Are USAT Officials now offering advice and providing traffic control rather than simply writing penalties?
My GF commented that the officials came by several times and said “keep to the right of the road”, “break it up” (when a peloton rode by her), and of course they were all over the transition area offering advice on how to set-up your area.
I not complaining…I actually like when they try to provide control/warnings rather than just write down numbers.
Is this a shift in the USAT rules, a request of the RD or perhaps just a fluke of the officials present?
The Whirlpool Steelhead 70.3 Triathlon is a USAT sanctioned event - just as all the Ironman events in the US. All Ironman events are also associated with WTC/Ironman and use Ironman rules. (Penalty tents, men must wear shirts,age on day of race, etc.)
All of our officials were USAT officials that also work Ironman events! I thought that they did a great job at the race and I have heard from many participants that the officals were helpful nd kept the bike course very clean and safe!
I think there are so many new people to triathlon that it’s a good thing officials are willing to help when necessary. Short of giving people an advantage in the race, reminding a newcomer to stay to the right or offering a transition tip might be that extra step a good official could take to make one person’s race a great experience. That doesn’t bother me at all.
At all the races I’ve been to that have USAT officials, they’ve always been friendly, offered tips and suggestions in transition, etc. Pre-race meetings and interaction with the athletes is a good way to educate both newbies and those that have done quite a few.
But I draw the line and say once the race starts, everyone should know the basic rules. And to have an official ride up to a pack of riders and say “break it up” isn’t going to accomplish what I want to see in a race - no drafting, ride right if you’re not passing, etc. A pack needs to know that if they’re riding too close, then they’re likely to get a penalty; if not, then the pack will 1) ride together until an official shows up 2) separate when an official says “break it up”, and 3) get back together as soon as the motorcycle drives off. “Oh, yeah, thanks Mr. Official, we didn’t realize we were too close; we won’t do it again (until we do…)”
Just so others are clear though, yes WTC event are USAT sanctioned but that doesn’t mean there are USAT refs there. There may be none some or all as in your case. Ex: 2006 IMUSA had 3 USAT refs out of about 15-18 +/- refs. For 2007 I know of no USAT refs there. If there were it was a small number.
Thanks for putting on such a great race! This was my first 1/2 and I had a great time and it was nice to see the officials all over the place on the course. Thanks again for a great day and I hope to be back next year!
Are race results posted for this race yet? I don’t see them on the web site. If not, then is there an expected time? I get anxiety not getting quick feedback. Great race. I appreciate all the buoys on the swim, which helped me swim the straightest ever. Our group was late getting started due to all that traffic congestion; I expect you’ll have a solution for that next year.