TIME LIMITS:

All triathletes must be capable of completing the swim in 1 hour and 10 min from THEIR swim wave, completing the bike by 5:30 minutes from their wave start, and finishing the entire race in 8:00. All cyclists must be past the 28 mile mark of the bike course within 4 hours of their wave start. All athletes must begin their second loop of the run before the 7:30 mark.

A MESSAGE FROM THE HEAD REFEREE
TO ALL AGE-GROUP COMPETITORS...

Most triathletes come to races with only a rudimentary understanding of the rules of the sport. Indeed, few have ever read through the Competitive Rules in its entirety. In order to minimize misunderstandings on race day, I hope you will take the time to read the following summary of Position Violations, which you probably know as the drafting rules.

I have reduced the Position Rules to the following concepts: (5.10)

• RIDE ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF YOUR LANE
  
• KEEP THREE BIKE LENGTHS BETWEEN YOURSELF AND THE CYCLIST IN FRONT OF YOU
  
• PASS ON THE LEFT OF THE CYCLIST IN FRONT, NEVER ON THE RIGHT
  
• COMPLETE YOUR PASS WITHIN 15 SECONDS
  
• IF PASSED, YOU MUST DROP COMPLETELY OUT OF THE ZONE, TO THE REAR, BEFORE ATTEMPTING TO REPASS

Remember you are racing in a USA Triathlon sanctioned event and there are trained referee on the course to ensure fairness in the competition. There will be NO WARNINGS if you commit a foul during competition. Triathlon is an individual event and you must take personal responsibility to understand the rules and avoid penalties. At the end of the race all citations by the marshals are reviewed by the Head Referee who then decides if a penalty should be assessed. The Head Referee's ruling is final in the case of Position Violations and there are no protests or appeals of Position penalties.

Marshals commonly cite the following violations:

• Illegal Position or Blocking- riding on the left side of the lane without passing [5.10 (F & D)]
• Illegal Pass- passing on the right [5.10 (e)]
• Overtaken- failing to drop back three bike lengths before repassing [5.10
(g)]
• Drafting- following a leading cyclist closer than three bike lengths and failing to pass or exit the draft zone within 15 seconds. [5.10 (a & b)]

Though Position Violations carry a time penalty for each occurrence, if you are cited for three violations you will be disqualified.

Always have your chinstrap securely fastened! The chinstrap rule is easiest to follow, but some folks always seem to forget-that's a DQ! (In the transition area it is a variable time penalty. Anywhere else on the course a DQ) [5.9 (b)].

Remember to treat other athletes, volunteers, and officials with courtesy and consideration. Failure to do so is called Unsportsmanlike Conduct and you will be disqualified. [3.4 (b)]

All handlebar ends must be solidly plugged in the race. Tape alone is insufficient. You will be disqualified if your bar ends are not solidly plugged [5.11 (i)]

PENALTY PROCEDURE

ATHLETES COMMITTING RULES VIOLATIONS WILL BE NOTIFIED "ON THE SPOT" BY AN OFFICIAL.

THE OFFICIAL WILL DO THE FOLLOWING…

• Call out your race number.
• Notify you that you have received either a RED CARD (for drafting) or a YELLOW CARD (for all other violations) by showing you the corresponding colored card.
• Instruct you to report to the next penalty zone (PZ) on the course.
• Take your photograph for verification that you were penalized.

THE ATHLETE WILL THEN DO THE FOLLOWING…

• Report to the next PZ and tell the official in PZ whether you received a RED CARD or a YELLOW CARD.
• Register at the PZ via a sign-in sheet.
• Have your race number marked by the PZ official with a red "slash" for drafting, or a red "P" for all other penalties.
• Either resume the race immediately upon having your number marked with a "P" for non-drafting violations, or remain in the PZ for FOUR minutes if you were shown a red card for drafting.

PENALTY ZONES

• While drafting is the only violation to incur a TIME penalty, you must go to a penalty zone for ALL violations to have your number marked.
• Failure to report at the next PZ will result in disqualification.
• There are no penalty zones on the run, however, if you are penalized on the run, the official will mark your number on the spot.

Participants are expected to heed directions and instructions of all race officials and public authorities, and to show good sportsmanship at all times or risk disqualification.

REFEREES WILL BE AVAILABLE TO ANSWER QUESTIONS REGARDING PENALTIES
ONCE ALL OF THE BIKES ARE OFF THE COURSE

No participant may use alcohol or any illegal or IOC banned substance with the intent to improve performance, eliminate fatigue, or other purpose. Violation is grounds for disqualification, and will result in a one-year suspension for first offense. Second offenders will be banned from all future Ironman-licensed events.