No finish line friends at IM and HIMs (Page 4)

I hate to be "that guy" and 99.9% of the time I feel like a rule can be made, enforced, and lived with (even if it doesn't make everyone happy) but with some of these events would it make sense to setup a split finisher chute, one side for friends/family finish and one where it is strictly prohibited?

IMHO, the race fees are sort of up there for IM branded events and setting up a split finish chute probably wouldn't cost that much more. Different strokes for different folks. I just can't imagine if I was finishing the run and the time was reading x:59:50 and I had a shot to keep it under X hours but missed out because someone stepped out in front of me with their family. I also can't imagine training for months (years) and not being able to share some of that joy with family for but just 30 seconds at the end.

Yeah, so now instead of turning away 500 people at on-line registration after a race fills up they will have to turn away only 498 people cuz 2 people got pissed off when they heard WTC DQ'd a racer that blatantly violated the rules.  WTC better start getting in line for some of that stimulus package money cuz they're gonna be in a world of hurt if they follow thru on this idiotic policy.

By 'bad press' I'm talking about an article in the local paper "62 year old grandfather of three came hobling to the finishline at 16:50, just 10 minutes before the 17 hr cut-off.  As he approached the finish line, his wife of 40 years ran out to meet him and immediatly WTC DQ'd him and told him he could not finish the race!  Just 15 seconds before crossing the finish line he was DQ'd by those hearless bastreds!  He and his wife broke down in tears at his dreams of becoming an ironman were ripped from him.  His two year of training just went down the tubes...."  bla, bla, bla

A city hosting an ironman does not always welcome ironman.  *gasp*  It cuases a lot of traffic problems for the city and many of the local people simply do not like their town being over-run with triathletes...who litter their streets with gu wrappers.  I think the human interest finishes like the picture above go a long way towards winning the hearts of the locals.  Take this away and you've done more damage to the sport than good. 

Then again, I'm a softie for people who get all emotional at the finishline.  There is a woman on my IM video that starts to sob just as she crosses the finishline as she is overwhelmed with emotion.  Every time I watch that video I get a lump in my throat and my eyes well up. 

It's a BS rule and will never be enfored!  The first person that shows me a case where they DQ someone because their family came out on the course to celebrate with them, I will buy them a steak dinner and beers for the night.

~Mike

I don't think so, there is a new owner in town and maybe the fact they are announcing this now it is because they ARE planning to enforce the rule. There has been a greater push in recent years by limiting the amount of family members running across the finish line and complaints from competitors and volunteers about this, because it is becoming a problem.

Yeah, that's why this year's IM goal for me is "finish before Gary get's in the food line!"

~Mike

bryancd - 2009-03-11 2:08 PM If you have any friends or family with you at the end of an Ironman finish you most likely didn't train enough.

Or just have really really really loyal friends.

Actually it will be very easy to enforce. I agree with the new rule (although it's actually just a statement that they are enforcing what has always been the rule). The finish line shenanigans have gotten out of hand the last few years, hopefully they will stick by their word and DQ people who break the rules.

I'm sure most of us speed ( I do). We take a chance and should accept the consequences of our actions. In this case, the consequences (which will be much easier to enforce than the speed limit) are a DQ and no official finish. For the record, I do come to a 100% complete stop at every stop sign

X2.......no need jeopordize someone elses experience.

Exactly. After accepting the consequenses for these actions (3 speeding tickets and one rolling through a stop sign in the span of one year), I DO NOT speed anymore, and always come to a complete stop at every stop sign. I learned my lesson, that's for sure. I drive like a granny now, but I'm not getting ticketed anymore, either.

Maybe it will take a few "tickets" - or consequenses (DQ) - for people to follow the rules.

Choose to cheat?  Oh get over it man with this self-rightesouness!  Cheating?  Are you kidding me?  Now this is cheating?  LOL  Wow, I hope I never take life that seriously.  My goodness! 

Like the previous poster said, worry about something that matters.  Who the hail cares if someone wants to have some fun at the finishline.  You don't see sub-12 hr finishers doing this...it's the back-of-packers...so it's not gonna impact anyone's AG qual.  If you are concerned about "your finish photo" speed up or slow down and get a picture-perfect-you-crossing-the-finishline-with-arms-riased-up-and-15:45-on-the-clock-over-your-head to impress all your friends!

~Mike

Aaaaaah the inherrent question of what "matters" to one person over another. The eternal BT debate!

Fact: some things matter more to me than to you, or to the next person. How about we all "get over" that?!

Grrrr.

And yes, you are "choosing to cheat" if you knowingly break the rules. End of story! How you justify it in your own mind is personal I suppose.

x2. Who says it "doesn't affect" the BOPers. Maybe one of those BOPers wanted to break 14 hours and some numbnuts carrying his baby and his grandma across the finish line gets in the way. You know how anal retentive we all are about numbers and times - even if you, Rogillio, think it "doesn't matter", it MIGHT to that person. Maybe their goal was 13:59:59 and some kids getting in the way screwed that up. That matters to that person. While I appreciate your cavalier attitude about triathlon and how it should be fun and not stressful, etc, I also respect the fact that some people in this sport are actually competing - and whatever that means to them, whether it's winning their AG or beating a certain time, and to have that wrecked by some idiot who didn't follow the rules, that's not cool. I am not fast, but I do respect my fellow athletes and since I don't know what their individual goals might be, I'm sure as hell gonna do all I can, aside from finishing ahead of them of course, NOT to f*ck up their race.

Not to mention that is is possible that there are folks from older age groups who may be trying to qualify for Kona in 14+ hours.

aggiecatcher that cracked me up!