Triathlon Rules

sconhome

Time and again various questions are raised about what rules apply in what situation when we are racing triathlon.

At this stage there are many different threads across the forum with bits and pieces, some very good discussion on rules and interpretation but it might be time for those rules to be pulled together for the benefit of everyone.

I'll start this off with a link to Triathlon Ireland's Manual of Guidance which is derived from and governed in turn by the International Triathlon Union (ITU) Rules of Competition.

Both of these documents are 2013 editions and are probably due updates in early 2014 again.

Would it be an idea for everyone to try and raise Rule queries in a thread like this so answers can easily be tracked back?

joey100

Good idea AK. Just to bring up what came up on another thread again. The wetsuits with the folds on the forearm that open up on the pull phase of the stroke. I had an idea from reading a thread on here that they were banned and after talking to TI I was told that they were banned. Turn up at hook or by crook this weekend and see two of the suits in transition. I suppose what I'm wondering is what are people's experiences of this rule being enforced? I've definitely seen these suits at a few races this year, is it up to TI officials to enforce the rules or race organisers, or both?

ray o

joey100 wrote: »

Good idea AK. Just to bring up what came up on another thread again. The wetsuits with the folds on the forearm that open up on the pull phase of the stroke. I had an idea from reading a thread on here that they were banned and after talking to TI I was told that they were banned. Turn up at hook or by crook this weekend and see two of the suits in transition. I suppose what I'm wondering is what are people's experiences of this rule being enforced? I've definitely seen these suits at a few races this year, is it up to TI officials to enforce the rules or race organisers, or both?

It is an interesting one alright Joey. I was taking to a seller of these suits the other day and his take was that there are plenty of people out there racing in them and some of those are at the pointy end of things. I have not seen any numbers on the potential benefits to having these panels so I don't know if there is a big time saving l be had, but if they were banned there must be some. I personally would not feel right using them.

sconhome

joey100 wrote: »

Good idea AK. Just to bring up what came up on another thread again. The wetsuits with the folds on the forearm that open up on the pull phase of the stroke. I had an idea from reading a thread on here that they were banned and after talking to TI I was told that they were banned. Turn up at hook or by crook this weekend and see two of the suits in transition. I suppose what I'm wondering is what are people's experiences of this rule being enforced? I've definitely seen these suits at a few races this year, is it up to TI officials to enforce the rules or race organisers, or both?

ray o wrote: »

It is an interesting one alright Joey. I was taking to a seller of these suits the other day and his take was that there are plenty of people out there racing in them and some of those are at the pointy end of things. I have not seen any numbers on the potential benefits to having these panels so I don't know if there is a big time saving l be had, but if they were banned there must be some. I personally would not feel right using them.

Just to be clear these are examples of whats illegal:


While the 'normal' catch panel which is part of the suit is perfectly ok:

For clarity the rulling was re-iterated by Triathlon Ireland in 2012 with reference to the applicable section of the ITU Rule book.

As per the ITU rule 4.6 b (i) first bullet point, which forbids artificial propulsion devices, wetsuits with elements which separates from the wetsuit in the propulsion phase of the stroke, increasing the pushing surface, are not allowed.
This ruling was discussed and the ruling applied by the ITU Technical Committee.
At all TI sanctioned races, the Technical Official (TO) will follow the ITU Competition Rules when ruling on decisions on the use of the wetsuit to ensure the athletes' safety is the first priority.

joey100

That's the suit alright AK. There was another one too where the folds opened horizontally across the forearm. That is the one I contacted TI about and was told was banned. They knew the suit and where able to tell me it was on the banned list.

peter kern

[FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]
Back in the early 1990s we put "pulling surfaces" in our wetsuits. These were forearm panels that had irregular textures that would theoretically stick to the water during the pull. I took these suits to Interbike. I got my dealers all jazzed up over them. I took orders. I'd taken a giant leap ahead of my competition. I had only omitted one thing. I never tested these pulling surfaces.[/FONT]No need to have been concerned about that. These new secret speed suits did not exhibit speeds identical to the "unfeatured" suits. They were slower.

I was crestfallen. But also curious. So, I put on my goggles, held my breath, and watched underwater as swimmers stroked past me with these new suits on. It was immediately obvious what was happening. With each catch air was trapped by these surfaces, and whatever techniques swimmers used to shed the surface of water did not work when using these suits. Air bubbles came streaming off the arm during the pull phase.

http://www.slowtwitch.com/mainheadings/swimcenter/wetsuittech.html

that article is from 2005 little has changed since then reading articles on it.
most of the panels are worthless at best . ( I would not want make a judgement on the speedo suit but I am sure sure that darfting on the bike is a bigger time saver X 30 and we should focus on that first)
[/FONT]

sconhome

That's a great piece to link to and a great insight to how triathlon wetsuits have been developed.

Yamamoto 'chloroprene' is still the product of choice and while there have been changes in the quality and grade of the material ranging from 39 to 44 cell in the majority of the wetsuits on the rack, its still Yamamoto, there has been no real challenger to that throne of tri-wetsuit material.

It is interesting to see how the premium wetsuits are starting to favour no forearm catch panels and are replacing with fabric which allows the swimmer to be aware of the catch phase by 'feeling' the water. A complete 180º turn from the expandable panels of 2 years ago.

mossym

the rules regarding wearing socks/booties was brought up in another thread. i know Norseman may be a different set of rules due to it's status as a standalone. but have a look at the portion of this video where theya re jumping off the boat into the water...lots of neoprene socks on display

http://www.slowtwitch.com/Lifestyle/2013_Isklar_Norseman_video_3871.html

Oryx

I've done races where socks were permitted in the swim due to cold, but iirc it was WTC.

mossym

Oryx wrote: »

I've done races where socks were permitted in the swim due to cold, but iirc it was WTC.

oh right, so there is a temperature variant in the rule? thanks for that, wasn't aware of it

Oryx

mossym wrote: »

oh right, so there is a temperature variant in the rule? thanks for that, wasn't aware of it

Its not shown in ITU rules, which state no gloves or socks, but they have strict guidelines on water temp so maybe thats why. As mentioned on the Norseman thread, its allowed in extreme races where cold is a big issue (boots/socks could mean the difference between finishing the race and being hauled out during the swim).

Pretty sure IM 70.3 UK allowed booties this year, I definitely remember it in a race briefing and I think that was the one. But like I say, they are a WTC race. Gloves were still banned Im pretty sure.

peter kern

Good real world decison making by WTC.
People want to race, health and saftey is very important, so allow people to wear booties when water gets bellow 15 degrees (or very low air temperatures) .

sconhome

peter kern wrote: »

Good real world decison making by WTC.

Possibly this sort of decision is driven by the encouragement of weaker swimmers into their events with the introduction of pontoons? Thus there is a need for cold water protection.

Not to take away from the challenge of Norseman etc.

tunney

*yawn* thought that donkey was dead?

Oryx

amphkingwest wrote: »

Possibly this sort of decision is driven by the encouragement of weaker swimmers into their events with the introduction of pontoons? Thus there is a need for cold water protection.

Not to take away from the challenge of Norseman etc.

I don't agree with the pontoons. You can either do the swim in full or you don't enter. In the race I did I didn't agree with boots either, it wasn't that cold. But clearly the race organisers thought it would be an issue for some.

In very extreme races I can see a benefit, but I really don't want it to seep into regular racing.

sconhome

tunney wrote: »

*yawn* thought that donkey was dead?

Simply countering the assertion of a 'good' decision.

peter kern

The need for protection is to have races when water temperarture (or air ) would be deemed to cold without protection.
so rahter more protection than shorter or no swim at all.

pgibbo

amphkingwest wrote: »

Possibly this sort of decision is driven by the encouragement of weaker swimmers into their events with the introduction of pontoons? Thus there is a need for cold water protection.

Not to take away from the challenge of Norseman etc.

It's not as simple as that. I can comfortably swim 1500m or 1900m. However, I really struggled in Rosses Point because of the lower water temperatures. People react differently to lower water temperatures. Some can handle it, others can't

audiRon

Hi guys,
First post here, just wondering what the legality of the situation would be, if although the wetsuit is banned, but you cut off the forearms where the fancy flaps are? Would it then be deemed legal?
Background here is I got one of those speedo elite suits heavily discounted, obviously because it was banned, and would still like to use it rather than fork out for another one.
I'm from a swimming background and would have no issue wearing a suit with short sleeves or no arms at all.

BTH

audiRon wrote: »

Hi guys,
First post here, just wondering what the legality of the situation would be, if although the wetsuit is banned, but you cut off the forearms where the fancy flaps are? Would it then be deemed legal?
Background here is I got one of those speedo elite suits heavily discounted, obviously because it was banned, and would still like to use it rather than fork out for another one.
I'm from a swimming background and would have no issue wearing a suit with short sleeves or no arms at all.

I would imagine that would be fine. Sleeveless wetsuits are not that common in Ireland, but there's certainly enough of them about. Cutting off half the arm might look odd though. Be very careful with any cut though.

joey100

I would double check with TI. I rang them about one of them suits and asked if I removed the flaps from the forearm or sealed them up would it be ok and was told no, that the suit is on a banned list and that unfortunately that means the suit is banned. They said they couldn't guarantee that the race director would let the suit be used.

audiRon

Thanks for the info guys. I'll contact TI see what
They have to say