I wish I would have know you were there, it would be nice to put a face to a name.

I just counted the penalties from the results but it didn't say what they were for.

jaretj

I'm just small

48 cm Cervelo P2 Jet 90 rear, Jet 60 front

Duration: 2:25:28 (2:25:44)
Work: 1500 kJ
TSS: 174.2 (intensity factor 0.86)
Norm Power: 187
VI: 1.06
Pw:HR: n/a
Pa:HR: n/a
Distance: 55.678 mi
Min Max Avg
Power: 0 537 177 watts
Cadence: 48 215 90 rpm
Speed: 0 35.5 23.0 mph
Pace 1:41 0:00 2:40 min/mi
Hub Torque: 0 259 49 lb-in
Crank Torque: 0 709 169 lb-in

I understand and if it were the same distance away I would consider it, but with Racine I can sleep in my own bed, which is very important to me. With Door County I would have at least 1 night of hotel and possibly 2 depending on late checkout rules and all the meals associated with that.

For $100 plus gas I can do a half put on by an organization that normally puts on great races.

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Swim - Bike - Run the rest is just clothing changes.

I still don't understand the fixation with 'close-enough' distances, especially on the bike. It's not USAT's job to guarantee that a race that advertises itself as having a 56 mile bike has exactly that. It's the RD's responsibility to put on a safe race, and that includes laying out a bike course that uses the best roads for safety and enjoyment. It's the RD's job to get the distance as close as necessary for the race, which may end up meaning that the best bike course ends up being a little short or long.

I don't expect USAT to go to the RD and say "hey, look, your bike course only measures to 55.5 miles; you're going to have to find a spot to jam in a 1/4 mile out-and-back somewhere to brinig it up to what you've advertised." I guess another option would be, if the course is just .1 miles too long, to move the mount / dismount lines further out by 250 feet; transition times would be a little longer, but at least the bike distance would be correct.

Look at Ironman Lake Placid course - it's a great course, but to get the distance to about the right length, there has to be a long out-and-back; without it, the course length wouldn't even be close. And of course that means a road so crowded that the officials know it's not safe to put motorcycle on it, and the athletes know it to. It's a necessary evil for that course.

I expect to have a RD put on a safe race, and to have a course that's about the advertised distance. I expect everyone to have to race that same distances, so that its a fair race for all. If I think it's going to matter to me what the real distance is, I'll walk up to the RD and say "hey, I think the bike course is longer than 56; what do you measure it as?" As for PRs, each course is unique in conditions: number of turns/technicality, hills, etc., so even two courses that are to the centimeter of each other could have totally different PRs for me.

I agree. Memphis in May has been short a 1/2 mile or so it's entire existence, and that hasn't stopped it from being one of the premier races and race experiences in all the world.

IMO nothing is wrong with a "short" course - I just want it to be the length that is advertised - barring any exceptional circumstances.

Agreed, but the half I did a couple years ago with a 40 mi bike, that was not marked at all, folks going off course every where, no aid stations, and no support at all on the bike....oh, it was USAT sanctioned as a half. What was even better was the run that was long by a few miles...not to hard to get an on distance run course.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

for a 99% accurate distance bike leg, I'm totally fine with it... as for the swim, I don't know if it was because it was actually short or if we just ended up with a great current, either way I'm not going to complain about that (my first and still one of my favorite races was Spudman where the swim was down the Snake River).

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"I learned... that it is foolish to scold. I have enough trouble overcoming my own limitations without fretting over the fact that God has not seen fit to distribute evenly the gift of intelligence." -Dale Carnegie

Once again, as has been mentioned ad infinitum, its the race director that is responsible for putting on a safe race, having adequately stocked and manned aid stations, having adequately marked intersections with volunteers or police, getting distances "close enough" (whatever that is), etc., etc., etc.

USAT has minimum requirements, which the vast majority of races fulfill; many of them then go above and beyond. If a race doesn't do things safely, then USAT will pull the sanction. Would it be nice if someone from USAT would go around and pre-evaluate every last race before it runs, or is on-site for the first time? Sure. But that's going to cost you a lot more than what a $30 annual membership will give you. Unless of course we get RDs like yourself that will volunteer their time to go to a race and send their neutral, non-biased opinions on to USAT.

The primary ways that USAT finds out about races is to get direct feedback from the athletes that raced them (There was a link to a survey out on their website a while ago. Even if you can't find it, there are plenty of email addresses to send to - we're all adults). Additionally, I think that if the RD chooses to have officials come to the race, they report on their observations.

So...just to play. If the USAT does not have a check of the course before race day...and takes an RD's word for it. If they dont have a check list...what is it we get? People PRESUME that if they see the USAT logo there are some checks and balances in place....we need to look no further than Lake Geneva Wi to know that in the past decade that has just not been the case.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

Jaret here is the list of penalties from the website:

http://www.hfpracing.com/...d_Referee_Report.pdf

Thanks

I guess her 6 hour bike split today helps to answer the question whether or not that 2:21:xx at Racine was "legit". NOPE.

"18.66mph for you, player..."

karma

and what happens when you don't get to draft on the bike? You suffer on the run.

just missed.......

Spoken like someone who has never raced Iron distance.

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What if the Hokey Pokey is what it is all about?

OMG...let it go...that was almost 3 months ago

jaretj