Cheating and Penalties

Ive received two penalties in my 40 races ever

Drafting: I simply zoned out and got caught drafting, was it intentional? No, was I at fault? yes

Race numbers: I failed to wear my race number on the run course (didn't wear it on the bike which was legal) and was given a 2 minute penalty. This was at a race that had lots of penalties given out.

I got a penalty in my first triathlon ever - a sprint - because one side of my running bib number tore off and it was folded over so race officials couldn't see it. Legit based on rules but felt like bullchit at the time. I pin my race number to the belt now (in addition to snapping it in race belt.

None of the above.

We have a local official who likes to hand out drafting penalties. I saw her chewinv out a paceline that flew past me last year and was glad to see it.

I dropped a water bottle on the bike leg of my first half-iron. It was a lonely course and I was all by myself. I slowed down with the intention to pick it up but then realized that not only was it not in anyone's way I couldn't see it and didn't know where it had gone. So I just kept on going. I wasn't caught.

I received a 2 minute penalty several years ago for equipment out of position (or something like that). I was out of the water early and threw my wetsuit under the rack. At the end of the race I found my wetsuit halfway between my transition area and the bike start. I imagine it was stuck to someone's bike as they were transitioning and they just left it there. I was penalized and lost an AG podium spot. I thought it was bogus. At least I didn't loose my wetsuit.

A friend of mine was leaving T-1 and a water bottle ejected as he was about to mount. A spectator picked it up and handed it to him. It cost him 2 minutes for outside assistance. I think that was a little bogus also.

They do monitor quite closely for drafting in major races here (Asia, mainly Singapore, plus races sponsored by outside organizers here in Vietnam--we won't discuss the local race scene, which is mostly loosey-goosey "adventure races" and charity run/walks). Never gotten a penalty but have seen others get them. Came close last weekend because a young woman kept blowing past me at maybe 33-34 kph (when I was riding 30-31 kph) and then immediately slowing down to 27-28 kph. I had to slow down to under 26 to get out of her draft zone, so I would re-pass her, over and over and over. She just wouldn't stop doing it. Finally, seeing officials up ahead, I said, "If you pass, you can't slow down like that, or we'll both end up with a penalty." She said, "Huh?" (Singaporean, language not the issue) so I passed again and helpfully let loose a few snot rockets to reinforce the point. She didn't come by after that. She was maybe 19 or 20--guessing it might have been her first tri (poor child!) and she didn't really understanding about penalties, just wanted to get ahead but didn't quite have the fitness to do it.

Never observed a TD measuring bikes like at a UCI race. However I have seen strict enforcement of wetsuit cutoffs. IE water is too warm there is no such thing as wetsuit optional like there is in the USA


I had a stop and go draft penalty once.

Edited by simpsonbo 2014-04-04 8:05 PM

Where's the "I haven't cheated" choice?

i have littered during the race and should have been penalized

In my first IM I was pretty slow on the bike. This was a fast race and the real race was miles ahead of me. I really couldn't see anyone, except for one cyclist, for miles in front of or behind me. I slowly came up on the other cyclist. As I got closer and closer I decided to "legally draft," leaving 10 meters between us but using the legal benefit of him being in front of me (I had read an article where Macca had talked about the benefit of this and suddenly decided I was a pro triathlete ). I wasn't there for 30 seconds when a marshal, out of nowhere, pulled up next to me and gave me a red card for drafting. I didn't 'think' I was drafting but he did and that's what counts. Not another two cyclists to be seen. The next penalty tent was at T2 so I had to sit there in the tent of shame for four minutes. I was more irritated at myself than anything else. I am glad that they are officiating, even at the back of these races,

If you do WTC races it is incredibly difficult not to draft. I wrote in my race report about IMAZ that I expended more energy trying not to draft than I would if I had just gone out and hammered the bike for the first hour.

The body here local to me is Triathlon Ontario and both of the big series run here (multisportcanada and trisportcanada) require TO membership or one day fees. Not aware of any non-sanctioned events but there must be some.

The event I went to last autumn seemed to have some good coverage around the mount/dismount line but that was it. Will get a better picture of it this summer.

Triathlon Canada delegates it to your PGB (provincial governing body) unless its a national race. Not much unsanctioned racing. We have lots of ITU officials here due to us hosting umpteen world cups so they are decent. If the water is too warm no wetsuit rules are upheld too.

I was in an oly event 4 years ago that also had a sprint event. I was one of the later Olympic age groups to go, when it got to the bike coarse the Olympics did 2 laps and sprints did 1. the last 1 1/2 is a narrow road down to transition and I had a pack of people in the sprint event blocking my way, despite the calls (on your left, keep right, get the hell out of my way!) they would not move, so I went around well past that yellow line. I got a 2 minute penalty for it, I just hope that the 4 other rider got penalties for blocking.

I have not followed some of the rules at one time or another, mostly minor. Never been penalized.

I have passed on the right, keeping my line and passing a group who was left.
I have dropped a GU packet and not gone back for it on the bike.
I have crossed the center line when passing on the left when there was a big slow group ahead of me.

I did get talked to by the race director about drafting on the bike at a small race.. It was my second triathlon and I had been watching a lot of ITU triathlons, so had an understanding that there ware draft legal races. My buddy caught up to me within the first mile of the bike. He asked if we could draft (his first tri). There was nothing about it on the website, entry, or pre-race meeting so we decided to go for it. About a mile later we passed 3 guys wearing matching bike jerseys who were not drafting. When I noticed this I told my buddy since they weren't drafting, we probably shouldn't either and each rode our own pace.

At the finish line the RD asked us how we liked like the raced and we chated before he brought up the drafting. He said the 3 guys had reported us, said we "compromised the results", and "take things like that very seriously". We admitted to drafting and appologized, explained they were the only ones we passed in the mile we drafted, were new to tris, and that we didn't see or anything about drafting in the race rules, but were okay with any penalty he wanted to give. He checked the race results and it only would have affected one guy and he didn't care Of course when my buddy saw the 3 guys were giving us dirty looks as the RD talked with us he had to point out that we were probably about 5 mph faster on the bike, even faster on the run, and that even with a bunch of penalites we still would hve beat them. He laughed and thanked us for racing.

x2, but at a local OLY. Only penalty I've ever had and to this day have no idea when it occurred.

I would have if the results and penalty were posted at the race, unfortunately there was quite the SNAFU and results were delayed. The 2 minutes didn't hurt because we were the only mixed relay in the OLY. Just wish I knew what I did wrong.

On a separate note, do you know anything about the Bridgeman Duathlon? I'll hopefully be in NOLA that week and am thinking about signing up.