TriAthy X

Supernintento Chalmers

Macy0161 wrote: »

And if you'd picked your exit, not sure you'd be checked for the right bike either.

They made sure that I was the owner of the bike by checking that the stickers on my helmet matched the stickers on my bike

Vincepl

Wow saw the guy who is first in the Olympic results averaged 54.73 km/hr on the bike and broke 1:40 for the Olympic

hf4z6sqo7vjngi

Supernintento Chalmers wrote: »

My runners were in there, they dumped the lot out on the grass in the transition area, between my bike and the next, the bag got dumped separately under a tree, over near the Portaloos.

Anyway, sure I'll know for next time and I'm glad it wasn't Tri-Athy that were responsible. I can still blame them for the water stations and bag drop though

Don't blame the race, marhalls, or TI, blame yourself. The rules are there for a reason. Using the word "dumped" is very strong when the mistake is yours!

EC1000

munsterbear wrote: »

Also clearly states that it is competitors responsibility to know the course. Saw so many athletes today stand up in transition like Meer cats and haven't a clue what way they should go and then be abusive to stewards for not guiding them. Again improper preparation from the athlete.

Knowing the course is one thing and is your responsibility. Knowing which way to negotiate through random lines of barriers erected that morning is impossible, especially in the absence of any signage. Thought the set up was a bit lacking in that regard. Otherwise enjoyed the event. Some oddities on the run course such as the lock gate that means everyone has to run through a 1ft wide gap. This became crazy on laps 3 and 4 when the course was very busy.

Having said all that, the race is streets ahead of where it was a couple of years ago and the new finish area is much better.

Macy0161

Actually remembered something else - no specific/ marked mount or dismount line for the Olympic. "Around the corner" was what we got in the race briefing, but was no line or specific marshals.

peter kern

Jad Dirty Victim wrote: »

Don't blame the race, marhalls, or TI, blame yourself. The rules are there for a reason. Using the word "dumped" is very strong when the mistake is yours!

can you tell me what the reason is ?given you can have boxes in transitons in Uk and it seems to work fine .

peter kern

Macy0161 wrote: »

Actually remembered something else - no specific/ marked mount or dismount line for the Olympic. "Around the corner" was what we got in the race briefing, but was no line or specific marshals.

that is of course a live changing error ;-)
everybody knows what the race is like and yet people go back every year to complain about it.
it has good points and bad points as a beginner i would love to do the race as an expereicned athlete i would not.
if you want to do a well organiced race with friendly race organicers just do tri an mhi next week.
the options are out there to pick a race that suits you.

griffin100

Jad Dirty Victim wrote: »

Don't blame the race, marhalls, or TI, blame yourself. The rules are there for a reason. Using the word "dumped" is very strong when the mistake is yours!

Removing a bag from transition is one thing. Emptying it out is another.

Ceepo

griffin100 wrote: »

Removing a bag from transition is one thing. Emptying it out is another.

What would you propose they do.
Leave it there ?
Remove it with contains included?
Go through it and pick out what is race specific and take them out before removing it?

mossym

can understand the frustration at the bag being taken and contents dumped, but i can only imagine the alternate posts if the bag and it contents had been removed and the poster not able to finish the race. this seems like the better scenario!!

on a reason for the rule, there are plenty of rules that don't have obvious reasons, but if you want to do a TI sanctioned race you live with them


agree with Peter though, tri athy was my first ever race, loved it for that reason, and it's a great way to get into the sport, given the course and how early in the year it is. once you have a few races done though i can't see why people keep going back, save for maybe the double oly which is a rare distance to have in a race

zico10

peter kern wrote: »

everybody knows what the race is like and yet people go back every year to complain about it.
it has good points and bad points

It has the same faults year after year. I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect that an attempt would have been made to solve these issues. Instead though, more people were put on the course and the problems compounded.

Also whatever about knowing the course, there wasn't a single sign directing cyclists or runners on where they should go. With three different races taking place and multiple laps to be completed, I would have thought the need for such signs would be obvious. The marshals didn't seem to have been briefed on their duties and it doesn't surprise me one bit that so many people made mistakes. I took a wrong turn and missed another myself. Ultimately the blame might rest with me, but both instances could have easily been avoided with just a little more foresight on the part of the organisers.

Lastly, but most importantly of all are safety issues. Having closed roads is all well and good, but parts of the course were still very, very dangerous.

Supernintento Chalmers

peter kern wrote: »

can you tell me what the reason is ?given you can have boxes in transitons in Uk and it seems to work fine .

Tri-laois had a great transition area. Each space had a boxed off section for your gear. It was really neat and well laid out, with plenty of room and a clear system for in and out.

fletch

I really enjoyed the race, my first Olympic distance. The rolling swim start in particular meant the swim was an absolute pleasure, no fighting for space. Yes I didn't get time to aclimatize but the water wasn't that cold anyway. And no waiting around for 1hr+ for your wave.
I don't recall a mount line leaving TA1 but there were 2 marshals who were very vocal at the dismount line entering TA2.
The cycle route was fast and flat, closed roads were a pleasure particularly as it was my first race using tribars. A bit tight on the final 2kms with runners coming in the opposite direction.
No complaints in TA2, a marshal instructed me where the exit was.
Running would be my strongest discipline but the route was narrow and congested with both Olympic & Sprint runners which made overtaking difficult. The guys at the water stations were under a lot of pressure. Heard some runners giving out to them which pissed me off a lot. I tend to always try be self sufficient at events and tbh you should easily get around a 5k/10k without the need for a water station (I had hydrated sufficiently on the bike and brought a gel with me on the run)
Also noticed a few runners who must have missed the decision point for the 2nd lap and were running back across the bridge. I felt there were adequate marshals shouting instructions but perhaps some signage at the bridge would have helped. However it is up to competitors to know the route.
All told, I had a great race and thought was well organised.

griffin100

Ceepo wrote: »

What would you propose they do.
Leave it there ?
Remove it with contains included?
Go through it and pick out what is race specific and take them out before removing it?

Remove it as is. That's the normal procedure, no? It's what I've seen TI officials do. What else would you do with it? Emptying out someone's stuff is a ****ty thing to do.

iwillhtfu

griffin100 wrote: »

Remove it as is. That's the normal procedure, no? It's what I've seen TI officials do. What else would you do with it? Emptying out someone's stuff is a ****ty thing to do.

It's just aswell some one emptied out the bag. His runners were in the bag???

Also there is absolutely no need for a transition box in a sprint/Oly race. How much crap do people plan on bring into transition for a short race. Fair enough Double Oly you may have some extra needs in it but even then they have a special needs drop out on the course.

Statler

My first time doing this particular race, had heard all the horror stories so wasn't sure what to expect. Just to echo what a few have said above, a sign or two on the bike course in particular wouldn't have gone astray, especially at the 2 u turns on the Olympic bike course, absolutely no indication that they were 180 degree turns on approach, but then again as has been said above it's up to me to know the course.

The run course was messy with congestion, and the marshal's directions at the bridge weren't exactly clear in the heat of the moment "one lap under, one lap over" was what got shouted at me. Makes perfect sense now, but on the second lap approaching the finish I met at least half a dozen people running back from the finish to go back out for their second lap. Again though, up to me to know where I'm going, and any misgivings I have about the standard of marshaling is cancelled out by the abuse I heard some of them at the bridge get from someone who didn't understand their directions. Paid or volunteer, good or bad, there's no need to abuse people.

The only thing that really bugged me was the complete lack of security at the bag drop and Olympic transition at the finish. Random people milling around the bikes when I got back there, and the bag drop/collection was a free for all. Granted by the time I'd packed up and was ready to go marshals seemed to have appeared and were checking bike numbers.

Ceepo

griffin100 wrote: »

Remove it as is. That's the normal procedure, no? It's what I've seen TI officials do. What else would you do with it? Emptying out someone's stuff is a ****ty thing to do.

It's always a hard call for Technical officials.
As if they leave it there you will always have people giving out that "he has his bag there "
Take it away with maybe runners etc, then someone may not be able to continue their race. Just take out what you feel us race specific and they will say they need something else.
"Dump" it out and they give out because you "dumped it out.
Hard to win

They other thing is ensure its not left in there in the 1st place.
They they give out that they have to move it

griffin100

Never considered that the TI official might be trying to do a favour by emptying out the stuff and talking the bag away. Tough call like you say.

peter kern

did you ask them before you entered if they make changes they havent made in 5 or so years ?

zico10 wrote: »

It has the same faults year after year. I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect that an attempt would have been made to solve these issues. Instead though, more people were put on the course and the problems compounded.

Also whatever about knowing the course, there wasn't a single sign directing cyclists or runners on where they should go. With three different races taking place and multiple laps to be completed, I would have thought the need for such signs would be obvious. The marshals didn't seem to have been briefed on their duties and it doesn't surprise me one bit that so many people made mistakes. I took a wrong turn and missed another myself. Ultimately the blame might rest with me, but both instances could have easily been avoided with just a little more foresight on the part of the organisers.

Lastly, but most importantly of all are safety issues. Having closed roads is all well and good, but parts of the course were still very, very dangerous.

peter kern

British Triathlon Rule 2016

7.1 Competitors should only bring into transition what is required. Boxes may be provided by the Event Organiser, any other boxes used to bring equipment into transition should be removed. A small soft-sided bag such as a rucksack may be used and remain in transition, though it must not impede the progress of another competitor.
(i) Competitors must place within 0.5m of their racking position in transition, or within the width of the bike handlebars, all equipment to be used at a later stage in the event.
(ii) All equipment already used must be deposited in that area.
(iii) Only equipment to be used during the competition can be left in transition.
(iv) All other belongings and equipment outside the above rules are to be removed before race start;

Supernintento Chalmers

peter kern wrote: »

British Triathlon Rule 2016

7.1 Competitors should only bring into transition what is required. Boxes may be provided by the Event Organiser, any other boxes used to bring equipment into transition should be removed. A small soft-sided bag such as a rucksack may be used and remain in transition, though it must not impede the progress of another competitor.
(i) Competitors must place within 0.5m of their racking position in transition, or within the width of the bike handlebars, all equipment to be used at a later stage in the event.
(ii) All equipment already used must be deposited in that area.
(iii) Only equipment to be used during the competition can be left in transition.
(iv) All other belongings and equipment outside the above rules are to be removed before race start;

TI refers you to those rules, so, from the point of view of TI is having such a bag in transition legal after all?

Macy0161

peter kern wrote: »

that is of course a live changing error ;-)
everybody knows what the race is like and yet people go back every year to complain about it.
it has good points and bad points as a beginner i would love to do the race as an expereicned athlete i would not.
if you want to do a well organiced race with friendly race organicers just do tri an mhi next week.
the options are out there to pick a race that suits you.

Whatever about life changing error, it was my first "commercial" race. I thought a bit of line marker was a pretty basic thing tbh.

MD1983

zico10 wrote: »

It has the same faults year after year. I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect that an attempt would have been made to solve these issues. Instead though, more people were put on the course and the problems compounded.

Also whatever about knowing the course, there wasn't a single sign directing cyclists or runners on where they should go. With three different races taking place and multiple laps to be completed, I would have thought the need for such signs would be obvious. The marshals didn't seem to have been briefed on their duties and it doesn't surprise me one bit that so many people made mistakes. I took a wrong turn and missed another myself. Ultimately the blame might rest with me, but both instances could have easily been avoided with just a little more foresight on the part of the organisers.

Lastly, but most importantly of all are safety issues. Having closed roads is all well and good, but parts of the course were still very, very dangerous.

wrong turn and missed turn on the bike or run? i can see how you would do that on the run but the bike hasnt changed in years and there was much more there this year in terms of marshalling/bollards/straw bales than previous years

gilleek2

zico10 wrote: »

It has the same faults year after year. I don't think it's being unreasonable to expect that an attempt would have been made to solve these issues. Instead though, more people were put on the course and the problems compounded.

Also whatever about knowing the course, there wasn't a single sign directing cyclists or runners on where they should go. With three different races taking place and multiple laps to be completed, I would have thought the need for such signs would be obvious. The marshals didn't seem to have been briefed on their duties and it doesn't surprise me one bit that so many people made mistakes. I took a wrong turn and missed another myself. Ultimately the blame might rest with me, but both instances could have easily been avoided with just a little more foresight on the part of the organisers.

Lastly, but most importantly of all are safety issues. Having closed roads is all well and good, but parts of the course were still very, very dangerous.

Where did u take the wrong turn? A lot of the marshalls were young lads that had little interest in being there and werent very vocal with instructions. Signposts and ticker tape would have been better than some of them.

zico10

peter kern wrote: »

did you ask them before you entered if they make changes they havent made in 5 or so years ?

No! Don't be fatuous, Peter.

I'm sure the organisers are fully aware of the dangers created by having three races running concurrently. Coming back into Athy, there is a huge variance in speed between the cyclists competing in the three different events. It's often the case that the faster athletes are overtaking cyclists who are doing their own much slower overtaking maneuver. Coming against them, you could have three runners doing the same thing. Then the cones in the middle of the road are another hazard.

Whether or not I have contacted the organisers about this is a moot point, it's an accident waiting to happen. It's negligent of the organisers to persist with these arrangements for the race. And when an accident does happen, I think the insurance companies would be entitled not to pay out given this negligence.

I felt another part of the Double Olympic cycle route was pretty bad as well. It was a sharp bend and cyclists were approaching it at speed from both directions. I seriously doubt any cycle race would take place under such conditions. Without a doubt it should have been a no-overtaking zone, but it wasn't. There weren't even marshals warning of the danger ahead. But at least it was free from runners and I'd hope the people taking part in this race would be experienced enough to see the risks and ride accordingly.

zico10

MD1983 wrote: »

wrong turn and missed turn on the bike or run? i can see how you would do that on the run but the bike hasnt changed in years and there was much more there this year in terms of marshalling/bollards/straw bales than previous years

Both happened on the bike. It was my first year doing the double, but even if it wasn't I'd imagine mistakes are far more likely to happen when one's moving at 50km/hr as opposed to 15km/hr.

The place I took the wrong turn was at the sharp right hand turn after 20km. The marshal there was standing in the middle of the road, with his back to the turn I was supposed to take. I've no idea what he was gesturing or mumbling, but anybody would have assumed he was signalling that I should go left and that's what I did.

The turn I missed was on the second lap where we were supposed to turn left for Castledermot. I know I'd been through it before, but at the same time, there were no marshals or signage forewarning me that the turn was coming. Since coming out of Athy, I'd spent the previous 10 minutes practically hugging the centre white line overtaking hundreds of noobs and roaring at anybody blocking me that I was coming through. Given this, it was hard to tell where I was on the course. The first marshal I came to was positioned at the junction. I was still out near the white line and I shouted that I was doing the double and asked where should I go. His response was straight ahead. Maybe he wasn't talking to me, or maybe the question had caught him by surprise, but I was gone past the turn when I realised I was wrong. A marshal, or even a simple bloody sign, positioned 100m before the junction telling people where to go would have prevented this and I'd have made my way into the left-hand side of the road. I don't that's too much to expect.

zico10

gilleek2 wrote: »

Where did u take the wrong turn? A lot of the marshalls were young lads that had little interest in being there and werent very vocal with instructions. Signposts and ticker tape would have been better than some of them.

See above post for the answer to your question.

Never mind signposts, mannequins with outstretched arms would have been better than some of them.

space2ground1

Just towards the end of the run where the river runs to your left hand side and you run towards the bridge, the marshal was sending the 'sprints to the right and keep going if its your second lap' or something to that effect. I was doing the sprint and I thought for a second I needed to keep left because I had only done one lap but remembered then that it was the olympics that needed to do a second one so I kept going. There seemed to be a lot of confusion there because a fella ran past me going the opposite way about 400m down that track and he was screaming and cursing. He'd obviously been sent back. Another girl passed me going the opposite way then and she was upset.

I think we should know the route but if its your first time at a race and you're tired and not as calm as you'd be over a coffee reading the instructions on a quiet iPad, theres always room for assistance.

A good few of the marshals I saw along the route were looking at their phones while some others were certainly doing their best. Cycling back against the runners from the other category was really hairy especially with other cyclists coming the opposite way.

The main grumble for me was the length of time we stood and waited for the start. I saw bits of glass in the grass along the way and although I was there for 10:15 to be in plenty of time for the race briefing at 10:30, I didnt hear any briefing from where I was and I got into the water around 11:15. 45 mins standing before a race isnt ideal.

I enjoyed it but I don't think I'll be in a hurry to go back.

Supernintento Chalmers

I do have some criticisms about things that could easily be improved and concerns, mainly about the danger of mixing runners and cyclists.
Having said that, it's probably my favourite triathlon, I've really enjoyed it on the two occasions I've done it and I'll definitely be back next year, health and fitness allowing.

EC1000

Supernintento Chalmers wrote: »

Having said that, it's probably my favourite triathlon

Which ones have you done? (Genuine question).