HITS Palm Springs 2012 - Drafting and Course Cutting Your Way To The Podium

Forums

Forum guidelines BT super discount

Updated posts

My threads
No new posts

My favorite threads

General Discussion

Triathlon Talk » HITS Palm Springs 2012 - Drafting and Course Cutting Your Way To The Podium

Rss Feed

Moderators: k9car363, alicefoeller

ChrisM

2012-12-05 3:21 PM

Subject: HITS Palm Springs 2012 - Drafting and Course Cutting Your Way To The Podium

Executive summary - the cheating going on at the Olympic distance was blatant, unrepentant, pervasive, intentional, and all sort of other descriptors. It was ridiculous. If it was a WTC race, we would have a 30 page thread on it by now. But HITs seems to get a pass on this issue for some reason. Yeah, the RD was great. Personal transition areas were cool. So what?

Disclaimer and my vantage point. This is only offered for two reasons, first to establish where I was to see what I saw, and second as a backdoor brag. I started this season, as every other, as a Clydesdale. I've lost a bunch of weight, and this was the first race that I
could not have raced that division even under current rules. I was super thrilled with my results in a "regular" AG (at least through the swim and bike, the run, well...). And nothing that I saw appeared to keep me off a podium, so this isn't just sour grapes on my part. But it recalls a post in another thread by someone else.... ST is watching you, even if the RD isn't

I exited the two loop swim (great swim, by the way, although the swimming lifeguards was a weird touch) 8th OA male. About where I expected. Got on the bike and within
the first 3-4 miles passed 4 guys and was 4th OA at the turn. Now most of you don't know me, so you don't know how momentous this is for me. I have never, not once, since starting racing in 2004, gained spots on the bike. I am sure the guys coming the other way were thinking "what the hell is HE doing up here???" I certainly was. Ended up 5th OA male coming into transition, thinking holy sh$$! Was stoked beyond belief to be there (yeah, it's a small off season race, but if you show up, you race). But since it's swim/bike/run, it was all downhill from there. Might have overcooked the bike a touch, I am undertrained, and dealing with a foot injury, and well, I am a slow runner even fully healthy. So I had the chance to see most everyone that ended up on the OA or AG podium pass me on the run. Ended up 28th OA/25th male/5th AG.

Drafting - I saw the entire field coming the other way to the turnaround. I did not notice anyone obviously drafting, and hard to tell at that speed if someone was passing or
drafting or.... However, and this is all hearsay, I 've read reports on BT of half distance winners drafting off others and telling other racers things to the effect of "HITS doesn't marshall the course, let's work together." (the author refused and had to slow down to get the cheater off their wheel). There's a report of a jerseyed team in a pace line with a car in front filming it. Nearly every report of the longer distances reports drafting. ETA - Props to BT's amymengel for declining the offer to cheat. She's a good steward for the sport.

Not a single course marshall.

Course Cutting - This I saw. For those not familiar, the course exits a park and runs along an access road that curves around the lake, then east onto 58th Avenue. About 1.5 miles in the run course turns left onto Madison for about 1.5 miles, out and back. About 1.2 miles into the run, on 58th, a sidewalk starts that parallels the street, but which curves
back and forth. At this point on the run, I noticed there were cones directing runners to the sidewalk, and a faint purple chalk writing with arrows to the sidewalk. At the pre-race meeting just before the swim (so, presumably everyone was there), the RD said that they did not have permits to run on the street, and the run course was on the sidewalk, and that there was plenty of room. The aid stations were on the sidewalk path. The race course was on the curvy sidewalk from where it began about 1.2 miles in to the turnaround and back again.

As I was running on Madison, about 2 miles in, saw the first guy running straight along the street. I couldn't see his number clearly, but he had a distinctive Los Angeles area tri shop kit on, so I knew I'd be able to figure it out. I debated with myself and eventually decided I wouldn't report the number, but would tell the RD they needed to get someone out there patrolling the next time. Then I saw another, and a couple more, and eventually could not hold my tongue. I started calling out that the course was on the path, and that they
were cutting and cheating. Most looked at me and ignored me. One actually had the balls to say "I'm just following what these guys are doing" pointing to the two guys in front of him. I called out one guy as he was passing me on the way back, wearing a Jimmie Johnson race jersey... at least he got on the path, but not without a sarcastic "yes sir." I probably saw 20-30 people cutting the course, or more. it was hard to keep track and eventually I gave up saying anything because I would have been constantly talking. It was over 10% of the field.

I am happy to say that the top 10 or so guys and 5 or so ladies were all running on the sidewalk. But I know for a fact the first guy I saw took a podium spot, in my AG. Didn't cost me a spot because I would not have caught him. But still, in my opinion he cut the course on his way to a podium. There were likely others but I couldn't keep track of all the numbers.

You cannot tell me that the cutting was not intentional. I and at least two other
people (including monty) called them on it. The course was on the path, as announced, the aid stations were on the path. Most people were on the path.

One might argue that the course maps on line and handed out were ambiguous, as they showed straight lines on the street. But - the written description says left "on sidewalk." The RD announced the course. And, the cutters would have to ask themselves why other folks, including the OA winners, were running a longer course by running the sidewalk.

You also cannot tell me that they did not gain an advantage. Recall that the half run was a mile long because they measured the street, and not the path. here's a link to a screen shot of the left turn, you can see the curvy path compared to the street.

https://mail-attachment.googleusercontent.com/...Cgj9o70&sadssc=1

And, as it turns out, an advantage isn't even necessary for a course cutting violation, but it might be a DQ if there is an advantage gained. The HITS website states that it follows USAT rule 3.4, which it actually cites in the athlete guide:

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. Any violation of
this section, even if no advantage is gained, shall result in a variable time penalty,
unless the Head Referee in his sole discretion determines that (i) the violation was
substantial and resulted in an unfair time advantage, or (ii) the violation constituted endangerment under Section 3.4(l). In the event the Head Referee makes such a determination, the penalty shall be disqualification

Was it a substantial unfair time advantage? You look at the map and tell me whether, over
the course of a 10K, there was one. Sure seems like it to me. Of course, as with the bike, there was not a single marshall or, other than aid stations, race employee to direct runners on the course. Can a course even have USAT cert if it does not provide any enforcement of the rules? Isn't there some sort of standard of conduct required to maintain USAT certification?

I hope HITS survives. It was a decent race other than the blatant cheating ("but how was the play Mrs. Lincoln?"), but if it wants to be taken seriously they'll have to spend the money to get some marshalls on the course. I have friends that say "well, I race my race clean, I can't worry about cheaters." I understand that, but shouldn't we worry about
them? Or is it just the age of Lance continued, that if a marshall doesn't catch them, if no penalty is handed out - in short, if they got away with it - then it's OK. Is that OK to anyone here? It's not to me, and I think if we want the sport to continue to be taken seriously, we need to call these things out. If not to the cheaters, then to the RDs who then are on notice of what they need to do.

Edited by ChrisM 2012-12-05 3:26 PM

HITS Palm Springs 2012 - Drafting and Course Cutting Your Way To The Podium

REGISTER TODAY