Racing bobsleds have a streamlined cowling in front of the driver to reduce wind resistance. Two types are used: two-person boblets, as they often are called in Europe, and four-person bobsleighs. The bob run used in international competition is between 1,200 and 1,600 metres (1,312 and 1,750 yards) long, with an average slope of between 8 and 15 percent. There are generally from 15 to 20 turns per course, ranging in size up to huge hairpins of more than 180°. Most bob runs have permanent foundations of concrete or stone, which are covered with several inches of ice. The straightaways have sidewalls of reinforced ice about 46 cm (18 inches) high. The large turns are banked very steeply, built up as high as 6 metres (20 feet), and may have an overhanging lip of ice to prevent the fast-traveling bobsleds from flying out of the turn. The start of the race is crucial to a team’s success. Riders, wearing cleated shoes, run alongside the sled, pushing it to achieve maximum velocity. As it builds speed, the riders jump in, the driver in front and the brakeman, pushing the back of the sled, entering last. The heavier four-person sleds attain speeds approaching 160 km (100 miles) per hour; the smaller, lighter two-person sleds are only slightly slower. A race consists of four descents by each team, the total time for the four heats determining the winner.

The event serves to create a new sport which showcases the speed strength capabilities of Jamaican athletes on a nationwide basis. This allows for the participation of a large number of athletes in an event that stands by itself. The sport also serves as a recruiting mechanism for the JBSF to identify the best pushers in the islands and converting them to bobsleigh pushers.