i race triathlon because i like racing and seeing what i am capable of doing on my own. if i wanted to do a team sport, i would. i suspect that for many of us, tri’s are a race against the clock, not against others (except maybe a friendly battle with a training partner). i guess i don’t really see a reason to draft. why would i want to post a result that i know i didn’t rightfully earn? if i’ve done my training, said my prayers and ate my wheaties, come race day, i want to see what i can do on my own and, at the end of the day, feel satisfied and fulfilled having left it all out on the course.
as far as the remark about not drafting during the swim, i’d like to hear how you’d plan on solving that problem! do you propose sending 2000 people off in 20sec. increments? let’s see, by the time the last person sets off on the swim (11 hours after the start of the race), it would be pitch dark and many would already have finished! don’t get me wrong, i’m not saying that swim drafting is okay either, but i don’t see a way around it.