6 Days to Havasu
Have you ever been running in a triathlon and wondered if you took the wrong turn somewhere? Or maybe you were disqualified for missing a cutoff time that you didn’t know about?
Today we discuss that magical document that eludes at least 5% of triathletes at any given race: THE ATHLETE GUIDE.
I could be way off on that 5% estimate. I pretty much pulled it out of thin air, but every time I work on a triathlon or marathon I deal with at least one athlete (and sometimes several) who either was pulled from the course or missed a turn or received a penalty or unknowingly violated a rule. Most of them admit not reading the athlete guide.
Race Rules
In the case of the Havasu Triathlon, there doesn’t seem to be a formal document called an athlete guide. However, if you read the website, pretty much everything you need to know is there: course maps, event schedule, parking, etc. There’s even a link to the most commonly violated USAT rules.

Most all the rules you need to know are on the website
I can’t stress this enough: READ THE WEBSITE (I’m not yelling. I’m being adamant)
Nuff said ’bout that… almost.
Interesting Behavior
If you’re an experienced triathlete, you’ve probably already read the race rules and you know the USAT rules by heart. But even experienced triathletes get lost on any of the swim, bike or run courses.
Pop Quiz: 1. So you're in a race and a race official pulls you from the course for missing a cutoff. What do you do?
A: Get belligerent/Throw a tantrum
C: Thank your race staff for a nice ride to the finish line and sign up for another race as soon as you get home.
And the correct answer is…
It doesn’t matter what you do. Your race results are going to be the same. However, if you want to be known as the person who got pissed off for not reading the rules, choose answer A. If you do choose answer A, I know a few people who are going to make fun of you behind your back for years to come.
Conclusion
Don’t be known as the person who cussed out the race volunteers and officials. RTFAG: Read The Athlete Guide. I mean that in the nicest way possible. 😉
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