This is the location for a presentation and discussion of the current USA Triathlon competitive rules, as they are applied in the races of interest to the folks of the Tri-Maine community. Also found here are links to other rule-related Web sites and a forum for Q/A discussions of the rules and their application.
 

The Current USA Triathlon Competitive Rules

Commentary on the Rules

Q/A on the Competitive Rules

 

Links to Other Rule-Related Web Sites

 

 

The Current USA Triathlon Competitive Rules

 

To see the current Rules, click HERE

The Rules themselves are what you need to know, and this commentary 
is an unofficial tool that in all cases will yield to the Rules and their
interpretation by race and USAT officials.

 

Commentary on the Rules
 

So, let’s get right into it ….  Why are the rules so important? Most basically it’s because they address and support the core needs of each event: safety, fairness, and therefore the equal chance for all competitors to do their best. If you wonder why a given rule exists or is strongly enforced, you will virtually always find safety and fairness at the foundation of the process.

 

The rules are published electronically at http://www.usatriathlon.cm/Events/Rules.aspx and a pocket-sized rulebook is available from USAT on request. They are enforced at all sanctioned races by race management, and at the larger races by management and a team of USAT referees.

The rules that will be covered here relate to both age groupers and elite racers – although special variations on some of the rules that apply to the elites will not be discussed in detail, except when that application has an impact on the race of an age-grouper (a not-insubstantial issue in some cases, as will be shown). One should also note that individual races can have special rules approved for unique circumstances.

 

So, you know the rules, you’ve read the rules, and you’ve discussed the rules…. No? Well, get on it, because you are deemed to have done these things and ignorance of a rule is no excuse for violation. Before the race, the Head Referee or Race Director will provide an overview and usually have a Q and A session, and at the race he or she will read a quick list of key topics. But these are only the briefest listing; all of the unmentioned rules and procedures are in full force and effect, whether you are aware of them or not.

 

The best way to work with this column is to read through it once, and then do a second read – this time with a copy of the rules in your hand so you can dig into them and see the specifics of what is being mentioned here.
 

Generally Applicable Rules  (Article III)

Here’s the focus of this first section – the components of Article 3, which apply across the entire race (and even all of race day), since the rules apply all the time you are on-site, and your finish can be impacted by violations even outside the race itself.
 

Short Break Here: It’s actually a good time to cover the types of penalties you can get for a violation; there are two categories. The first is the big DQ, and you are quickly consigned to race history when you break certain rules; these will be noted as they are discussed. Lesser violations trigger what are known as Variable Time Penalties (VTPs). Here a pre-set number of minutes are added to your final time, the number being set by the kind of race: Short/Intermediate races where the cycle course is less than 50 K (e.g., PolarBear and Lobsterman); Long, where the cycle course is 50 – 100 K (like the Mooseman Half); and Ultra, where the cycle course is over 100 K.

 

In Short/International, your first violation nets you an extra two minutes, your second violation kicks in four more (i.e., you now have a total of six extra minutes), and your third qualifies you for the DQ award. In the Long race, the penalties are four and eight minutes (12 total) and DQ; and in the Ultra they are six and 12 (18 total) and DQ.
 

So here are some of the overarching rules, as they apply to all segments of a triathlon. Read Article 3 to see them in more detail.

The Penalty Implementation Process (Article IX)

One thing many, many competitors don’t know is how penalties are implemented. Unlike ITU and Ironman races, for example – where penalties are assessed on the spot and you live with the results of the penalty – in USAT events a referee or race marshal will note a violation and make a detailed record of the situation and the competitor. Late in the race, each referee must go before the Head Referee and present each fact summary, noting the alleged violation and responding to requests for detail (e.g., timing, distances, vantage point, etc.). Only when the Head Referee feels that the call was correct will the racer be cited and the penalty reported to the timer.

 

At sanctioned races without officials, the process is simpler, but follows the same philosophy. This is a major way USAT differs from other race sanctioning bodies, in that a level of due process is injected before the racer is penalized.

 

The Swim (Article IV) 

During the swim it is permissible to use any stroke, and to float or tread water if rest is needed.  You can even stand on the bottom, or hold onto an object like a float, rope, buoy, or boat to rest while you catch your breath. While you can walk or “run” along the bottom, you cannot make forward progress in any other way. The penalty for violation is a variable time penalty, unless there was an unfair time advantage on a significant scale, or someone was endangered – then it becomes a DQ.

 

In an emergency, if you receive official assistance and it enables you to make forward progress, you must retire from the race.

 

Wetsuits are a big issue, as they provide measurable assistance for a swimmer via flotation, drag reduction, and heat retention. The Head Referee’s measurement of the water temperature is always watched with great interest, since the temperature determines whether wetsuits will be allowed. What is a wetsuit? In most cases it is obvious, as the big brands are advertised as "wetsuits." Since nylon and other synthetic race-oriented skinsuits are not prohibited, just be conservative about allowability: If it seems to good to be true (speed enhancing but legal) it probably is. In times of doubt, ask the officials.

 

Specifically, if the water temperature is 78 degrees F or below, you can wear a wetsuit at your pleasure. If it is 84 degrees F or higher, wearing a wetsuit is a penalty causing your disqualification. In between, it is optional (but the wearer is excluded from prizes or awards). Don’t ever expect to see a wetsuit-legal PolarBear – the temperature will invariably be in the 84-and-over range, and anyway, racing in an indoor pool with a wetsuit on is a fast route to hyperthermia.

 

Competitors often wonder what swim equipment is allowed and what is prohibited. Overall, artificial propulsion devices are prohibited: No fins, gloves, paddles, or floats. On the other hand, goggles and masks, booties, and snorkels are OK. (Note on snorkels: While legal, the consensus is that you would be foolish to use a snorkel in a race unless some malady prevented you from twisting your head to breathe – the air intake wouldn’t come close to meeting your needs).

 

It should be noted that drafting in the swim is not only legal, but sometimes tuned to an art. It really helps you with increasing speed and reducing effort. But please keep in mind that overly aggressive, or poorly executed, drafting can be very dangerous for those around you whom you might contact or impede. While drafting itself may be allowed, the acts of endangerment, obstruction, and unsportsmanlike conduct are severely dealt with. This isn’t water polo.

 

While we’re on this subject, you’ll recall that you can float or do the breaststroke or backstroke to catch your breath, or whatever. It’s legal, but use some common sense and don’t shift into that mode in the middle of a large, fast-moving pack of swimmers. Go off to the side or drop to the back. Your loss of visual abilities and maneuverability are setting you up for liability for the effects you have on other swimmers who are overtaking you, or whom you might swim into.
 

The Bike (Article V)

Generally speaking, your bike must be more or less “normal” in that you can’t be on a recumbent or a hand-cranked machine – although beam-bar bikes and folders are permitted. Detailed specifications are provided in Article V. (A disqualification is called for if the bike doesn’t qualify.) 

One important element of the bike specs concerns aerodynamics. Fairing or additions to the bike that have the effect of reducing air resistance are prohibited, except that food/fluid holders on the aerobars are allowed within certain parameters. Further, wind resistance-reducing equipment can’t be worn either (except for time trial helmets that are CPSC approved).

 

A major concern in ensuring safe bicycles is bar-end plugs. All tube ends (e.g., handlebars) must be plugged securely or a DQ follows.

 

One other general rule is that you and your bike must make forward progress together. In other words, you can complete the bike course on foot, as long as you bring the bike with you. While on the course you are bound by the local traffic laws, unless a police officer or other authorized person directs you to take otherwise illegal actions (such as passing a stop sign).

 

A rule that is fairly immutable is that you can’t cross over the yellow center line in the road. Doing so will net you a VTP, or a DQ in more danger-laden situations.

 

Helmets present a key component of the rules, as they are central to the safety considerations upon which the rules are built. Your helmet must be approved by the Consumer Products Safety Commission if manufactured after 1999 (and you certainly shouldn’t be using a helmet of that age anyway). A DQ will keep you and your offending helmet out of the race.

 

At all times on the bike you must have your helmet on and the strap buckled. “All times” lasts through race day, not just during the race itself. If you violate the rule in the transition area the penalty is a VTP; on the course it is a DQ.

 

And now for the core issue of the bike leg: Article 5.10 – Position Fouls.

 

The rules on drafting are integrated with a number of “position” rules enumerated in section 5.10. The most basic consideration is the prohibition on benefiting from reduced air resistance found in the wake of a bike or motor vehicle.

 

How does this rule work? First, note that each bike carries with it a rectangle that is two meters wide by seven meters long. The box starts at the front face of your front wheel. Also of note is the fact that motor vehicles on the course have a zone extending 15 meters to each side of the vehicle and back 30 meters.

 

So here is the rule: Unless an exception applies, you are in violation of rule 5.10 if your zone overlaps the zone of another bike or a motor vehicle – in other words “in someone’s zone” – and you will receive a variable time penalty.

 

The exceptions are as follows:

Some basics:

 

So – stay back outside the zone (at least three bike lengths behind a bike, in the usual scenario), and once the zone is entered execute the pass within 15 seconds. If you consistently follow this model, drafting will not be an issue for you.

Here are some related rules:

 

Passing – When the front edge of an overtaking bike’s front wheel passes the front edge of your front wheel, you have been passed. At this point, the passing bike achieves the right of way and the passed bike is required to immediately drop back and exit the passing bike’s zone to the rear. A VTP is given for failure to do so. Note this: Any attempt to re-pass the overtaking bike before you have fully exited the zone and re-entered for the pass will result in a penalty as well. Position and

 

Blocking – You must ride to the right side of the course, and unforced riding anywhere else will be a position foul – except when it impedes another rider’s progress, and the violation becomes blocking. Both are variable time penalties.

 

The foregoing lays out the basic rules, but the nuance and subtlety of their application with specific fact situations is best covered in a Q/A context. These discussions will appear in in the Tri-Maine Web pages in coming weeks.

The Run (Article VI)

Article VI is quite short and sweet.

 

You may run or walk the course, and – notwithstanding classic NBC Kona coverage – crawling is prohibited in USAT rules.

 

Among the violations most often cited by officials are abandoned equipment (e.g., dropping bottles or clothing), outside assistance (e.g., getting food or gear from friends), and pacing – where a non-competitor accompanies a runner on the course for more than a few seconds.
 

The Transition (Article VII)

As you enter or exit the transition zone (or ride in it if the race allows you to) you must maintain a safe speed on your bike, or incur a VTP.

 

All equipment must be placed within your assigned space and the bike returned and racked properly after the ride (also VTP). If you or your equipment interfere with the forward progress of another competitor or his/her equipment it will be a VTP for a simple case and a DQ if the ramifications are serious.


Other Topics

Article VIII relates to doping control, IX the race official system, X protests, and XI hearings and appeals. You are advised to read these in their original form, and send in a query to this page if you have questions.

 

 

Q/A on the Competitive Rules

 

Here are questions and answers about a number of aspects of the Competitive Rules.

A caveat: This Q/A offers you before-the-fact context and explanation, but no commentary, Q/A, or presentation by an official can absolutely "nail" the on-the-ground application of a given rule in a real an very specific fact situation. A fairly accurate statement can be offered in response to a question that was posed as "If A, and if B, and if C ... then what is the rule?" That isn't the purpose of this Q/A, but is more illustrative of a conversation you would have with an official on race day (e.g., "Is this helmet legal?" or "Is my bike racked correctly?"). With this in mind, work your way through these questions and answers, and don't be shy about asking for clarification about any of them.

 

Q: I'm looking for a new helmet that will help in triathlons, and the "time trial" or "chrono" helmets  I've seen in the Tour de France look like just the ticket. Good idea?

A: Bad – really bad – idea. There seems to be an uptick of interest in these elongated helmets this season, and there will be a lot of scrutiny of them. Put most bluntly, the rules (5.9 (a)) mandate a DQ for the wearer of a helmet manufactured after 1999 that is not CPSC certified. Most TT or chrono helmets are not so certified, and for good reason: In the first place, the uncertified helmets are not as safe as other (certifiable) helmets per se, due to inherent lack of padding and other protection systems. Additionally,  all of these helmets – whatever their protective attributes – impede the normal motions and movements of a triathlete and can easily cause disastrous situations. So, even if you find a CPSC-certified helmet, you should think long and hard about why you would consider racing in it. The Bicycle Helmet Safety Institute maintains an excellent Web page where you can find lots of reasons for triathletes to avoid these things.

 

Q: A big component of the PolarBear is the Duathlon. What rules apply to duathlons, and where do we find them?

A: Look no further than the USAT Competitive Rules, which “govern the administration of all races and events sanctioned by USA Triathlon.”  (1.1) Thus, sanctioned duathlons are covered by the rules, as are aquathlons (swim and run) and aquabikes (swim and bike). Just apply the generic rules and all the specific, removing the article that is irrelevant. Once you are competing, you look like all the other competitors in a particular leg and the rules are applied to you as they are to the others.

In the PolarBear, remember that the duathletes will be starting on the street in a road-race mass start. At the other end of the day, your results and standings will be posted separately from those of the triathletes.
 

Links to Other Rule-Related Web Sites

For all of you who are competing overseas this year (or who are just rule-junkies*):

* You just can't imagine how intrigued a head referee will be if you throw in some references to the Australian Triathlon Race Competition Rules when discussing your penalty.

 

 

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