Did I just salvage, bandit, or Kip Litton?

Explanation of "Kip Litton" for readers like me who didn't have the context (and thanks, Claaaaw, for directing me to this fascinating story): http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2012/08/06/120806fa_fact_singer<... Litton cheated.  He certainly didn't have the race director's permission to skip part of the course.  He wore his timing chip across the line.  You fail the analogy on both counts.

Bandits don't pay, and you did, so strike that option.

By process of elimination ....

And why does it matter?  As posters above me have added, if you did the best you could on that day and under those conditions, I'd say to the question "did I salvage, bandit, or Litton", the answer is "you won."

Like others said, it was a salvage - you turned in your chip and therefore did not misrepresent yourself on the official standing. I don't understand why you didn't just fix the flat and continue the course, though? Sure, you would be well out of the standings. But that was going to be true anyway. Unless you were already the back of the pack as far as biking, you might be overestimating  the time you needed to fix the flat. If you aren't, then maybe you should practice changing a tire quickly for race days.

I thought of this video, though, when you talked about crossing the line and getting cheered on.

I'll tell you why - I was dumb enough to head out without a pump or spare tube. And with the swim nightmare, I was so far back starting the bike, only the other 40 or so people that also got told to cut it and head to shore were behind me. (1000 raced) I saw all of them (I thought) head out on the bike as I walked mine back to T1. There was no support vehicle that I saw. I figured I would be last on the course by at least a 10 minute gap. I am not the absolute slowest biker, especiallyon a flat course, but certainly not going to make up much time -then my run is so slow, I just wasn't going to extend the course closing because I was the one guy out there. If it had been a big goal race for me, and really really important to finish, I would have. As it was, I was pretty knocked out from that hour against the current, and the nausea of the waves. I walked the bike back slowly, figuring I was done. It was only after I got to transition I realized I could just take the run and wave to the kids, and have a bit of fun with the tribe. 

It's like my 2012 season is just one comedy of errors after another. Bike spokes pop DNF .....heat exhaustion DNF..... bike missing/stolen DNS......  Poseidon's anger, flat tire DNF...... So far I am 1/5 for 2012 tris. 2011 was like beginner's luck.

I still have some serious redemption planned before the year is over. No worries. I get knocked down, but I get up again. 

I did see just a few bikers still coming in after I ran, which made me think I probably could have done it and not been last on the course. Then I looked at official times. There was one near 4 hours. So yeah, in hindsight, it was a weak move. But with the weak swim, I was already going for a consolation finish anyway. Hindsight is already kicking my behind here. I'm looking at the times, and while there were lots of us left at the end, so many people got through it in what I assume were the same conditions. Though, it must have gotten progressively worse. I talked to a guy in my motel who thought the swim was great, way better than last year. I thought he was insane. Then I found out he was in wave 2. They still had the current with them. Half an hour later when my wave went, it was a totally different story. I saw a number of people abandon the swim before hitting the first turn buoy. They probably aren't listed in the results at all.