The overall amatuer at Gulf Coast this weekend was penalized for running without a race number. He had pinned the number to his shorts and since Panama City was a little toasty Saturday, he poured water over his head to keep himself cool. In doing so, this dampened his paper race number causing it to fall off without him ever knowing around mile 10 or so on the run. He received a four minute penalty for running without his race number for the last 3.1 miles.
Rules are rules I know better than anyone…but with the conditions out there…should the penalty stand?
So say there is a guy who just blatently didn’t wear his race number, what’s the difference, and how do you really know that this guys fell off. I’m sure if you ask every drafter in the race, they will say they did not draft. Just plain bad luck, and I bet he won’t let that happen again. As for the penalty, it is ridicolus. The penalty should fit the crime, maybe 30 seconds to a minute for that one… This 4 minutes that USAT has for just about anything is plain stupid. I wish our governing body(rules comittee in general) wouild take another look at different penalties for different infractions. Probably too much to ask though…
Agree that its kind of harsh, but they did address that issue almost exactly in the pre-race meeting. Even so much as to tell people to get up and get a race belt at the expo if they didn’t already have one. FWIW, I saw his race number on the ground around mile 10. Had I of known the guy was turning out such a great race, I would of put it on and tossed mine in the woods. kidding…
With or without the penatly, that amatuer beat most of pros. What a great performance. He needs to trade that amatuer USAT card in for a pro card.
FWIW - you never EVER EVER pin the race number through the holes (won’t someone tell Peter Reid this?). Any 2nd year roadie knows that flaps too much. Crunch it up in a ball and then pin it 1" from the corners…in/out twice with same pin (if that makes sense). Works like a charm.
Too bad about the amatuer. A race isn’t about who is the fastest…rather, who is the fastest person within the rules.
Ok, question on the race belt, I did a sprint last week and used a race belt for the first time, the holes in the number were far too small for the snap to go through.
Is this the case for all of the numbers or was this just a one time thing.
If this is normal, how do you put the number on the belt.
You do not need to put the snap through the holes. The buttons on the belt should be placed on a solid section of the race number. The buttons will wedge the number and clamp it in place. You realley have to press the buttons hard but it will secure the number after they snap.
Usually you don’t need to align the tag’s holes with a race belt. Just snap the tag on anywhere through the material. It’s actually stronger that way too.
I think this is the same crowd that was ragging on me for wearing a race belt in the Flatlanders 10k running race a few months back when i posted those pics.
So you have to wear a race belt in a triathlon but you are a dork for wearing one in a running event?
I always fold my race numbers down to where just the number is visible…without all of the extra material around the edges. Then, I use a hole-punch and make my own holes for my race belt. It works great, and keeps the number folded the way I like it.
I always fold my race numbers down to where just the number is visible…without all of the extra material around the edges. Then, I use a hole-punch and make my own holes for my race belt. It works great, and keeps the number folded the way I like it.
Is this like trimming the sharp corners of a bike race number which violates USAT Law 3.4-f…which is also a 4 minute penalty to those cheaters that try to “cut corners”?
I would figure that folding the race number is equal to cutting it down. The main reason races get sponshorship is because company logos are promised to appear on event materials. How else can RDs afford to put up these races for all of us self-absorbed traithletes? And, “cheap” race numbers aren’t really that cheap. The cost of all the ink colors from sponsors’ logos add to the costs.
The problem here is high entry fees and shitty, CHEAP race numbers. I couldn’t believe the poor quality of race numbers at Ralph’s, IMAZ.
USA Cycling rules specify that race numbers be of a material that is durable under adverse weather conditions (read: no paper). They are usually made of Tyvek, which won’t tear, even if you want it to. I organized a TT for a number of years, and those cheap running numbers were always a temptation, but we got the durable ones, instead. I’m surprised that USATriathlon doesn’t stipulate the same. Well, not so surprised.
Perhaps I’ll ask about this on the USATriathlon forum…
Using those standards Dave Scott should have been DQ’d from his famous Iron-war battle with Mark Allan at IMH in 1989. Some how Dave’s number which had been pinned to his top at some point was torn off - perhaps in T2.
I’ve discovered that the buttons snap in easier if I grab a running shoe and use the heel of it to press the snap into place rather than just using my hand or fingers. Much simpler to get an even distirbution of pressure that way, and it snaps into place quickly and securely.
