Unofficial races
Catchfire races are not official events and are not sanctioned by any city, park authority, road authority, federation, or governing body unless expressly stated in writing.
Terms
Race hard. Stay responsible.
Last updated: September 28, 2026. These Terms govern your access to and use of Catchfire, formerly named Scorch.
Core Rule
Catchfire is a software platform for solo running, unofficial fair-start and same-start running challenges, race organization, and public route discovery. Catchfire does not inspect, supervise, permit, marshal, close, or control public roads, sidewalks, trails, parks, or other race locations unless Catchfire expressly says otherwise in a written event-specific agreement.
The basics
Free Open races
Catchfire currently supports free unofficial running races. Any future prize, paid entry, payout, or sponsored format will require separate legal, processor, and safety review.
Safety first
Participants must obey laws, avoid unsafe routes, respect pedestrians and traffic, and stop if conditions are unsafe.
Athlete responsibility and assumption of risk
Running, racing, outdoor activity, road use, GPS navigation, and high-intensity exercise involve inherent and serious risks, including injury, illness, falls, collisions, cardiac events, property damage, and death. By creating, joining, starting, or participating in a Catchfire race, you knowingly and voluntarily assume those risks.
You are solely responsible for your health, fitness, route choices, equipment, compliance with law, awareness of surroundings, and conduct toward other racers, pedestrians, cyclists, drivers, spectators, property owners, and the public.
No route safety guarantee
Catchfire maps, routes, route badges, start/finish points, distances, GPS traces, turn cues, proximity discovery, leaderboards, and finish confidence are informational tools only. They may be inaccurate, delayed, unavailable, incomplete, or unsafe for real-world conditions. You must use independent judgment and must not follow any route or prompt when doing so would be unsafe or unlawful.
Release and limitation of liability
To the maximum extent permitted by law, you release Catchfire and its affiliates, officers, employees, contractors, agents, partners, licensors, service providers, and representatives from claims arising from your race creation, race participation, route choice, physical activity, interaction with participants or third parties, injury, death, property damage, or violation of law. Nothing here limits rights that cannot legally be waived.
Indemnity
You agree to defend, indemnify, and hold harmless Catchfire from claims, damages, losses, liabilities, costs, and expenses arising from your use of Catchfire, your route or event choices, your race creation or participation, any injury or property damage caused by you, your violation of law, your user content, any payment disputes if paid features are enabled later, or your breach of the Terms.
Integrity and accountability
Catchfire may review GPS, route progress, finish confidence, optional sensor signals, imported files, reports, historical performance, and, in a separate permissioned build if enabled later, Apple Health evidence before finalizing results. Use a consistent race or display name and do not impersonate another runner. Do not falsify telemetry, use vehicles, manipulate GPS, or endanger others.
Contact
Legal notices: legal@catchfire.run. Support: support@catchfire.run.