I wear one racing but I don't live and die by it. I use it as a guide in pacing since I know about where I should be for an effort. I watch it to be sure I don't go to hard. I have a tendency to let my pace and HR creep up if I don't watch it which isn't such a big deal in short races but can be an issue in longer races.

Waste of time, how many Kenyans you see wearing a HR during races? It's a race, go fast. I will wear mine for fun during 5Ks and 10K's to see what my max is. 30 years ago we got along fine with out HR. I use mine to keep me entertained but thats about it.

I use a HRM on 1/2 IM but on anything shorter I am pretty much redlined the whole race so whats the diff.

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World class runners like the fast kenyans now how their bodies feel at a set pace. Look at the tour riders w/ monitors. And 30 y/ago we got along with out carbon, deep section rims, and clipless pedals, so whats your point? If you need it to help you pace then use it.

Neat but not really necessary in races shorter than 1/2IM. They'll just hold you back.

If you are doing 1/2IM or longer and are relatively new to the distance then they are an absolute necessity. IMHO.

I wear mine in races but more for entertainment purposes. I just kind of like to know what my heart is doing in kind of the same way I like to know how fast I am going when I ride. It's just one of many datapoints and I am not a slave to HR.

I do find that the info I gather during races is different than the data I get in training so adding race info to the mix gives me a more well rounded picture of where I am at and helps me for furture training and races. If you are using your HR to collect data, even if you're just doing it informally and not even logging it, you're missing a big part of the picture if you aren't getting some race data.

While the Kenyans don't where HRMs in all races, I'm sure they all have worn them in some races.