General Discussion Triathlon Talk » My disappointment with 3 Disciplines Rss Feed  
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2015-07-06 7:56 AM

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Subject: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
I kind of held off on posting anything to see if they would get things right, but alas, it appears they never did.

It appears they screwed up the timing of the Motor City Triathlon, specifically in T2. According to my watch, I was 1:20 faster in T2 than they had me recorded. I figured there was some sort of Garmin user error on my part (it happens a lot). But there was another guy who posted on their Facebook page with the same question.

Then, if you look at the T2 times, the fastest time was 2:20, which was done by a former pro running in the race (his T1 time was 41 seconds).

I shot them an email, and someone responded very quickly, saying they would look into it. A week or two passed, and I had forgotten about it. Then I got an email about signing up for their fall race to beat my Motor City time. I checked the results, and things were still not corrected. So I emailed them again, and the guy who responded said he'd remind the person doing timing and scoring again. Another week or two later, and still nada.

I mean, look .. it's not a big deal. I know what my watch says, so that's my race time. But it's a bummer that a company that does timing and scoring professionally (even for races they don't put on), can't get it right, and don't correct problems when they're pointed out.

The other thing was safety out on the bike. It was really weird, but they told slower bikers to stay to the LEFT when riding around the island, and to pass on the RIGHT. Which is opposite of everything you've ever been taught as a rider. I'm not the faster rider, so I immediately got to the left, which lead to someone yelling at me 8 minutes into the bike portion. I had to yell back for them to listen to the race instructions on the beach next time ... although I don't think he could hear me with his sweet aero helmet going 5 mph than me..

TLDR version: They screwed up scoring at Motor City, and haven't fixed it.


2015-07-07 6:37 AM
in reply to: jeremyscarroll

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Wow. Sucks to hear.

I've been in events where the timing gets messed up. Its frustrating because you pay big bucks to compete and you'd figure that equates to top of the line services. Unfortunately mistakes happen...I wonder if the Timing company can even fix it at this point...
2015-07-07 9:46 AM
in reply to: #5126843

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
l've conpeted in two of their events last year without a problem and just signed up for Petoskey in August. My only complaint is the 1000m Olympic swim course. It's a 500m loop, just adds third loop for Olympic!
2015-07-07 7:58 PM
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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Did you hit your watch as you crossed the timing mats going into and coming out of the transition? Did you notice where the timing mats were placed? I have had several races where my transition times were messed up because of where the mats were placed. This still would not have changed your overall time just would made your bike or run look faster correct?
2015-07-08 10:16 AM
in reply to: jeremyscarroll

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines

This isn't unusual for 3D.  

They come up often in threads involving RD quality (or lack thereof) and unfortunately "details" aren't their thing.

They do each race on a shoestring budget as far as I'm concerned and once the event is done, they've moved on. 

2015-07-09 12:09 PM
in reply to: Swimmer98

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by Swimmer98

Did you hit your watch as you crossed the timing mats going into and coming out of the transition? Did you notice where the timing mats were placed? I have had several races where my transition times were messed up because of where the mats were placed. This still would not have changed your overall time just would made your bike or run look faster correct?


Yes, I hit lap on my Garmin 910 at the timing maps in multisport function, etc. All my splits were dead-on right except T2 was 1:20 faster on my watch. The same thing happened to other athletes too.

@ TriMike: Yeah, it's really a bummer. But ah well, I guess there's worse problems out there. Lesson learned, I guess.

@ ToeFuzz: That's weird. Why do an Olympic distance, but shorten the swim unnecessarily?


2015-07-09 1:17 PM
in reply to: jeremyscarroll

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
BTW: The only reason this matters is because I finished just over 3 hours according to their results, but was 2:59 on my watch ... and well, 2:59 is so much more satisfying than 3:00.
2015-08-10 6:47 AM
in reply to: jeremyscarroll

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Competed in "The Experience" Tri in Frankenmuth again this year...

The timing company didnt record ANY T2 times....not one.....

Got a piece of glass stuck in my tire just coming out of the Transition area as well...I cant say this was the greatest race this year...

But the fact that they missed all T2's.....really odd.

2015-08-10 8:31 AM
in reply to: TheCrownsOwn

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by TheCrownsOwn

Competed in "The Experience" Tri in Frankenmuth again this year...

The timing company didnt record ANY T2 times....not one.....

Got a piece of glass stuck in my tire just coming out of the Transition area as well...I cant say this was the greatest race this year...

But the fact that they missed all T2's.....really odd.




Well, you can have my extra T2 time from Motor City.

That's really terrible. But even worse is the glass coming out of T2. Did you have a spare? What a bummer. Getting a flat during a race is my biggest nightmare.
2015-08-23 7:57 PM
in reply to: Swimmer98

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 

2015-08-25 9:14 AM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by TriMike

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 


I thought they did a great job with everything, especially based on the weather conditions. Ludington is one of my favorite races. I had a decent sprint race Sunday, won my AG for the first time ever. That wind going south on Lakeshore was absolutely brutal in stretches, but the great thing was that everyone had to face the same condition.

OLY aquabike times are posted in the link below:
http://www.your-results.com/results/files/15_LUD_AQUABIKE.txt


2015-08-25 10:06 AM
in reply to: MSU_Brad

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 

I thought they did a great job with everything, especially based on the weather conditions. Ludington is one of my favorite races. I had a decent sprint race Sunday, won my AG for the first time ever. That wind going south on Lakeshore was absolutely brutal in stretches, but the great thing was that everyone had to face the same condition. OLY aquabike times are posted in the link below: http://www.your-results.com/results/files/15_LUD_AQUABIKE.txt

They were posted this morning.

I agree completely on heading south on Lakeshore.  There were stretches I was killing it to even hit 13mph...Conversely the 24-27mph heading North was awesome!!

I've done this race many times and honestly the course and course markings were great.  My frustration is how long it took to get the OLY Aquabike posted without any responses (initially) to my notes.

Ann Marie replied this morning that she found what happened and fixed it.

 

2015-08-25 10:28 AM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 

I thought they did a great job with everything, especially based on the weather conditions. Ludington is one of my favorite races. I had a decent sprint race Sunday, won my AG for the first time ever. That wind going south on Lakeshore was absolutely brutal in stretches, but the great thing was that everyone had to face the same condition. OLY aquabike times are posted in the link below: http://www.your-results.com/results/files/15_LUD_AQUABIKE.txt

They were posted this morning.

I agree completely on heading south on Lakeshore.  There were stretches I was killing it to even hit 13mph...Conversely the 24-27mph heading North was awesome!!

I've done this race many times and honestly the course and course markings were great.  My frustration is how long it took to get the OLY Aquabike posted without any responses (initially) to my notes.

Ann Marie replied this morning that she found what happened and fixed it.

 


Understandable, but I think they responded in a fairly timely fashion to get that done. Remember that they had a lot of work to do after they got everything back on Sunday evening (they had a facebook post about how much sand was in/on all of their equipment, etc), so getting to it just over a day later wasn't too bad.

I was just glad they got the swim in. I do pretty well in the swim (although not as well as I should - I've let myself slack here too much), and I would've been bummed out if I didn't get to use that. Thankfully mother nature cooperated for most of the time minus that wind on the bike - but yes, heading north on Lakeshore was freaking awesome.
2015-08-25 11:00 AM
in reply to: MSU_Brad

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 

I thought they did a great job with everything, especially based on the weather conditions. Ludington is one of my favorite races. I had a decent sprint race Sunday, won my AG for the first time ever. That wind going south on Lakeshore was absolutely brutal in stretches, but the great thing was that everyone had to face the same condition. OLY aquabike times are posted in the link below: http://www.your-results.com/results/files/15_LUD_AQUABIKE.txt

They were posted this morning.

I agree completely on heading south on Lakeshore.  There were stretches I was killing it to even hit 13mph...Conversely the 24-27mph heading North was awesome!!

I've done this race many times and honestly the course and course markings were great.  My frustration is how long it took to get the OLY Aquabike posted without any responses (initially) to my notes.

Ann Marie replied this morning that she found what happened and fixed it.

 

Understandable, but I think they responded in a fairly timely fashion to get that done. Remember that they had a lot of work to do after they got everything back on Sunday evening (they had a facebook post about how much sand was in/on all of their equipment, etc), so getting to it just over a day later wasn't too bad. I was just glad they got the swim in. I do pretty well in the swim (although not as well as I should - I've let myself slack here too much), and I would've been bummed out if I didn't get to use that. Thankfully mother nature cooperated for most of the time minus that wind on the bike - but yes, heading north on Lakeshore was freaking awesome.

I'll concede that past history with this RD amped me up quicker than it would for other organizers.  I think frustration could have and should have been averted by answering the first email or posting something to FB explaining they were working on the issue etc.

I saw the FB post too and can imagine the amount of work they had to unload etc., however that doesn't preclude the "office staff" from taking care of customer issues.  It's basic customer service due diligence.

Again, past history is a big part of this.  Plenty of threads on 3D regarding timing issues among others...

 

2015-08-25 11:52 AM
in reply to: TriMike

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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

Originally posted by MSU_Brad
Originally posted by TriMike

My frustration with 3D is renewed..I did the Ludington Lighthouse OLY Aquabike today (8/23) and they have no results for this event.  Every other event (OLY, Sprint, Sprint Aquabike, relays, kayak race) has results posted yet the OLY Aquabike is missing.

I've got an email out to Ann Marie and I also replied to their "official" email announcing the results are posted so hopefully they will dig in and figure out what happened and fix it...

I'm not holding out much hope...

 

I thought they did a great job with everything, especially based on the weather conditions. Ludington is one of my favorite races. I had a decent sprint race Sunday, won my AG for the first time ever. That wind going south on Lakeshore was absolutely brutal in stretches, but the great thing was that everyone had to face the same condition. OLY aquabike times are posted in the link below: http://www.your-results.com/results/files/15_LUD_AQUABIKE.txt

They were posted this morning.

I agree completely on heading south on Lakeshore.  There were stretches I was killing it to even hit 13mph...Conversely the 24-27mph heading North was awesome!!

I've done this race many times and honestly the course and course markings were great.  My frustration is how long it took to get the OLY Aquabike posted without any responses (initially) to my notes.

Ann Marie replied this morning that she found what happened and fixed it.

 

Understandable, but I think they responded in a fairly timely fashion to get that done. Remember that they had a lot of work to do after they got everything back on Sunday evening (they had a facebook post about how much sand was in/on all of their equipment, etc), so getting to it just over a day later wasn't too bad. I was just glad they got the swim in. I do pretty well in the swim (although not as well as I should - I've let myself slack here too much), and I would've been bummed out if I didn't get to use that. Thankfully mother nature cooperated for most of the time minus that wind on the bike - but yes, heading north on Lakeshore was freaking awesome.

I'll concede that past history with this RD amped me up quicker than it would for other organizers.  I think frustration could have and should have been averted by answering the first email or posting something to FB explaining they were working on the issue etc.

I saw the FB post too and can imagine the amount of work they had to unload etc., however that doesn't preclude the "office staff" from taking care of customer issues.  It's basic customer service due diligence.

Again, past history is a big part of this.  Plenty of threads on 3D regarding timing issues among others...

 


I guess I am somewhat indifferent to 3D. I've never had a bad time at one of their races, nor any real problems, but I know plenty of other people have.

To put it in perspective, I've seen other races that are lucky to get their results posted within 2-3 days after the triathlon.

2015-08-28 11:07 AM
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Subject: RE: My disappointment with 3 Disciplines
Originally posted by jeremyscarroll

Originally posted by TheCrownsOwn

Competed in "The Experience" Tri in Frankenmuth again this year...

The timing company didnt record ANY T2 times....not one.....

Got a piece of glass stuck in my tire just coming out of the Transition area as well...I cant say this was the greatest race this year...

But the fact that they missed all T2's.....really odd.




Well, you can have my extra T2 time from Motor City.

That's really terrible. But even worse is the glass coming out of T2. Did you have a spare? What a bummer. Getting a flat during a race is my biggest nightmare.


Flat was found coming out of T1. Mounted my bike and realized the front tire was flat. Ran back in as I had a spare in my pouch and figured easier to fix in there...and there was a guy in there who had a bike maintenance table setup in the corner in transition area for anyone who needed it. He was set up early in the morning and frankly the best Idea I've ever heard of in hindsight!

Get this...he was wandering around where my bike was originally mounted and looking for someone panicked with a flat! He said he heard my tire pop while we were all down in the water but didnt know which bike it was. Said if he knew it would have been fixed by the time I was into T1 and I probably never would have known. lol. This guy replaced my tube way faster than I could. Really saved my butt. I wish I knew who it was...he deserves a shout out for his work that day. Once he fixed it I was off to the races!

But....by the time I was pulling into T2...the tire was almost flat again. When I got home...found there was a tiny fleck of glass embedded in the tire....really hard to find...

No idea where the fleck came from...Had my bike in for maintenance a few days before the race...rode it the day before..and it was fine that night...only place I can think is walking it over from the Bavarian inn to the transition zone....

This was supposed to be an A race for me...was planning for a 1:10 or less sprint and wanted the 1st in my AG again....ended up being a 1:16 sprint and taking 2nd in my AG....

So two flat tires....the odds were not in my favour that day. lol.

The only other negative on the race was that the washrooms on the boat were locked up this year. First time they did that....so anyone counting on washrooms when we were corralled onto the boat to start were out of luck...doing this thing with a half full bladder sucks.

Aside from that, the race was great, food was great, support staff and organization was awesome. Last year there was confusion at the split where Sprint's turned off to finish and Oly's kept going for a second loop. No confusion this year...they had someone manned there yelling and pointing so you could not miss the finish line. They really responded to anyone's critiques from last year! That to me is a real sign of quality business.

Kudos to the organizers, and the bike maintenance tech in transition zone. It really was a great day for a race

For shame to 3D for messing up the T2 results.







Edited by TheCrownsOwn 2015-08-28 11:10 AM


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