Ironman 2015 Competition Rules... some new rules and changes
Ironman 2015 Rules
Basically they're aligning with ITU rules. Drafting rules have changed, wetsuit rules sort of changed, mirrors no longer allowed on bikes/helmets and some other stuff.
I put it in this forum since it's the most visited EN forum.
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Draft zone increased from 4 bike lengths to 5 bike lengths...even more mathematically impossible in the early miles of many events.
Also interesting to see the 100% ban on even carrying anything that looks, smells, acts like cellphone, camera, etc. With smartphones being used for so many things these days, I'm curious to see how the athlete community responds. Also, having been a moto-driver for many races, I can be absolutely certain that race officials aren't now going to be looking for the hard rectangle shaped object in your pocket so they can give you a penalty. They will still be 100% focused on the bike stuff: drafting, blocking, passing, crossing the centerline, dropping trash on the course.
Or maybe they will now start to do that, I dunno.
As you know, lots of phone-based tracking tools out there, allowing your family to track where you are, so I expect there will be a LOT of people on the course who've had to make a decision to "cheat or not cheat" by bringing a phone a long.
That said, I'm all about not having phones on the run course. Always bothered to see Timmy walking the course and getting his belly rubbed by his wooby on the other line. Weak.
Has the distance for the pro's changed? When I was Jimmy's driver at IMAZ he was using the spacing between the lane markers to identify drafting. That is, the space between lane markers was the pro draft zone so all he had to do was look at the two shadows and count to 20. But I don't recall if he also did this for AG'ers, ie do (did) they have the same draft zone as ag'ers?
You can change all the rules you want but at the end of the day it's an education issue.
In fact, Jimmy and I talked about a lot of stuff on the bike at AZ
. He's my annual IMAZ moto-bitch, always good to catch up.
New rules are silent on mirrors stuck to the inside of sunglasses.
Thru about 2005, I raced in the same sunglasses I used for bike commuting, in which I had pasted a tiny mirror. It was indeed a great help in looking for both other athletes sneaking up on the outside, and marshals on motos - but there were fewer of them back then.
Then, I switched sunglasses for racing, and the curvature of the lens precluded the mirror. Funny thing, that;s when I started winning races. Must have been the aero advantage of the new frames.
When I get home, I guess I'm gonna have to get out a tape measure on my 16 y/o 650c bike. Also, I wonder about my S&S couplers: Sec 5.02 (c) (v): "Bike or parts of the bike not complying with the bike specifications (as set forth in Section 5.03) are prohibited; (Stop and Go Time Penalty or DSQ depending on severity)." 5.03 (h): "Non-traditional or unusual bikes or equipment are illegal unless, prior to the start of the Race, approval has been granted from the Event-specific Head Referee. (DSQ)"
I fully support no drafting - I like the individual aspect of IM.
I do not like rules that cannot be enforced, because when they are enforced, they become unbalanced (e.g. the intentional foul at the end of a basketball game).
No sure of the answer but I can tell you you should assume there is zero width. That is, there is no such thing as offset. One thing I see, a LOT, is athletes riding 2-3 lengths back but offset / staggered to the side. They look at me like "hey, there! I'm totally cool here! Have a nice day!" No doode, you're NOT ok. You're inside the draft box and the clock is ticking.
New Rule Just says. "For age-group athletes, wetsuits may be worn in water temperatures up to and including 24.5 degrees C/76.1 degrees F"
Where in the past there was also that part about "Athletes who choose to wear a wetsuit in water temperatures between 24.5 degrees C/76.2 degrees F and 28.8 degrees C/ 83.8 degrees F will not be eligible for Age Group awards, including IRONMAN World Championship 70.3 slots or Rolldown slots."
So do you think that part is going to be totally gone?
Thanks.
I don't think it's anything as nefarious as that, though I do recall the video from a few years ago where a guy put like 3 go-pro cameras on his bike during IMFL to chronicle the drafting
.
I think this is them not want to bother with "it's a cell phone, it's a camera, it's a GPS device, it lets my family know where I am, etc" conversations. Just ban everything, done.
As I said, practically unenforceable as long as you're not actually taking the device out and using it, ie, a marshall sees you on the run course dialing up your BFF to get you through a rough patch (again, weak). Marshalls on the bike have far, far too much doing on to be checking for phone-shaped rectangles in singlet pockets.