Question:
All you triathletes out there and runners! Do you want to be cool for this season and well hydrated? Of course you do!
No, the ideal triathlete wants to crawl across the line for dramatic finish line photos. Dehydration helps. You can purchase The Amazing Race Number Belt for the great price of US $12.00.
Which works out to $456.89 Canadian. Sorry, I can’t buy the Amazing Race Number Belt until the Canadian dollar goes up a little more. This fabulous belt will solve all your race number problems like… Where do I wear my race number?
On my shirt. Where do I find those safety pins before my race?
In the little box at registration. What about the rust that the pins leave on my expensive tri outfits and singlets!
Stainless-steel pins will not rust over the course of the race… maybe an ultra-man, in a coastal climate… nahhh.. It has a side release buckle at the back (like you may see on a rucksack),
Will it double for a helmet buckle? You know, just in case. and is fully adjustable (One size will fit all).
How about +300 lbs. ex-football players? barrelock toggles which completely remove safety pins from the athlete!
It usually takes a doctor to remove safety pins from the athlete. Especially if you have ingested them. Ingenious huh!
Fascinating. My product is the most widely sold in Australia and I have just supplied IRONMAN AUSTRALIA with my product.
How does IRONMAN AUSTRALIA wear your product? Over the IRON, or does it hang your product over the AUSTRALIA? The Amazing Water Bottle Belt is another success story for this range of indispensable triathlon accessories.
Indispensable! I’m sold!!! I’m selling my bike because it isn’t indispensable… important yes, indispensable no. reach again and you have no excuse for dehydration!
Does the Amazing Water Bottle Belt prevent vomitting and diarreha? Those two are my favorite excuses for dehydration. carb. bars, keys, etc and will revolutionize your training runs.
Revolutionize? To revolutionize my training runs I would need a magic carpet or roller-blades. But I admit, The Amazing Water Bottle Belt might slightly change my runs. I’m still sceptical… 
David Barclay IMC 1997: 11:55:59 Triathlon: "Swim, Bike, Crawl"
Response:
All you triathletes out there and runners! Do you want to be cool for this season and well hydrated? Of course you do! You can purchase The Amazing Race Number Belt for the great price of US $12.00. This fabulous belt will solve all your race number problems like… Where do I wear my race number? Where do I find those safety pins before my race? What about the rust that the pins leave on my expensive tri outfits and singlets! This belt is made from high quality elastic and comes in black, bright green, white and cobalt blue (similar to the Reebok blue). It has a side release buckle at the back (like you may see on a rucksack), and is fully adjustable (One size will fit all). The race number is held on by tiny barrelock toggles which completely remove safety pins from the athlete! Ingenious huh! My product is the most widely sold in Australia and I have just supplied IRONMAN AUSTRALIA with my product. The Amazing Water Bottle Belt is another success story for this range of indispensable triathlon accessories. Made from soft neoprene, this bottle holder hugs the small of your back and will not bounce as you are running, climbing or whatever sport that you require hydration. Again, fully adjustable and comes in black only. Your water bottle will never be out of reach again and you have no excuse for dehydration! The Amazing Water Bottle Belt comes with fuel pouches either side of the bottle holder for carb. bars, keys, etc and will revolutionize your training runs. Available now for US$21.50. Compkit race accessories 202 Fellows Road POINT LONSDALE. VICTORIA. AUSTRALIA. 3225 FAX/TEL 0011 61 3 5258 4841 Send International money order for US$12.00 for The Amazing Race number Belt or US$21.50 plus $5.00 P/H. Make payable to COMPKIT. Allow 21 days for delivery. Delivered by Air Mail Express!
Response:
Question:
Will the triathlon in the 2000 Olympics be draft legal? The qualifying information available from the USAT web site lead me to believe that the ITU is in control of the olympic race and therefore it will be draft legal….. If so, that sucks and so do all of the drafters! -rjh
Response:
Will the triathlon in the 2000 Olympics be draft legal? The qualifying information available from the USAT web site lead me to believe that the ITU is in control of the olympic race and therefore it will be draft legal….. If so, that sucks and so do all of the drafters!
Man, where have you been? This has been the hot topic for many, many weeks. Search Deja News for info on this. Volumes have been written. It is a drafting race just like all the other pro triathlon ITU races you see on tv. gil gilliland – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – -rjh
Response:
Will the triathlon in the 2000 Olympics be draft legal? The qualifying information available from the USAT web site lead me to believe that the ITU is in control of the olympic race and therefore it will be draft legal….. If so, that sucks and so do all of the drafters!
You got it all correct, Russell. Triathlon in the Olympics is, alas, under the ITU’s control, and the ITU have decreed it will be draft legal. In the opinion of many on this newsgroup, that means that triathlon still is not in the Olympics. *sigh* Tri-Baby _ – o ’ – __o – </_ ` ‘ – < – __/ /o_ – (()) (()) - / "REAL Triathletes don’t draft." *** Ironman Canada 1997 – 13:04:09 *** http://www-leland.stanford.edu/~brooksie
Response:
I think drafting sucks too. But if the US is ever going to get competitive in these international races, we’d better just change our way of thinking and face reality. Dont stop fighting this necessarily. But until the US unites on this issue, we’ll continue to suffer. The National League doesn’t agree with the American League on the philosophy having the pitcher swing the bat, but they still learn to compete against one another. The examples are endless. Until then, I understand our athletes are training with the US Cycling team to pick up some tactics. Not a bad move. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Will the triathlon in the 2000 Olympics be draft legal? The qualifying information available from the USAT web site lead me to believe that the ITU is in control of the olympic race and therefore it will be draft legal….. If so, that sucks and so do all of the drafters! -rjh
Response:
Sorry, Guy, but the baseball analogy just doesn’t work. Whether or not the pitchers bats is a tiny variation on the game. You’ll notice that major-league baseball does not allow aluminum bats, which is also a small variation compared to drafting. Change the game so that, say, all runners have to be tagged out (no force outs), and you’ll see the hue and cry. And still, that is not as fundamental a change as drafting. I don’t for the life of me see why we have to tow ten thousand (mostly) happy non-drafting age groupers so that three Olympic hopefuls can race at home more often. For decades, the U.S. could not compete in Olympic sports with their best athletes, and that fact hurt those sports not at all. But that’s as bad an analogy as the one I complained about above. Sigh. – Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -I think drafting sucks too. But if the US is ever going to get competitive in these international races, we’d better just change our way of thinking and face reality. Dont stop fighting this necessarily. But until the US unites on this issue, we’ll continue to suffer. The National League doesn’t agree with the American League on the philosophy having the pitcher swing the bat, but they still learn to compete against one another. The examples are endless. Until then, I understand our athletes are training with the US Cycling team to pick up some tactics. Not a bad move. Will the triathlon in the 2000 Olympics be draft legal? The qualifying information available from the USAT web site lead me to believe that the ITU is in control of the olympic race and therefore it will be draft legal….. If so, that sucks and so do all of the drafters! -rjh
Rick Denney Take what you want and leave the rest.
Response:
Question:
– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – My last triathalon was about 10 years ago. I ma signed up to do two in the next two months. So, I’ve been getting ready. Proudly, I pulled my old tri-suit out of the closet. The whites have gotten kinda yellow, but lordy lordy, they thing still fit! Full of pride, I showed it to a tri-buddy who laughed and said he never saw one of them there things. The suit is made by Pearl-Izumi. It is a one piece short and singlet, with a pocket in the back. It has a full length zipper in the front, and one on each leg. Most of the suit is a coolmax mesh, with a solid crotch area made of a shiny blue stuff. The crotch area is both for modesty and it is lightly padded for the bike ride. It is designed to be worn at all phases of a tri, reducing transition times. Question to all you fashion conscious out there: Do I have a competitive advantage because everyone will double over laughing when I wear this? Or, will it strike terror in the hearts of opponents? Or, more likely, will it brand me as on old geek who lives on past performances? Your comments, witty, wise, wonderful or otherwise are welcomed.
I’m sure the suits I’ve seen look more than a little different from yours, but a similar tank top/shorts one-piece garment was available a few seasons ago. I think it was Nike apparel – possibly more readily available in Europe. I don’t think it was padded – not sure – but I saw them used in a few dus on the west coast. Looked cool to me! Anyway, maybe you won’t be so conspicuous after all. Anyone know if the Nike suit is still available? Bob Johnson
Response:
Proudly, I pulled my old tri-suit out of the closet. The whites have gotten kinda yellow, but lordy lordy, they thing still fit! Full of pride, I showed it to a tri-buddy who laughed and said he never saw one of them there things. The suit is made by Pearl-Izumi. It is a one piece short and singlet, with a pocket in the back. It has a full length zipper in the front, and one on each leg. Most of the suit is a coolmax mesh, with a solid crotch area made of a shiny blue stuff. The crotch area is both for modesty and it is lightly padded for the bike ride. It is designed to be worn at all phases of a tri, reducing transition times.
That jogged my memory banks, so I went digging back thru my clothes drawer…. Aha! There it was. Red, white, and blue tri-suit, very similar to yours. I wore it a couple of times back in the 80’s. Yep, we’re getting old. Mike Tennent WebRunner Running Page — Southeast USA Race Calendar 200+ listings. Advertise your race. FTP Race Apps, FAQ http://www.webrunner.com/webrun/running/running.html
Response:
writes: <<I pulled my old tri-suit out of the closet.<<snipwill it brand me as on old geek who lives on past <<performances? Who gives a darn? If it works for you, go for it. It will attract comments and looks. Most of them will wonder how much of an advantage it DOES give you. (i.e. "Where can I get one to try out?") Byron J. Byron Walthall, Jr. Charlotte, NC, USA
Response:
My last triathalon was about 10 years ago. I ma signed up to do two in the next two months. So, I’ve been getting ready. Proudly, I pulled my old tri-suit out of the closet. The whites have gotten kinda yellow, but lordy lordy, they thing still fit! Full of pride, I showed it to a tri-buddy who laughed and said he never saw one of them there things. The suit is made by Pearl-Izumi. It is a one piece short and singlet, with a pocket in the back. It has a full length zipper in the front, and one on each leg. Most of the suit is a coolmax mesh, with a solid crotch area made of a shiny blue stuff. The crotch area is both for modesty and it is lightly padded for the bike ride. It is designed to be worn at all phases of a tri, reducing transition times. Question to all you fashion conscious out there: Do I have a competitive advantage because everyone will double over laughing when I wear this? Or, will it strike terror in the hearts of opponents? Or, more likely, will it brand me as on old geek who lives on past performances? Your comments, witty, wise, wonderful or otherwise are welcomed. —John
Response:
Question:
The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons? I checked the magazines and local newspapers: nothing. Especially the wannabe triathletes need to know what they’re getting into. An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests. Hmm.. I’d say NO newcomer to triathlon need worry about the bike leg, unless they’re stupid enough to try breaking the sound barrier (so they can brag about it on the news) or enter a draft legal race. From personal experience and testimony of almost every triathlete I’ve talked to – their fears will be focussed on the mass/wave start swim leg. Maybe not before they take the plunge, but certainly 100 metres in. I say ‘almost’ just in case there was the odd one or two. I think I’d remember them though as they’re unusual, to say the least. I still fear the swim leg, and I’m pretty sure most do. Maybe that’s because in Oz open water means OPEN WATER, but I doubt it’s any less fearful elsewhere. Most folks grow up riding bikes and running. Not many grow up swimming great distances in the ocean. — Paul Menon – Tritanium Man (AKA Big Ears) Dept of Computer Science, Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, Melbourne 3001, | ".. you know, Diet Coke! No calories, Victoria, Australia. | no sugar! I mean, if you’ve got to practice ph: +61 3 9 660 3209/2348 | mark of an Ironman, you must really have an ICBM: lat 37^ 50′ long 145^ 0′E | obesity problem!" fax: +61 3 9 662 1617 | – Mark Allen, 1st, Japan ‘95 Ironman WWW: http://www.cs.rmit.edu.au/Staffing/TSG/pnm.html
Response:
The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons? I checked the magazines and local newspapers: nothing. Especially the wannabe triathletes need to know what they’re getting into. An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests.
I know from 10 years experience in triathlons that there are accedents on almost every bike course. If they were sixty bike pile-ups like in bike races I could see the accedents getting som ink. I would bet my new lightspeed that 90% of the accedents in triathlons are for these reasons: 1. A spectator walking in front of the bike. 2. A cyclist taking a turn too fast becaust they didn’t heed warnings. 3. In feed zones not slowing to a safe speed when getting a snack. 4. Flats or bikes in disrepair. The only one that we as athletes have no control over is the idiot who walks in front of a racing bike. I do feel that cars are a threat and car vs bike accedents should be in race reports, but not as a warnig to new athletes. They have trained on roads and know whats out there and what they are getting into. I have seen first hand too many people hit by cars, myself included, but every race has its accedents that are better put in the past. Louis Pelissier
Response:
Triathlon may not have many serious accidents but this is no reason not to attempt to make the sport as safe as possible. If this somehow "plays into the hands of the ITU," so be it.
What is your point here? Do you understand what I was referring to as "playing into the hands of the ITU"? I don’t think you do. What I said was that the tendency of the media to IGNORE accidents in triathlon played into the hands of the ITU, since they are pushing a strategy that makes the bike even LESS safe. In effect, I was AGREEING with Ruth. Please be sure what you’re rebutting before you rebut it. From the ITU races I have seen on television, they could use a few lessons in safety. Professional cyclist do not even allow aero bars in pack races for safety reasons.
Agreed. This is a large part of the argument against legalized drafting in tris. The ITU don’t seem to care, as long as they make $$$$. Ruth is right, "repeated accidents" are unnacceptable and should at least be noted. Otherwise, it will not only be race publicity that hurts the race but also the legal system.
Let’s hope not! Don Herron
Tri-Baby _ – o ’ – __o – </_ ` ‘ – < – __/ /o_ – (()) (()) - /
Response:
In the caving and climbing communities (and probably others like diving) learning from others’ mistakes is taken very seriously. The American Alpine Journal and the National Speleological Society News publish Accident reports annually. Certainly these are involved scenarios, but they provide a useful guide to those who might avoid the same mistakes. Perhaps at the very least some of our Tri Magazines could do annual stories on accidents that occured at particular races and the reader could then decide on their own how to change their behavior – be it by not doing the race or by pre riding the bike course, etc. Certainly there is value in an objective and factual (definitely not hyped blood and gore) description of accidents that have occurred. The NSS News actually rates accidents on their seriousness, but reports on fatalities to a two hour lost-in-a-cave scenarios. Watch out for this description of accidents in upcoming tri magazines… Just an idea Tucker p.s. I’m still trying to figure out how to avoid running over woodchucks as I did on one training ride last summer. Even worse I’m trying to figure out how woodchucks can waddle away from being run over while leaving a 165 lb triathlete cut, scraped, rashed, bruised, bleeding on the pavement. Maybe all that hype about shaving your legs to prevent road rash is hogwash and the real answer is to encourage additional body hair growth in the volume of a bomb-proof woodchuck.
Response:
As an x-triathlete who was seriously injured in the cycling portion of a triathlon 2.5 years ago, I agree that safety is very important. Many triathlons are run with the bike course open to vehicular traffic as it’s costly to get roads officially closed. One suggestion I heard, which I think is good, is to reduce the number of triathlons held and insist that those which are held have roads closed to traffic and adequate police surveillance. When we’re warned that roads aren’t closed to traffic, we may be a bit more cautious, but we tend to expect that safe conditions are provided for us! And, of course, accidents happen to other people! Here’s my accident report from July 25th, 1993… I was following the lead police car, and had only cycled a couple of blocks when my accident happened. I wasn’t even going very fast, as the bike check had left my bike in a very low gear and I’d only just got it adjusted. When a car pulled out from the side of the road right in front of me, then saw the police car and suddenly braked, I braked, too, and went over the handlebars into the back of the car. I broke my neck — fractured C-1 in two places (Jefferson fracture) from the impact of my head on the car. I was really lucky. The way my accident was handled would have been a comedy of errors if I hadn’t been in so much pain. I moved to the side of the road myself. The first person on the scene (policewoman) told me to take off my helmet. I knew that wasn’t really a good idea, but figured things couldn’t be too serious if I could move, so I complied. Then the ambulance got there, and had problems getting me onto the spinal board, and used a neck brace which didn’t really fit (too big). I was x-rayed and released from hospital (they lent me some doctor’s "greens" as I was wearing just a bathing suit and carrying cycling shoes) — luckily it was only a 1km walk to the transition zone. Someone drove my rented car most of the 2hrs home, but I did do some driving myself and got rather strange looks when I stopped at the pharmacy to get my prescription for Tylenol 3s filled (I discovered when I got home that my hair was still full of blood). I slept very badly — couldn’t turn my head to the side enough to sleep comfortably on my stomach. I called in sick to work the next day, but went out to return my rental car and pick up my new car. I got home to a ringing phone and many messages — the head of Emergency was calling to tell me that it’s standard practice for the head Radiologist to check the x-rays done on the weekend. Occasionally they miss cracked wrists, but this was the first time they’d missed a fractured C-1. He told me to go to the local hospital immediately. Turns out that they were on half-staff that week. It took me six hours to get admitted — and of course I couldn’t take any pain killers once I got there, and they didn’t even have anywhere for me to lie down. I told the receptionist at Emergency that the other hospital was supposed to have phoned to let them know I was coming and that I had a Jefferson fracture of the C-1. Her reply, "I’ve never heard of that!" — sigh! Once they’d redone all the x-rays and done a CAT scan, confirming the break, I spent 3 days waiting to get an MRI scan done to determine if the ligament holding C-1 and C-2 together had been severed — if so, I would have had surgery to fuse C-1 and C-2. Luckily the ligament was ok. I was going to be fitted with a Halo brace (one that screws into your head), and it sat by my bed for most of the week. At the last minute, the doctor decided on a Somi brace — no screws and much lighter! I wore that (constantly) for just over two months — talk about uncomfortable (it was supposed to be three months, but I healed quicker than expected). Being a swimmer, it was very frustrating as I couldn’t swim in the brace. However, I did lots of water running, stretchcord swimming exercises, stationary bike, and light weights. I was back swimming the day I got the neck brace off, but couldn’t move my neck at all to start with. My butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke have returned to pre-accident times, but the freestyle has been slower to improve. I still have slightly limited mobility turning my head to the side, but I started seeing a chiropractor last year which has helped a lot. This was supposed to be a short post — sorry I got so carried away! Lynn
Response:
My favorite road obstacle is a cattleguard.
Mine was the load of (large) catfish, I assume spilled from a truck, encountered while descending from the Blue Ridge Parkway in N.C. This was a steep, narrow, switchback laden road and the fish were right in the middle of a large, sweeping curve. What fun it would be to explain to the folks at work that the major roadrash you’re sporting resulted from hitting a fish 
Chris Christopher N. Baucom
Response:
great story..what was your point though?
Response:
I have a suggestion to the race directors … for the super dangerous portiosn of the bike legs At the Spokane Troika Triathlon in 1994, the race packet and pre race meeting clearly described a very dangerous railroad crossing. Triathletes were required to come to a complete stop on their bikes just prior to the railroad tracks.
<snipped wussiness way out west… What a bunch of wimps! (note: oozing sarcasm for the implication impaired) Up north we just jump the darn things. Although I must say that I’ve seen a number of ugly crashes on railway crossings: some due to people chickening out part way. My favorite road obstacle is a cattleguard. For those not familiar with cattleguards, they are open pit trenches about three or four feet wide across the length of the road covered (in a manner of speaking) with 4 inch steel pipes set about 5 inches apart, the idea being that cattle will not use the roadway to escape fenced areas by hitting the interstate. Maybe this could be the start of the next variation of this thread…. "What’s the biggest thing you’ve jumped (on the road, that is <g). Tom
Response:
I know this is a bike thread, but I have a running story that applies. I live in the country and do my run training on little traveled roads. One summer day during a run I heard a rustling in the tall grass next to the road and in my peripheral vision saw a dark flash shooting out toward me. I jumped, (hurdled?) over a foot long RAT that was intent on either carrying me away or crossing the road. Steve Rogers
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – I have a suggestion to the race directors … for the super dangerous portiosn of the bike legs At the Spokane Troika Triathlon in 1994, the race packet and pre race meeting clearly described a very dangerous railroad crossing. Triathletes were required to come to a complete stop on their bikes just prior to the railroad tracks. <snipped wussiness way out west… My favorite road obstacle is a cattleguard. For those not familiar with cattleguards, they are open pit trenches about three or four feet wide across the length of the road covered (in a manner of speaking) with 4 inch steel pipes set about 5 inches apart,
If you go fast enough and your timing is right, you can bunny-hops these guys! Pat W.Patrick Brug, Ph.D. _- -_ Los Alamos National Lab -__ __- / cis: 72410,3372 /
Response:
- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – As an x-triathlete who was seriously injured in the cycling portion of a triathlon 2.5 years ago, I agree that safety is very important. Many triathlons are run with the bike course open to vehicular traffic as it’s costly to get roads officially closed. One suggestion I heard, which I think is good, is to reduce the number of triathlons held and insist that those which are held have roads closed to traffic and adequate police surveillance. When we’re warned that roads aren’t closed to traffic, we may be a bit more cautious, but we tend to expect that safe conditions are provided for us! And, of course, accidents happen to other people! Here’s my accident report from July 25th, 1993… I was following the lead police car, and had only cycled a couple of blocks when my accident happened. I wasn’t even going very fast, as the bike check had left my bike in a very low gear and I’d only just got it adjusted. When a car pulled out from the side of the road right in front of me, then saw the police car and suddenly braked, I braked, too, and went over the handlebars into the back of the car. I broke my neck — fractured C-1 in two places (Jefferson fracture) from the impact of my head on the car. I was really lucky. The way my accident was handled would have been a comedy of errors if I hadn’t been in so much pain. I moved to the side of the road myself. The first person on the scene (policewoman) told me to take off my helmet. I knew that wasn’t really a good idea, but figured things couldn’t be too serious if I could move, so I complied. Then the ambulance got there, and had problems getting me onto the spinal board, and used a neck brace which didn’t really fit (too big). I was x-rayed and released from hospital (they lent me some doctor’s "greens" as I was wearing just a bathing suit and carrying cycling shoes) — luckily it was only a 1km walk to the transition zone. Someone drove my rented car most of the 2hrs home, but I did do some driving myself and got rather strange looks when I stopped at the pharmacy to get my prescription for Tylenol 3s filled (I discovered when I got home that my hair was still full of blood). I slept very badly — couldn’t turn my head to the side enough to sleep comfortably on my stomach. I called in sick to work the next day, but went out to return my rental car and pick up my new car. I got home to a ringing phone and many messages — the head of Emergency was calling to tell me that it’s standard practice for the head Radiologist to check the x-rays done on the weekend. Occasionally they miss cracked wrists, but this was the first time they’d missed a fractured C-1. He told me to go to the local hospital immediately. Turns out that they were on half-staff that week. It took me six hours to get admitted — and of course I couldn’t take any pain killers once I got there, and they didn’t even have anywhere for me to lie down. I told the receptionist at Emergency that the other hospital was supposed to have phoned to let them know I was coming and that I had a Jefferson fracture of the C-1. Her reply, "I’ve never heard of that!" — sigh! Once they’d redone all the x-rays and done a CAT scan, confirming the break, I spent 3 days waiting to get an MRI scan done to determine if the ligament holding C-1 and C-2 together had been severed — if so, I would have had surgery to fuse C-1 and C-2. Luckily the ligament was ok. I was going to be fitted with a Halo brace (one that screws into your head), and it sat by my bed for most of the week. At the last minute, the doctor decided on a Somi brace — no screws and much lighter! I wore that (constantly) for just over two months — talk about uncomfortable (it was supposed to be three months, but I healed quicker than expected). Being a swimmer, it was very frustrating as I couldn’t swim in the brace. However, I did lots of water running, stretchcord swimming exercises, stationary bike, and light weights. I was back swimming the day I got the neck brace off, but couldn’t move my neck at all to start with. My butterfly, backstroke and breaststroke have returned to pre-accident times, but the freestyle has been slower to improve. I still have slightly limited mobility turning my head to the side, but I started seeing a chiropractor last year which has helped a lot. This was supposed to be a short post — sorry I got so carried away! Lynn
Wow Lynn, what an incrediable story. Glad to hear that your recovery is progressing well. Lucy
Response:
As an x-triathlete who was seriously injured in the cycling portion of a triathlon 2.5 years ago, I agree that safety is very important. Many triathlons are run with the bike course open to vehicular traffic as it’s costly to get roads officially closed. One suggestion I heard, which I think is good, is to reduce the number of triathlons held and insist that those which are held have roads closed to traffic and adequate police surveillance. When we’re warned that roads aren’t closed to traffic, we may be a bit more cautious, but we tend to expect that safe conditions are provided for us! And, of course, accidents happen to other people!
<scary accident report snipped This post and the accompanying story brought to mind a question that I have had for some time now. Does USA Triathlon provide reports, training etc. for race directors on how to create a safe bike course and keep it that way on race day? We have all competed on race courses that were not optimally designed for a safe race, although obviously many times the race directors are limited in their choices. Does USA Triathlon offer assistance on designing safe courses? Just as importantly as course design, is the maintenance of that safety on race day. Sure all race directors know (hopefully) that traffic controllers are needed at significant intersections and corners should be swept the morning of the race, but what about how to train the people controlling traffic on the course, vehicles leading/patrolling the course during the race, and just as important people guiding bike traffic in the transition areas? Too many times these people are thrown onto the course with the simple instruction of making sure the bikers don’t get into an accident. For example, in one race I nearly slammed into the rear of the lead motorcycle because he came to a dead stop at a turn. I’ve seen people run into volunteers that stepped into the cyclists path while looking the other way. All of these mishaps could have been prevented by a simple training session for these volunteers. Certainly we want to make it as easy as possible for the great folks that volunteer to keep our races safe, but some instruction is needed. Would be great if USA Triathlon could provide materials for this instruction. A video to show volunteers would be the best, because we all know that materials that stimulate all of the senses provides the best recall. Would save the race directors alot of headaches also the day before the race, as it’s one last thing he or she must attend to. Certainly there are some safety items peculiar to each race, but training materials would certainly be a big help. Marty — Marty Miller Proprietor of The Triathlete’s Web http://w3.one.net/~triweb
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: In the caving and climbing communities (and probably others like diving) : learning from others’ mistakes is taken very seriously. The American : Alpine Journal and the National Speleological Society News publish : Accident reports annually. Certainly these are involved scenarios, but : they provide a useful guide to those who might avoid the same mistakes. : Perhaps at the very least some of our Tri Magazines could do annual : stories on accidents that occured at particular races and the reader could : then decide on their own how to change their behavior – be it by not : doing the race or by pre riding the bike course, etc. : Certainly there is value in an objective and factual (definitely not hyped : blood and gore) description of accidents that have occurred. The NSS News : actually rates accidents on their seriousness, but reports on fatalities : to a two hour lost-in-a-cave scenarios. Watch out for this description of : accidents in upcoming tri magazines… The same occurs in skydiving. The US governing body’s monthly magazine provides information on each fatality that has occurred in the sport in the US (~10/year). The sentiment is that while all practitioners are aware of the potential danger in the sport, it is incumbent on the governing body to provide as much information as possible on accidents so that its members can learn from them. Joe Sventek
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I have a suggestion to the race directors … for the super dangerous portiosn of the bike legs (i.e. at Wilkes Barre in the rain) … why not have some video footage taken of the area, (while going down it on the bike) and play it near the sign-up booth so everyone can see it and be aware to be cautious at that point. That or, in the case of rain which was described earrlier, post an official adn make people slow down warning of a dangerous situation. Just a thought. TKLeff
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I have a suggestion to the race directors … for the super dangerous portiosn of the bike legs
At the Spokane Troika Triathlon in 1994, the race packet and pre race meeting clearly described a very dangerous railroad crossing. Triathletes were required to come to a complete stop on their bikes just prior to the railroad tracks. A marshal was there to insure that you stopped. In addition, there were a few very narrow sections of road that were designated as non-passing zones. They were described at the pre race meeting and very clearly marked out on the course. The race director at Spokane went to these great efforts to ensure the safety of the participants on the bike course. Everyone came to a complete stop at the railroad tracks, there were no crashes there or on the narrow no-pass zones. I thought this was an excellent way to keep the bike section safe. I appreciated that the race director had gone to this effort to provide a safe race for the triathletes. Cathy Corning
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:Tricia, :I am glad you clarified your point and that your agreed with Ruth’s :comment on the issue of safety. I wonder however, if the safety issue may :be a better tatic to stop drafting than t-shirts? Just an idea and no :attempt to rebut your attempt to gather the group behind a worthy cause. 
on Herron Don: This is an excellent point. I think the t-shirt thing is fun and rallies people together, but I’m not sure that it will have a great effect on the ITU. It has been my experience that Safety concerns will get most rational peoples’ attention, especially if the liability factor is weighed in. But the pro contingents in races are small and they have the cycling community as a model. The pros are the one’s who’ll have to stand up (and forego $1 million in ITU prize money this year) and boycott ITU races, at least the "World Championship". Tucker
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Tricia, I am glad you clarified your point and that your agreed with Ruth’s comment on the issue of safety. I wonder however, if the safety issue may be a better tatic to stop drafting than t-shirts? Just an idea and no attempt to rebut your attempt to gather the group behind a worthy cause. Don Herron
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…An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests. Ruth Kazez
I dont agree Ruth, serious accidents at Triathlons are rare. In my 7 years as a competitor, and 5 as an official I only know of 1 crash that required medical evacuation, ( Columbia Tri ‘94) and fortunatley the athlete was not severly injured. Mostly we see alot of road rash, not really worthy of a 20/20 expose’. The most severe medical problems that occur are dehydration, overheating, and in early season races, hypothermia. Bruce Platt
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It’s really a rare subject that finds Tricia and me not completely on the same side. The choice of Cleveland for World’s was made without any remembrance of the many instances of hypothermia, some of which were severe enough to send swimmers to the hospital. Other sites for popular triathlons have had turns at the bottoms of hills that are exciting for skilled bicyclists, but inappropriate for many of the entrants who have no idea what they’re getting into. Ruth Kazez
Ruth, You must be talking about that "exciting", downhill, off camber, corner from hell at Wilkes Barre?! Luckily when I raced there in ‘94 we drove the course the night before and made notes. However, the incredible rain of bibilical proportions washed it from my memory. I approached the corner unaware, passing several people that I was temporarily referring to as wussies. Locking the back brake and swallowing my heart back out of my throat as I skidded sideways across the corner improved my bike handling skills immensely but I’d rather do that during training, under controlled conditions. I think that courses that have a history of crashes or other dangers should be publicised. Not to scare off trigeeks from racing or from newbies enterring the sport. Not to garner front page glitz etc, but as a service to readers/racers. I remember hearing after the Manchester worlds that a particularly dangerous corner at the bottom of a hill, existed, and that many crashes occured. This sort of info should be put forth. The odd crash at a race for whatever reason, can be left out in favour of more important or intersetign news. Later….. TriDork
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- Hide quoted text — Show quoted text – Joel Kryczka says: I was at Junior national championships (canada) in Leamington Ontario, and the day before the race my friend crashed and I was right behind him and ran over his head. We were going 55 kph. Needless to say he has little or no use of his right hand (no tendons), and had some brain cells killed, as for me I broke my clavicle and my drop bars hit my side with so much force that it blew open my side….. The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons? I checked the magazines and local newspapers: nothing. Especially the wannabe triathletes need to know what they’re getting into. An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests. Ruth Kazez
I don’t know if I agree with you, Ruth. I think there’s too much sensationalistic gore in the press these days anyway, and the misfortunes of a few athletes don’t need to be trumpeted to the world. However, you’re right that, if a journalist wants to cover the big picture, he or she would do well to mention the down sides, as well as the up, of triathlons. On the other hand, this tendency to ignore publicizing crashes in tris could well play into the hands of the ITU. I can guarantee that there will be more (and more serious) crashes in triathlon if they continue to push legalized drafting. This fact will be blissfully ignored, however, because "Drafting is good for the sport!" TriBaby – o - o - /_ – /_ ` , - /- – __/ ` /o__ - (()) (()) - /
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The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons? I checked the magazines and local newspapers: nothing. Especially the wannabe triathletes need to know what they’re getting into. An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests. Ruth Kazez
And what about all those abductions by space aliens that occur during the run…and Elvis sitings during the swim? Do I detect a press cover-up/ conspiracy? Lighten up Ruth, I think far too many folks don’t do triathlons because of perceived dangers and difficulties that we triathletes are wont to perpetuate to promote our own macho images. I also think the phrases like "wannabe triathlete" are extremely derogatory and speaks volumes as to why our sport suffers for lack of new-comers. If anybody wants-to-be a triathlete, we should encourge them, not intimidate them with our $2500 bikes and tales of suffering. How many people won’t enter a triathlon because they’re ashamed of their beloved Huffy 10-speeds? How many won’t enter because they think all triathons are Iron Man distance? How may won’t enter because of our aloof attitudes? Of course, all physcial activities involve some inherent risks and I think everyone knows this; bikes will crash, not a big secret there. I don’t think anybody in the press is trying to cover up the gory details of our sport (For example…how many times did we see the god-awful re-run of the Bustos crash, in slow motion, during the Ironman coverage…I couldn’t get on my bike for a week after that!).
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[snip] What I would like to see are more pre-race meetings for novice racers. I remember my first triathlon well, primarily because I had no idea what was going on most of the time. Perhaps Tri-Fed could even produce a video for first-time triathletes explaining what happens at a race and how to avoid problems (e.g., getting pinched in a corner).
Let me give a quick thanks to Marty for reminding me of a thread I’d forgotten about. It covered pre-race explanations of draft zones primarily, but other safety and rules issues as well. Perhaps if the RD meeting has not already passed by, USAT or the RD’s as a group might address some basics to encourage all RDs to include in their pre-race metings, mailings and literature? There was a request posted at one time for input to the USAT safety committee. I wish I’d thought to point out then that there are some things easily overlooked by those of us with more than a few races under our belts which can be baffling to a relative newcomer. It’d would be great to solicit some input from the spectrum of race experience we have available here on rst to pass along to the RDs those suggestions which might make the most difference in putting the newcomer at ease and increasing the safety factor for all. For instance: How to keep right while avoiding drafting, (we’d probably all like to know!); how to rack your bike politely and effectively; what to watch out for in and around transition; where to expect auto traffic on the course (bike particularly); etc…(Of course all the things that are so obvious on race day escape me now…) Anyone else? Kurian Davis
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Joel Kryczka says: I was at Junior national championships (canada) in Leamington Ontario, and the day before the race my friend crashed and I was right behind him and ran over his head. We were going 55 kph. Needless to say he has little or no use of his right hand (no tendons), and had some brain cells killed, as for me I broke my clavicle and my drop bars hit my side with so much force that it blew open my side…..
The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons? I checked the magazines and local newspapers: nothing. Especially the wannabe triathletes need to know what they’re getting into. An accident report following the conclusion of race coverage might not be good publicity but it would certainly be in our best interests. Ruth Kazez
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– Hide quoted text — Show quoted text -Joel Kryczka says: I was at Junior national championships (canada) in Leamington Ontario, and the day before the race my friend crashed and I was right behind him and ran over his head. We were going 55 kph. Needless to say he has little or no use of his right hand (no tendons), and had some brain cells killed, as for me I broke my clavicle and my drop bars hit my side with so much force that it blew open my side….. The unwritten paragraph in every triathlon race report would resemble your account of your accident. It seems to be a tradition among journalists of triathlon to bury the broken bones and bruises of anonymous triathletes before the facts reach the press. Thus is the illusion of a safe sport preserved. What happened to all those leveled athletes and their fine machines that I passed on the road in countless triathlons?
<snipped Sounds to me like a bit of overkill, Ruth. Sure there are accidents, but I don’t think they are as common as you are suggesting. I doubt that any novice triathletes forget that hitting the pavement or any other immovable object may be painful. This is a lesson we all learn early on in our lives. I don’t think we need to suggest, however, that triathlons are inherently dangerous. What I would like to see are more pre-race meetings for novice racers. I remember my first triathlon well, primarily because I had no idea what was going on most of the time. Perhaps Tri-Fed could even produce a video for first-time triathletes explaining what happens at a race and how to avoid problems (e.g., getting pinched in a corner). I don’t think we need news reports of the gory details of every bike wreck. — Marty Miller Proprietor of The Triathlete’s Web http://w3.one.net/~triweb
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It’s really a rare subject that finds Tricia and me not completely on the same side. "Safety First" is not my motto; nor would it do as my middle name, even parenthesized a la John () K. This is the first year I have worn a helmet on practice rides although I have had my share of bad spills, always my own fault. Yet, I think if we are going to be concerned about the safety of draft legal races, we should stretch that concern to dangers that are already present, about which we know little. The choice of Cleveland for World’s was made without any remembrance of the many instances of hypothermia, some of which were severe enough to send swimmers to the hospital. Other sites for popular triathlons have had turns at the bottoms of hills that are exciting for skilled bicyclists, but inappropriate for many of the entrants who have no idea what they’re getting into. I didn’t mean that magazines should dwell on blood and guts reporting, but that a race site that sees repeated accidents should be noted. I don’t think journalists are "conspiring," but I wonder if the race directors are steering them away from information that would be very bad publicity. Ruth Kazez
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