"should have known the course better" ?!?!? (Page 2)

One of the reasons I worry about this is because I know there is a large culture of us that go into a race not knowing the course at all.

People have mentioned contingencies like the course "changing in the middle of the race due to an emergency". In well over 250 triathlons I can't remember that ever happening to me personally, including a triathlon where a news helicopter crashed on the course and a hurricane had blown through the area only days before. I do conceed anything is possible though, and that may be one more argument for knowing the course.

I don't think its constructive to let the forum tendency to argue away the commensurate responsiblity of knowing the course prevail. It suggests a dangerous precedent of complacency.

We should know the course. We should accept the responsibility to do so. We should aspire to be absolutely competent competitors. Are we susceptible to mistakes? Certainly. So are race directors.

Could there be a contingency? Yes. But that doesn't absolve us from maintaining a high degree of familiarity with the rules.

For my second triathlon, it was about 2 hours from my home and I didn't have a chance to drive the course ahead of time. I pored over the bike map and made myself a turn-by-turn cheat sheet that I stashed in my bento box. As it turns out the course was well marked and staffed, and there was never an question of the route while I was riding. I like to get as much info on the course as possible, just to help my mental preparation, especially if I can find the elevation profile.

In my last sprint tri, the run course was all on trails on private property, and the course differed significantly from the map that was posted on the web. The markings and volunteers were spot-on, but I would have had no idea where to run if they hadn't been there.

I always make a point to pre-drive the course whenever possible. This has not always been possible for the run course as some have been on trails etc.. but it has worked well on the bike courses.

That being said, I had one race this year where the markings on the bike course were confusing and I do blame the RD. It was a T shaped course where you came out of a park area to the main road. Oly went right, and sprint went left. It was a simple out and back for the sprint folks but us in the Oly had to go to the first out and back, then pass the park area to the next out and back. When we got to the second turn around, there was a sign that clearly said "Sprint turn around". Since all of us in the Oly knew we were on a different course, we kept going. Apter cranking another 1/2 mile up the mountain, a couple guys were coming back the other way yelling that we were actually supposed to turn at the sign, not continue. There were no volunteers there at the turn so it was an honest mistake on all of our parts due to the misleading sign. Was it our responsibility to know the course, yes. Was it our responsibility to know the course to the exact mileage so we would know that was supposed to be our turn around as well? I don't think that is a reasonable expectation. The RD did not make any comment on the mis-marking afterwards. I think at least some mention would have been nice since it messed up probably the top 20 riders.

then why have them out there?

I was at a tri in July that the volunteers were yelling at participants during T1 about a change that had been made after the race had started.  The olympic distance bike course was changed to the sprint course because of thunderstorms.  My wife, who was watching, said the volunteers were completely unclear about the change (were both the bike and run shortened or just the bike, etc.).  Apparently there were volunteers at the sprint turn around telling the olympic participants to turn around, which was correct because of the post-start change.  The point is that some things do change in the middle of a race and can lead to a bunch of problems.

However, I would suggest that most of the stories concerning "should have known the course better" stem from individuals not knowing the course better and either simply taking the wrong turn or relying on someone on the course for directions.

I get lost at the mall parking lot.

I try to know the course ahead of time. I have done some races where signage and volunteers have been missing or wrong.

Then again, as a MOP, I am racing myself, and don't have to worry as much about the effects of a wrong turn.

I once stood in the middle of a course on the 2nd loop for 2 minutes because I couldn't remember where to go.

Low blood sugar could be to blame.

Amen to that dude. 

I realize this is only my experience......but when my 14 year old kid, leading the race, is screamed at by adults to go the way they say.....he goes there.  I don't know how he could be expected to do anything else.  Yes, we even ran the course together two days before the race.  Yes, it was a USAT sanctioned race.  

I don't care what anyone says.....it's stupid to have "volunteers" giving wrong directions...and when they do, it screws the whole race up.  You can point to any rule you want, who cares?  While I agree wholeheartedly with the spirit of the rule, there is also some responsibility for the RD to make sure everyone is on the same page.

My only point is that not every scenario deserves the same canned answer....some of this stuff is just plain stupid on the RD's end.....you can't argue that.

The answer is very simple.  It is the athelete's responsibility to know the course.

WHY???

Well...you could point to all the reason's listed in this thread.  All the USAT rules, blah, blah, blah.

Let me offer you a more simple solution as to why.  If the argument is that it is NOT the athlete's responsibility to know the course...then the argument is that it is the RACE'S responsibility...correct?

Ok...so if it's the race's responsibility to point racers in the right direction...then what happens when they point you in the wrong direction by accident?  What are they going to do to make things right?  Are they going to give you a variable time bonus?  Are they going to give you a refund on your race registration (not likely)?  Honestly...what can a race do within reason to make things right?  The answer is they can't do anything (within reason) to correct things 100% and make everyone happy. 

So it's simply easier to just make a rule that it's the athlete's responsibility to know the course.  To change the rule otherwise would just be an absolute nightmare for not only those people who go off course (to figure out what time adjustment they should get) but also to the people who didn't go off course (who may have thought they won, only to find out that someone who went off course and finished behind them got a time bonus and actually beat them).

Oh, I get it....no problem.  Leave the standings as they are...no big deal.  

Just give me my money back or a free entry to next years race.  That's not hard, your people screwed up, make it right, like any other business.  As far as the results....who cares?  Even the guy who "wins" feels like he didn't when this happens.  As I said....it screws up the entire race.

Nobody cares about the rules when a race gets FUBAR'd.....they just know it's a mess.

Refreshing beverages.  (I'm not knocking volunteers -- I've been one myself from time to time.)