"should have known the course better" ?!?!?

i agree it can be difficult, i think a lot of effort goes into marking the bike courses, but is often over looked on the run sometimes where participants are at their most exhausted and more likely to make an error.  my last few races i have had to asked spectators where to go because the volunteers decided to go get food, the provide course map wasn't very detailed, or marking was not clear to me in my state of mind.

that being said i understand it is my responsibility to know the course, and if i mess up i have no one to blame but myself, especially if pretty much everyone else does it correctly haha

Agree somewhat however this happened at a race I did recently. The 2nd race of a series the RD cut out a turn by going straight out of transition rather than turning. They made several announcement prerace and did have it marked. I mean there wasn't 47 arrows pointing the direction but 1. Anyway I guess the kid leading the sprint made the turn rather then going straight. Apparently him and his mom flipped out on the RD after the race. Completely uncalled for. The course had changed since the one 2 weeks prior but was made very clear prior to the race. Warming up in the ocean while the prerace meeting was going on apparently didn't save him much time.

Now if there's no guiding arrows at forks in the middle of the bike/run that's a different story

It is my responsibility to know the course simply due to the fact that if I go off course, it is only my time that will be effected. Period. End of story. If I do not want my time effected, then I better make sure I know where I am going.

Having said that, it has never been a problem in any event I have done, and I can guarantee you I was clueless as to where I was supposed to be going on just about every one. I rely on the event and volunteers to guide me... if that get's messed up, then it is my fault for not having a back up. I bet the first time it happens to me, I will make sure it does not happen twice. For now, ignorance is bliss.

Eh......mostly.  Try being the first through with the volunteers pointing you the wrong way, actually yelling at you (not me, my son) even though we went over the course, and see how you feel.

I don't think it's that simple, IMO.  I think a good RD should have the course well marked to keep people safe and on the course.  They can't just say "go out and run" without any guidance.

The athlete should be familiar though.  Unfortunatly, if the athlete IS off course, even due to poor course managment, they suffer the concequences for that race.  However, if the course is that poorly managed, the RD suffers with complaints and fewer participants.

FOR EXAMPLE.  I went out on my IMSG knowing which general direction to take, but if you look at the course?  There is no way to remember it.  There had to be 30-40 turns.  What do they expect, everyone to pack maps or a GPS?  I trusted that they would properly direct us and mark the course.

I'm not saying go out blind, but the RD has some responsibility to marshal/manage the course well, IMO.

I learned my lesson many years ago at a small tri that I was in the overall lead for the first and only time in my life.  It was a short run leg and nobody was in sight with one mile to go.  And then I realize I missed a turn that was not marked.  I ran up and down streets until I saw other athletes and got back on course but my one shot at absolute victory was gone.

Since then I always drive the course at a minimum.  If something is not clear I'll ask the RD.  Over the years it has paid off time and again as I've corrected volunteers and directed/corrected other racers around me

Regardless of whose responsibility course management is stuff happens and always will.  But never again to me. 

if it's a USAT sanctioned race, the athlete is held responsible to follow the course correctly.

it doesn't matter if the signage is inadequate or volunteers mislead the athlete, as recently learned.

If it had been just me or a couple guys I would feel it was on me. When the vast majority minus a few elite locals went off course I feel the RD should make up for it.

I've gone the wrong way before, once in a race that (likely) cost me some real (not just a mug and trophy) prizes. I was pissed... at myself, at the RD, at the volunteer that sent me (and 3 others) the wrong way.

But it was my responsibility to know where to go. Nowhere in the pre-race meeting was it mentioned to follow the directions of people on the course or to follow another athlete. Unfair? Probably... but the rules nonetheless.

There was a race within the past year that an official directed the pros the wrong way in the swim. Potts ignored him and built a sizeable lead, going on to win. The series felt badly enough about it that they award some of the others an extra point in the standings.

I do largely agree with the "know the course" mantra, but I just can not see how ignoring officials in light of that is a good idea when this is exactly how they are going to redirect us in the event of an emergency or developing situation.

Does it suck when a course is poorly marked or the corner attendants are not paying attention or absent or whatever? Yes. Without a doubt.

That being said, it is incumbent upon me to know the course. If crap happens, it's my fault. Period. Those are the rules.

Maybe I have to write cue notes on my arm. Maybe I drive the course beforehand (maybe even a couple, thirteen, fourteen times), maybe all I do is glance at a map, or...maybe I do it on a wing and a prayer that stuff is all marked and vollys are paying attention. But whatever I do, at the end of the day, it's my job to get myself from start to finish...not someone else's.

That was CapTex 2011.  All Potts did was follow the simple swim course and turn at the clearly marked buoys.  There is nothing technical about swimming a rectangle with large yellow buoys on the corners.  The other pros should not have followed the guy on the jetski.

Did it turn out that the guy was not an official? At the time, they believed it was. This also offers no rationale as to why one should not listen to an official.

I looked up a report from one of the pro swimmers and this is what he said occurred:  

The course was the most clear, simple, and well-marked swim course I’ve probably raced in. I give the race credit for that, though it turned out not to matter. It consisted of 4 yellow turn buoys which formed a rectangle. There was no confusion amongst the pro men on the course whatsoever. It was led out by a few stand-up paddlers, a few jet skis, and I believe there was a lifeguard boat somewhere out there as well. We reached the first buoy about 300m out, turned right, swam another 100m to the 2^nd turn buoy…and tried to turn right. I got to the buoy, slammed into a few people, and put my head up. It was chaos, as swimmers were yelling. I heard whistles, saw the paddlers and guys on jet skis pointing to the left and yelling at us to follow the lead boat. They had cut in front of the swimmers turning right, and instructed everyone to turn around and head the other direction, to ignore the buoy, and follow the lead paddle board. So, we followed the directions of the race marshals. Andy Potts and I believe one other athlete, Dan Tigert, ignored the commands of the race employees and swam right, following the correct course. They must have gone around the jet skis and paddle boards. The first few lead swimmers said a jet ski pulled right in front of them waving to turn, cutting them off.The 26 or so others of us who listened to the instructions from the race representatives in boats, not wanting to get disqualified, turned back the other direction and continued following the lead paddle board. We swam for about 60 seconds, and then slowly everyone realized we were headed down the river completely away from the race.

CapTex has been going for over 25 years, but they still have serious issues.  The prior year they measured the swim course incorrectly which made the olympic distance 1800 instead of 1500.

"And I want to call bs on that [knowing the race course to avoid missing a turn]."

http://www.usatriathlon.org/about-multisport/rulebook.aspx

USA Triathlon Article V:, Rule 5.3:

"5.3 Knowledge of Course. The sole responsibility of knowing and following the prescribed cycling course rests with each participant. No adjustments in times or results shall be made for participants who fail to follow the proper course for any reason whatsoever."

I apologize if someone already posted this USA Triathlon rule from their rulebook and website. I'm not sure if the race you mentioned was a sanctioned event. If it was, the rule is clear. If it wasn't, the USA Triathlon Competitive Rules are generally regarded as a de facto set of competitive standards.

Knowing the course in detail is absolutely the responsibility of the competitor and incumbent entirely on them. Here's why:

1. While we do pay the race director to provide a well marked course everything from weather to well-meaning but incompetent volunteers to a heavy wind or rain storm can and sometimes does obliterate course marking. You need to know them, if for no other reason, for your own safety.

2. It a mark of competitive competence to know the course since it may influence pacing, tactics, equipment selection, etc.

3. You paid for the race, meaning you kind of "bought" the course for your use in the race (shared with local traffic and other competitors of course) so it is worth knowing what you paid for.

It's dangerous and competitively naive to go out on a bike course relying on course markers- for all athletes. Even top pros get lost on course when they don't do their research before race day.

You really do need to have a detailed understanding of the swim, bike and run course along with relevant weather intelligence and even information about the other contingencies surrounding the race like the location of local hospitals. Very few people go to this degree of planning but the more you know the less you'll be surprised.

Ultimately it is YOUR responsibility to know the course. If you ask anyone other than race officials, (volunteers are NOT considered race officials) and they point you the wrong way, it is STILL your responsibility if you end up going the wrong way. Do your part and know the course and take a close look at the course maps.

USAT article 3:

3.4 Race Conduct. All participants in USA Triathlon sanctioned events must adhere to the rules in this Section 3.4:
a. Entire Course. Participants must cover the prescribed course in its entirety. It is the participant’s responsibility to know the course.

Rule or not, even if I know the course like the back of my hand, if I come to a point where I think I'm supposed to go one way and a bunch of volunteers or really anyone is screaming at me to go in a different direction, I'm going to question myself.  How do I know the RD didn't have an emergency and have to change the course after the race meeting without being able to make a mass announcement?  And at that point I have a split second to make a decision.  If I follow the volunteers' direction instead of my own recollection of the course and that is wrong, yes I will be mad.

I might not have a case against the RD, but I'll still think it's complete and total crap.

I clearly understand USAT's stance on this and I realize that it's probably necessary due to the impossible ramifications of any other stance.  But I will say that alternatives should be looked at.  I don't know how USAT polices their race sanctioning and their RD certifications but I do think that RDs that have these situations occur due to their own personal/professional negligence should somehow be sanctioned by USAT.  At least then the athletes who have no personal recourse would have some satisfaction.

And I'm not speaking about the simple wrong turn because a volunteer left their post but more egregious situations like the CapTex situation or when athletes are ordered to go the wrong way.

Random example from my last race (where I don't think anyone went the wrong way).  Prior to the race, the RD had not posted a bike route.  I asked for a bike route and a few days later an email was sent to registered athletes with the bike route marked.

Upon arriving at the race site I saw that a different route had been marked on the course.  No particular mention was made of the change by anyone prior to the race.  The MARKED course was clear, but the advertised course was different.

Was this a case where an athlete who knew the course should have ignored the marked course?  Or a case where an athlete that took the marked course went the wrong way?