WCS San Diego
ITU Racing Primer DIFFERENCES BETWEEN ELITES
AND AGE-GROUPERS By Jayme Ramson
Delly Carr
In the fast-paced world of International Triathlon Union racing, no athlete is untouchable. Anything can happen to anyone, anytime and anywhere on the course. While age-groupers can overcome a poor swim or a sluggish T1, as an elite, a shot at the podium likely has vanished with one miscue. At the 2012 ITU World Championship Series event in San Diego, age-groupers will have the unique opportunity to compete alongside the best Olympic-distance triathletes in the world, including many of the athletes you’ll see in contention for medals at the 2012 Olympic Games. Here’s our ITU racing primer, the best way to learn the differences between the way age-groupers race and the way the pros do.
PRE-RACE • Elites attend a mandatory pre-race rules briefing prior to the race. They also check in at the athlete area prior to their warm-up.
SWIM • Most ITU World Championship Series races consist of a two-lap swim totaling 1,500 meters. Athletes dive in together from a pontoon, complete one lap, dive off the pontoon again, then complete the second lap. • Age-group swims vary. Some races feature wave starts, where athletes are grouped with others in their age group. Other races feature time-trial starts, where athletes enter the water a few seconds apart. • The maximum water temperature for elites/pros to wear wetsuits is 68 degrees for the Olympic distance. • Age-groupers can wear wetsuits until the water temperature is greater than 78 degrees. At their own discretion, age-groupers can wear wetsuits with a water temperature between 78 and 84 but they are not eligible for awards or prizes, according to USA Triathlon rules.
52 USA TRIATHLON FALL 2011
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