage arising from your participation in any endurance race or event, whether or not listed on the platform.
• Our total liability to you for any claim arising from use of the Service is limited to the amount you have paid us in subscription fees in the 12 months preceding the claim.

Nothing in these Terms limits or excludes liability for death or personal injury caused by our negligence, for fraud or fraudulent misrepresentation, or any other liability that cannot lawfully be limited or excluded. If you are a consumer, nothing in these Terms affects your statutory rights under the Consumer Rights Act 2015 — including the right to digital content that is of satisfactory quality, fit for purpose, and as described — and the liability cap above does not apply to, or reduce, those statutory rights.

9. Termination

You may close your account at any time via Settings → Delete account in the app. Your personal data will be deleted in accordance with our Privacy Policy.

We may suspend or terminate your account if you breach these Terms, if we are required to do so by law, or if we decide to discontinue the Service. We will give you reasonable notice unless immediate action is required to protect other users or the platform.

If we discontinue the Service, we will give at least 30 days' notice and pro-rate any unused subscription fees.

10. Changes to these Terms

We may update these Terms. We will notify registered users of material changes by email or in-app notification at least 14 days before changes take effect. Continued use of the Service after that date constitutes acceptance of the updated Terms.

11. Governing law and disputes

These Terms are governed by the laws of England and Wales. Any disputes will be subject to the exclusive jurisdiction of the courts of England and Wales, except where you are a consumer in another jurisdiction and local mandatory consumer protection laws give you the right to bring proceedings in your home courts.

12. Contact us

For questions about these Terms:

Email: hello@bield.run
Company: Olive Wood IT Limited, England and Wales