Rules

• All participants shall compete based upon their age on December 31 of the year of the event.

• All participants must be members of USA Triathlon. Membership in USA Triathlon is available to all persons, in good standing with USA Triathlon who submit a completed application, pay the required membership fee, and comply with all the requirements determined by USA Triathlon to be applicable to Membership.

• Race officials reserve the right to require proof of age from each participant in the form of a birth certificate or other official proof of age document. Failure to produce a proof of age document may result in disqualification from the event.

• Proper swimwear must be worn. DQ

• No flotation devices of any kind may be used during the swim. DQ

• No artificial propulsive devices such as fins, paddles, or gloves may be used. Goggles or face masks are required (race specific rule). Snorkels are technically allowed but not encouraged. DQ

• Swimmers must be able to complete the entire course using any stroke. Swimmers may not make forward progress by pulling on lane ropes, swim gutters or any other inanimate object, or by making forward progress of any kind by holding onto a moving kayak, board, or boat. TP

• If provided by the event, swimmers must wear the assigned swim cap throughout the swim. TP

• Participants must follow instructions given by lifeguards and officials. TP or DQ at official’s discretion.

• USAT rules state that competitors may wear wetsuits if the water temperature is 78 degrees or lower. USAT rules also state that if the water temperature is between 78.1 – 83.9 degrees, competitors may wear wetsuits but will NOT be eligible for awards. This includes shorts made of neoprene.

• The transition area is open to participants, only. When transition closes for competition to begin, only participants and race officials may enter transition. Finishers may not retrieve gear until all participants have finished the cycling portion and have begun the run and the race director allows finishers into transition. TP or DQ at official’s discretion

• Competition apparel (shoes, socks, shirts) must be placed next to the bicycle at the rack and may not be taken to the pool or open water swim start area. TP

• Bicycles must be placed on the rack according to the directions given by race officials. Bicycles may be racked in the assigned area, by the handlebars, the seat or by using the kickstand. Bikes placed on kickstands must be in the designated area, in line with other bikes, and may not extend out into the lane of travel or lean purposefully on any other competitors equipment. TP

• Participants may not interfere with other participants’ gear. If you need/thing something moved that does not belong to you get a race official, course marshal or race staff member. TP or DQ at official’s discretion

• After completing the cycling portion, participants must return bicycles to an upright position in the same assigned location before beginning the run portion. TP

• No riding bicycles in transition. Participants may walk or run their bicycles in and out of transition but cannot mount their bike until they are officially past the designated mount line (outside transition) and they must dismount before the dismount line. The area(s) between each participant’s bike rack and the mount/dismount lines is considered a strict no ride zone. TP

• Event specific Rule - All athletes must claim their bikes by the time posted as the “Event Conclusion.” TP or DQ at Race Director or Transition Director’s discretion.

• Each helmet must be inspected for, and contain a US-CPSC sticker.The CPSC standard is a legal requirement for any helmet manufactured for the US market. It was adopted by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission, and is mandatory for all helmets manufactured for sale in the U.S. after 1999. So European and off-brand helmets do not have the sticker. Everyone that wishes to take part in the race must have a helmet with the inspection sticker inside. DQ

• The bicycle must be road worthy and in safe operating condition. DQ

• The bicycle shall have two wheels. DQ

• There must be at least one working brake on each of the two wheels. DQ

• The bicycle may be on-road, off-road, or a combonation style. No recumbent style bicycles are allowed. DQ

• All handlebars ends shall be solidly plugged. DQ

• Race officials reserve the right to disallow any bicycle deemed unsafe. Any unusual bicycle must be approved by race officials prior to competition.

• Cyclists must wear a helmet approved by the US Consumer Product Safety Commission. DQ

• The helmet must be securely fastened prior to mounting the bicycle and at all times while riding the bicycle. The helmet may not be unfastened and removed until the participant has completely dismounted. DQ

• Cyclists shall wear shoes at all times while on the bike (cycling or running shoes are allowed). DQ

• Cyclists shall ride in a safe manner, which includes: a. Riding on the right side of the lane; TP b. Riding no closer than 3 bike lengths distance behind a leading cyclist; TP c. Passing on the left of the slower cyclist; TP d. Riding in a straight line without swerving, veering, or blocking the forward progress of other cyclists. DQ

• Race officials may remove and disqualify any cyclist who appears to ride or behave in an unsafe manner.

• Participants shall run or walk the entire course. DQ

• Participants shall wear shoes at all times while on the run course. TP

• No personal audio devices or headsets may be used or carried during any portion of the event. DQ

• Unsportsmanlike conduct on the part of participants or their supporters will not be allowed. Participants must treat others with courtesy and respect. No rude, abusive, or discourteous language or behavior will be tolerated. DQ

• Participants must complete the prescribed course in its entirety. While this obviously means course cutting it also means veering off course and running more than is given. Even those that do more than the course has marked are still disqualified. It doesn’t matter how you deviate from the marked course, just that you did. KNOW YOUR COURSE BEFORE YOU ARRIVE. DQ

• No personal audio devices or headsets may be used or carried during any portion of the event. DQ

• No unauthorized assistance of any kind is allowed. Non-participants may not run or ride a bicycle with a participant nor may they provide participants any food, fluid, or equipment aid during competition. This also means that the participants and/or their supporters may not set out (abandon) hydration or nutrition on the course. TP All aid must come from water stops, officials, medical, safety, staff, SAG or volunteers. Any serious situations that may arise and need the immediate assistance of non-participants will still result in a TP or DQ but should be the last thing on anyone’s mind if the situation is that serious it warrants immediate assistance (ie medical emergencies).

• Race numbers must be displayed at all times. Swimmers must be clearly body-marked, cyclists must display their bike numbers, and runners must wear their bib numbers. TP

• LITTERING IN ANY WAY IS STRICTLY PROHIBITED. Whether intentional or accidentally (abandonment) leaving anything behind can potentially endanger other athletes and/or result in the event not being permitted the following year. DQ Please be a Good Steward of the venue(s) so that we may all be welcomed back with open arms.

USAT means USA Triathlon. USA Triathlon is the governing body of the sport of triathlon in the USA, part of the overall Olympic Committee, making USAT officially part of Team USA. This means that they must adhere to a strict set of rules put forth by the Olympic and Paralympic Committees. When you see that an event is “USAT Sanctioned” it means they have to complete a thorough application process drawing out all aspects of how they plan on conducting the event. Everything from permitting, to safety, to water quality, course design, and more! As a participant, seeing that an event is sanctioned by USAT should give you at least some confidence that the event is at least meeting the minimum standards concerning fairness of competition and overall safety of the competitors.Description text goes here

USA Triathlon has a Race Director Certification program that goes above the standard sanctioning process. Those Race Directors who choose to become certified go through approximately 16 hours of coursework and complete an exam. They are required to recertify every two years and complete a background check through NCSI and take SafeSport training. The recertification and coursework ensures that the race director remains current in their knowledge and engaged in the triathlon community. There are two levels of Race Director Certifications.

Aaron Palaian of ONURMARK PRODUCTIONS is a USAT LEVEL 2 Race Director, the most difficult to obtain. Only the most qualified reach this level. He was one of the first to receive this certification and has since used his knowledge and experience to produce events all over the USA, and world (Texas, Maine, Michigan, Washington State, Alaska, Hawaii, and Iceland) for the last 15-years.

In order to participate in a USAT-sanctioned event you must have a current USAT membership. This can be in the form of an annual or one day membership. Most registration platforms (we use RunSignup) automatically link to the USAT database to real time certify the validity of your membership status. During registration you will be asked for your USAT membership number. Once you input it you will be permitted to continue with your registration without any additional info or fee.

If you do not have a current membership you have two options:

• Option #1 - Purchase a $60 Annual Membership good for 365-days from the date of purchase

• Option #2 - Purchase a 1-Day $13 License good only for the race you’re registering for. If you plan on racing more than 3 times in the next 365-days, it’s worth purchasing the annual license.

PLEASE NOTE: this fee and license (annual or 1-day) does not go to the race. This fee is to help pay for the events insurance, national ranking system, education of coaches, directors, and officials, etc.

Most adult triathlons in the United States are sanctioned by USA Triathlon. This helps the individual event. It also helps keep the national governing body strong so that it can support race directors, growth of the sport initiatives, and Olympic and Paralympic athletes.

• Access to the collective wisdom of over 35,000 sanctioned events over the past 30-years.

• Giving the peace-of-mind with industry-wide Safety Standards.

• Ensuring a fair race governed under industry-wide Competitive Rules.

• Providing the Gold Standard of event insurance for the event, athlete, and venue.

• Regional and national points and ranking system awarding annual designation of USA Triathlon All-American status.

• Opportunity to qualify for the National Championships and then possibly the World Championships as a member of Team USA.