In Reply To:
What they really need to be petitioning for is some form of limited race field time-trial start.
Timed starts for the elites is an interesting concept. Do the mass swim, and log finish times. Then, send people off in order of swim finish, at 1 minute, plus how far back you finished the swim behind the leader. The draft zone is 25m.
Come into T2 and wait till everyone is in. Fast swimmers (and bikers) get a bonus by being able to rest longer before the run. When everyone is in, start the run by releasing runners in order of total bike+swim time, with intervals based on time behind the leader. That way, you still get a head-to-head run finish. Ultraman does its run finish this way.
Yes, it's a whacky idea that wouldn't work for huge fields.