I participated in one of the most unorganized Olympic Triathlons in my 7 years of doing triathlons; and I was wondering what the “requirements” were to actually become a Race Director or to hold a race?!
Here are the brief details of the unorganized triathlon/borderline dangerous:
"The swim was a mile swim in the ocean with a strong current and a high waves; there were 7 people on kayaks and 1 rescue dingy (which the motor was stalling out) and this race seemed to bring out alot of newbies; there were approx. 43 swimmers pulled out of the water so the kayakers were extremely busy and only 3 buoys to mark the total swim course.
The bike was barely marked at all; only small small signs nailed to trees to tell people where to go; never really knew where i was headed (it is good to read the course map which i did but i didn’t print it out and bring it with me.)
(No water at all was provided at this point)
After i dropped off my bike no one pointed people in the direction of where the run was going to be; i just followed a pack of 3 runners. We can to an intersection and asked an older lady that was on the porch “Where did the other runners go?!” And she just pointed to her left; didn’t know that this was the right way until mile 4 when we saw other runners; at mile 4 there were a few small posted signs telling people where to go. And at the finish I didn’t even know where to go. People were running in circles all over the place.
So I really have to wonder; can any idiot just create a website and start up a triathlon?
I really don’t want to call out the triathlon but the R.D. charged double the price of a normal Olympic and he paid a High Profile Triathlete to show up…
I feel like writing a letter/email to someone at USAT…
(sorry for the bold; my spell check for some reason made it bold)
If people can’t swim in the ocean then they shouldn’t.
Granted…but not enough support was obvious…i knew the girl that provided the kayaks and they didnt have enough support
Three swim bouys was probrably enough but triathletes want one every hundred meters.
Maybe but with that many waves you cant even see them
You should have known the bike course route.
silly response…know the exact bike course? No personal attack but I am not going to memorize street signs.or lack there of…and if i ever directed a race I would not expect anyone else to either
You do not need aid stations providing you with anything during the bike of an Olympic distance race.
Agreed; but i forget to mention there was only 1 water station on the run…total water stations…1…and it was from a small family; not even sure if was part of the race. The 3 other stations set up on the run were NOT EVEN ON THE COURSE…
You should have known the run course route.
another silly comment…so for a local race the RD doesn’t need to mark the course?!
Tell us which race so we can publicly shame the RD for you.
I have to laugh at people that say you need/should to know the race course exactly with each twist and turn of road signs of lack there of…i guess the RD only job is to set up staging for bikes/set up a timing company and wait at the finish…oh and collect money…
“silly response…know the exact bike course? No personal attack but I am not going to memorize street signs.or lack there of…and if i ever directed a race I would not expect anyone else to either”
“another silly comment…so for a local race the RD doesn’t need to mark the course?!”
I’m not sure about you, but EVERY race I have ever done has specified that it is up to each participant to know the bike and run courses.
That being said, I would definitely let others know where this race was to either help the RD identify areas where his triathlon needs to be improved and/or to let people know that if they sign up they are going to pay twice the price and get 1/2 the race experience.
I’m not sure about you, but EVERY race I have ever done has specified that it is up to each participant to know the bike and run courses.
RD’s should not mark the courses at all. In fact, all participants should know the swim course as well, after being provided GPS coordinates of where the turn buoys would have been. Let’s keep it real.
“silly response…know the exact bike course? No personal attack but I am not going to memorize street signs.or lack there of…and if i ever directed a race I would not expect anyone else to either”
“another silly comment…so for a local race the RD doesn’t need to mark the course?!”
I’m not sure about you, but EVERY race I have ever done has specified that it is up to each participant to know the bike and run courses.
I’m not sure about you but I had many Mandatory Athlete Meetings for Ironman Events and I never went to them…just saying…things need to be posted IMHO.
That being said, I would definitely let others know where this race was to either help the RD identify areas where his triathlon needs to be improved and/or to let people know that if they sign up they are going to pay twice the price and get 1/2 the race experience.
Again not personal…just wanted to know what it took to actually be a Race Director?..
“silly response…know the exact bike course? No personal attack but I am not going to memorize street signs.or lack there of…and if i ever directed a race I would not expect anyone else to either”
“another silly comment…so for a local race the RD doesn’t need to mark the course?!”
I’m not sure about you, but EVERY race I have ever done has specified that it is up to each participant to know the bike and run courses.
THIS! I’m not sure if it’s a USAT mandate that this stipulation be communicated to all participants, but if nothing else it’s common sense practice. I’m also not sure if sanctioned event organizers are required to provide anything to the participants beyond the minimum safety provisions. This means aid stations are not necessarily required. If the event differed significantly from the event description, then shame on the RD. If the event differed significantly from your desired experience, then shame on you.
This reminds me a lot of the commercial that concludes with a thought something along the lines of “where would we be if we just went with the first thing that came along?” or something to that effect. Races used to be a lot more bare-bones, but now that we’re in the 21st century “luxuries” like signs marking the course have become the standard. Yes, it is the participant’s responsibility to know the course, but if we can believe this guy’s account of how much the course was marked then I think we can go ahead and say that very few people have shared this man’s experience with such a poorly marked course.
Races have come a long way over the years, and while we may take it for granted that the RD will provide things that they’re not (strictly speaking) required to, then that is what it is. In several years when I get out of college and go to buy a house and the listing says it has 3 bedrooms and 2 baths, I’m going to assume that the bathrooms are fully plumbed, etc. When I show up to a race, I’m assuming that the course will be well marked and that certain other standards will be met. Are these expectations unreasonable? No, because that is the standard where I’m from. These things aren’t requirements, but I suspect that if/when word gets out that this race doesn’t meet these unwritten standards, the race will go out of business.
You know, even if you didn’t sound whiny and entitled, nobody would take you seriously because you decided to use 18-point bolded and italicized font.
quantum-
if u read my full post the bold was due to my spell check. (which I apologize) Your post sounds like someone who didn’t read my full post so your really just embarrassing yourself.
Btw I finished in the top ten so I am not whinning. It’s just unprofessional.
I would e-mail the RD and see how he responds, If he brushes you off his races would definitely be some to avoid. If he is smart he would take constructive criticism as it was intended and use it to improve his race.
I agree that while we always get the standard advice that we are all responsible for knowing the entire course that it’s kind of silly to expect racers to remember every turn during a race. Courses should be clearly marked. I don’t think an Olympic distance race needs a bottle exchange on the bike, anybody can get through 40k on 2 bottles of fluid. I agree that there should be 2-3 aid stations on the run unless it’s very cool out.
Again not personal…just wanted to know what it took to actually be a Race Director?..
I honestly don’t know. I have no idea if USAT requires Race Director ‘certification’ or something similar. I would assume that if its a USAT sanctioned race, then there would be some, but I honestly have no idea.
Did a race I had done in past years under a different RD. This year, completely new, first time RD. Move site of tri back to a site that had been abdondened by previous RD due to logistical problems. Bike course was poorly marked, no traffic control, and dangerous in spots (gravel on sharp downhill turns, blind single lane curves and hills). Run course was poorly and actually incorrectly marked, several people completed the course incorrectly. One water station with about 4oz dixie cups of water for the 6.2 mile run in 88-90 heat with humidity. It was a terrible race. The only water/food at the finish was one jug of water again with 4oz dixie cups. The RD asked me for feedback, I told him it was terrible. I was in the lead of the race until I took a wrong turn on the run course and wound up doing a 10 mile run instead of a 6.2 ( many other people took wrong turns as well), I don’t think anyone actually complete the entire course correctly.
untrue if it’s USAT sanctioned. The sanctioning process requires a lengthy explanation of the details of the race, including the number of support/safety crew, signage, volunteer numbers, course maps, etc.
Was it USAT sanctioned?
I would not do a race that was not properly marked. Well, maybe I might do it once, but I would not come back.
You know what I call a race that is not marked? I call it a traning swim/bike/run. I pay for a race and I want someone to show me the course. I’m a weekend warrior, MOP triathlete. I don’t have time to go and scout out every race that I do.