Triathlon race organisers do a difficult job mostly well – and they are listening to you

Race organisations in triathlon are often criticised. They’re easy targets. Triathlon can be an expensive sport, the bigger brands carry more prestige, promise a premium experience, and charge higher entry prices. So, when customers aren’t satisfied, they can be vocal. 

But the organisations also listen to their communities, and in the past few weeks I’ve witnessed a number of examples that deserve acknowledgement. 

World Triathlon adapts and resolves

Let’s start with World Triathlon. In running its multisport World Championships in Pontevedra, older age-groups started in later waves and some athletes didn’t make the time cut-off. Initially, these results were annulled as per the rules, but met with vehement protests, World Triathlon swiftly relented, and reinstated the times for finishers. 

Correcting an error? Not necessarily. The scheduling isn’t just random selection. With bike paces varying greatly, who will be sharing the course at the same time is a key safety consideration to prevent high-speed incidents. 

Neither are cut-off times arbitrary when it comes to road closures or volunteer welfare. World Triathlon adapted and found a solution.

Ironman makes age-group qualification fairer

Now take Ironman’s decision to change the qualification process for its full distance and 70.3 world championships. It’s a move that should give high level amateurs a fairer chance of qualifying – irrespective of age or gender. 

What looks like a complicated change is relatively straightforward. Rather than the number of available slots being distributed through the age-groups depending on participation numbers, i.e., More Men 30–34 than Women 30–34, so more slots to the men, triathletes will be racing against the whole field in an age-adjusted score. 

One problem this solves is where you had two high quality athletes in a less well represented age-group, say Women’s 60–64. Previously, they would be racing for a single world championship slot. Under the new system, the age-group winner still gets a place, but other athletes in the category can qualify as long as they are competitive in relative terms. 

For more detail, read our explanation of the new Ironman world championships qualifying system. But for the avoidance of doubt, all the math will be calculated as soon as athletes cross the finish line, so no change to knowing whether you’ll be offered a spot or not. 

Roth challenges age-group doping

Another aspect of intelligent race management that came to light was Challenge Roth’s increased focus on age-group drug testing this year. It falls outside the remit of the German National Anti-Doping Agency (NADA), whose core focus is elite sport. But under the leadership of Felix Walchshöfer, Roth funded NADA’s involvement because it recognised the importance of competition within amateur sport. 

It’s not just an emphasis on catching cheats, especially given that in-competition testing has limited effectiveness (relative to out-of-competition). But it raises awareness, acts as a deterrent and gives education on areas such as painkillers and intravenous therapies that often cross a line for banned use. 

Grassroots organisation deserve plaudits too

The smaller brands are getting it right too. I’ve been at local races recently such as the Cotswold 113 and UK Triathlon in Shropshire where sensible decisions are made to support athletes. Many participants are first-timers, and not only are entry fees more affordable. 

If race plans start heading south there’s regularly the flexibility to switch distances or defer, with sensible approaches taken to refund policies. Organisers know their reputation rests on treating customers fairly. 

Event participation hasn’t recovered to pre-pandemic levels and there is a myriad choice of alternatives to triathlon. If organisers keep making better decisions, then we have every chance of getting there.