Have you DNF due to poor race management?

Shake it off.  HTFU nancy!

In d00d's defense folks... "the list goes on" part that he's not telling includes concerns about IED's, enemy combatants, suicide bombers, and in general most of the people on the side of the course hating your guts.  If I was running a half mary in Baghdad I wouldn't DNF, because I would DNS! Semper Fi d00d.  Keep safe.  Come home soon.

In the RD's defense I imagine it was a logistical nightmare.  Then again, was the RD on payroll to execute this event?  If so, no excuses for failure to execute his mission.  Letter to his CO. 

Never DNF'ed due to management, though I try to only do events with a solid history.  But it is ultimately up to the athlete to negotiate the course.  I study course maps before each race (run or tri).  Closest I've come to DNF (or DQ) was in a tri with a multi-lap bike course.  A volunteer tried HARD to flag me into transition when I knew I had another lap to go. Luckily I had enough room to bypass him & complete the course properly.  Annoying, but it was up to me to know the course.

Re very poorly executed event- I would write a nice letter to RD with constructive suggestions for improvement (just in case RD/event is interested).  Most RD's are trying to put on a good event & many publicize improvements made for next race.  Personal decision if it's worth attending again.

My good friend Jeff didn't really DNF'd but had a "fun" situation on his first triathlon a few years ago. We were doing the sprint, and on the run course the sprint turn around was manned by a young girl with her ipod on. She was standing in front of the small sign that said sprint turn around here.

To my friend's surprise, he thought the run seemed a little long and he sees it, Olympic turn around. Poor guy doubled his run that day. Not very happy.

Sorry you had a bad day, but it kind of is your responsibility to know the course (its usually clearly stated in the rules).  However, its does sound like a poorly managed race... sorry, dood.

I've DNF'ed only one race in my whole life - my first running road race, a 10K, the summer before I was going into ninth grade, and it was because I gave up just before the 2nd mile since I didn't train and other excuses, but never had any problems with race management.
I agree that it is the racer's/particpant's responsibility to know the course/route/etc.

I would write a constructively-worded and polite letter to the RD.  Chances are they'll want to know if there are improvements that they need to make in the organization of the event.

Check his logs, sure seems to be.

I had one race that was a bit messed up and the markings where not that clear and we all ran the wrong way but to the RD credit he got out on the course and found a way to fix the situation so we still had our 13.1 miles.  I bet he marks it better this time.

I "did" a marathon last spring where there was supposed to be an aid station with water and gatorade "every two miles".  I worked out my plan based on this info.  Got to mile 2...20+empty tables with 1 lady saying there's water further down.  There was nothing.  Mile 4, the masses of humanity that was gathered around the few tables with fluids was so deep it seriously would have been several minutes trying to make my way up to a table.  Mile 6 was the first fluids I got.  This day also happened to be suddenly 18 degress warmer than any day that Spring.  I kept drinking at every opportunity, but yes, the dehydrationation set in at mile 12 and I ended having to walk the majority of the second half.  I finished, but I felt like I wasn't given a "fair" chance at doing my best.  Had I known there was going to be such aid station boff, I would have worn my camelbak.  Live and learn. 

I have just once in 40 + events. Poorly ran, rain, started late. The sorority girls that were supposed to be present at the turns and giving directions decided to leave. Finally after 3 missed turns I just packed it in and went for a long ride then a short run. I turned it into a brick workout that I just happened to pay for.

Only DNF'd once, but due to a flat, then snapped the valved off the spare. But...I did a local sprint tri last year for the first time, just to do it as a warm up for the other tri's I regularly do. It was a comedy of errors for a number of reasons.

But on the bike course, there was an intersection that at least one volunteer there to direct the participants. Don't remember if it was fire police, regular police, just a volunteer. When I got there, I went straight. About a mile later, give or take, I came to a dead end. There were about 4 or 5 bikers behind me. We turned around, went back, and noticed bikers at the intercection being directed to make a left turn.

Why wasn't I, and the 4 or so people behind me, not directed to turn? Nobody stopped us or told us to turn, and there was somebody there, who I don't recall was distracted or not paying attention. And it wasn't that I wasn't paying attention; I always do.
this was the first time I did this event and was not familiar with the course, but there was someone there. And it's not like like I was anywhere near the first bike to come to the intersection.

Can't say it was a management issue, and most volunteers at the events I've done are more than competent, to the point that if I went the wrong way they would scream and yell and throw me off the bike to keep me from going in the wrong direction.

I was nowhere near placing in my AG, wrong turn or not, but it just makes you wonder.

not a DNF, but I added over 8 minutes to a tri I did l last summer due to the bike course was VERY poorly marked (and biking is my strong area so I know it wasn't me).  I got off course three times and the last one was the last turn into the finish area.  They had police stationed in the street to direct the turn, unfortunaly for me, when I came to the turn the guy must have went to his car to get something as there was no one at the turn directing.......so I went straight thru missing the final turn.  I was really pissed in T2, but calmed myself down.  I just sent a nice note to the director after the race explaining what happened.  He had other similiar complaints....this was the 1st time for this race so I put it as growing pains.  I also place some of the blame on me and will learn from it to make sure I study the bike course before the race.

Michael

Never DNF'd voluntarily, but in 31 years of running, have definitely have seen my share of badly organized races. At one local 5K in Vietnam, it was out and back and half the runners were jumping over to the other side of the road and running "back" early, including several of the age group "winners". I have been second overall (behind a guy) and not gotten an award because I didn't "win"; second woman and they "lost" my award but gave to top six overall guys plus masters. At my last half-marathon, no drinks were offered but small amounts of water despite temps in the 90's. At this point, at least in developing countries, if the race is a new one; I try to bring anything (drinks, food, money, course map, first aid stuff) I think I might need in my hydration belt. If nothing else, just write it off as a fast training run and a "cultural experience"! 

I guess the one deal-breaker would be not being able to FIND the finsh line!  This almost happened one time in Taiwan (a club 50K trail/road run--eventually the RD came out in a truck and got us back on course. I'm sure we ran well off-course as it took my friend and I, both 3-hour marathoners, almost 9 hours to finish, inc. the truck ride.) I would definitely try to talk to/call/e-mail the RD but if they have little experience and/or there are language or cultural differences, it's hard to expect much. If this race was indeed in Iraq, imagine the running culture's pretty new there, too! It takes time to develop--road races long ago in the States were probably pretty rough, too.

I disagree that it's up to the participants to know the course. Yes, I study course maps (obsessively!) before a race because I like to know what to expect. But in most half marathons or full marathons -- and even in a lot of 5Ks and 10Ks -- it would be close to impossible to memorize the course. I suppose I could carry a map but that's not very practical, for a lot of reasons. I think it's absolutely the RD's responsibility to make sure the course is well-marked. If it's not well-marked, the RD needs to make that clear before the race so participants can be prepared to find their own way.

Sorry about your DNF, d00d. I hope you get to do another race soon!

I agree with this.  I think you have to have an awareness of the course, which might help you out of something seems off on the course, but unless your course is pretty simple it would be silly to memorize it.  And not all RD's give out course maps.  It really depends on the race and RD.  My last few races had no maps at all and they were all in areas that would be pretty easy to get lost, map or not, but the RD's did great jobs marking the course.

Las Vegas Triathlon (HIM) had 1 water stop on the bike, and run water stations were 2.5-3 miles appart in 105 F temps.  That was really not acceptible for the conditions folks were in danger of dehydration and heat related illness.  If I were to go back I would not depend on anything from the course not even water.  I probably will not go back, wrote an email to the organizer who did not return my email and I read race reports that indicated it was worse the following year.  I placed 3rd in my age group and by the time I finished the bike stands were gone and the bikes were all on the ground, racks gone.  They had maybe 5 bottles of water left at the finish when I left, never posted race results.  I ended up having to walk the last mile due to lack of water from the aid stations too far appart.  Don't do the race.   Or bring 100 oz of fluids with you on the bike and 45 oz of water on the run and fill up at the two water stops along the way (trashcans with water in them).