I just became a facebook fan of “Say no to Drafting” and eagerly made my way to the Wall in order to share with everyone my frustration with how other competitors complain about the enforcement of triathlon rules. Indeed, I was even surprised to see that there are fans of “Say no to Drafting” that have spoken out against rules enforcement to differing degrees.

I am absolutely flabbergasted that so many people can train for the sport and advocate either breaking the rules themselves or remain indifferent about others breaking the rules. I regularly hear the same types of defenses: “just worry about yourself, who cares if others cheat”, or “it’s just for fun, so why worry about it”.

Let me ask some follow-up questions. Who would join a bowling league “for fun” and accept that another team gives itself a “redo” for a bad frame? Who would join a softball league “for fun” and accept that the other team is allowed a base hit for a ball just barely foul? Who would play intramural football and argue that a touchdown should be allowed because “the runner only stepped a little bit out of bounds”.

Rules are rules. They all need to be supported, followed, and enforced or the “fun” is gone. It is unlikely that anyone participating in any of my examples above would continue to have fun under the stated conditions of unenforced rules.

Finally, I might add that complaints about rules bending/breaking extend beyond drafting. The culture of the sport seems to equally defend all types of rules infractions including cutting the course short, blocking, passing on the right, abandoned equipment, receiving aid, starting in the wrong wave, etc. The culture seems to be “if I enter in the proper age group, then everything else is my business (especially if I am not placing)”.

Again, I call ones attention to a football player stepping out of bounds and thereby ended the forward progress of the play. Too many self policing triathletes would continue the play with the attitude that “I was just a little bit out of bounds, so what’s the big deal?” Simply put; the triathlon rules culture too similarly mirrors that of a couple of buddies playing golf and that takes a great deal of the “fun” out of the sport.”

Pointing fingers is easy. It is usually the first reaction. We get angry with drafting and first to blame are the ones we see drafting, second reaction is the marshals, then organizer, then the organizations… One by one we can easily blame everybody.

And everybody is to blame!

And nobody is to blame.

We are to blame as well?

At least we are trying to make Say NO To Drafting less about blame and this is why:

Drafting is a cultural issue, it is a problem in the overall culture of the sport, it is about everybody and everything.

It is no different than how driving in Istanbul is a complete nightmare, how smoking weed is normal in some teenage cultures, how taking illegal anabolics is typical of bodybuilding, how faking to fall down is typical of Italian football, how surfers talk a “certain way”, how English like their fish&chips and how they care about the Royal Family, how Americans drive huge cars, how Chinese eat with chopsticks… you get the point.

It is also same as having coffee in Lava Java in Kona, like trying to be sub 10% body fat all year round, like wearing tight clothes with super bright colors and huge logos, like mentioning Mark Allen and Kenyans 50 times in every conversation…

It is a matter of culture, how people learned to behave within a certain group.

Marketers study it, sociologists study it, sales people love it cause it makes it easy for them to sell stuff, and those who live the culture love it cause they can be different and its obvious that they are different.

The culture of the sport of triathlon (or at least the 90% of it which is non-drafting) is a bit twisted and it includes a line which says: DRAFTING IS ACCEPTABLE.

If change is to happen we need to change this one little line to: DRAFTING IS NOT COOL.

Race owners, business people, race organizers, marshals, PROs, age groupers, spectators… we all share this cultural programming so if this one line in the program is changed we will all change and there will be less drafting.

No one is to blame, just the whole triathlon universe!

How can we change the cultural programming?

Talk talk talk talk talk against drafting so it becomes clear that drafting is NOT COOL.

We need to start a small internal triathlon cultural revolution…

Flat, dragstrip courses are notorious for drafting, and when it’s in the US or Europe people tend to notice. Tucked away in the most isolated Ironman location in the world though is one of the flattest fastest courses there is, Ironman Western Australia, Busselton, the next race coming up this weekend.

We don’t think it needs added to the black list but we’re hoping the pro men can keep it a bit cleaner than last year. Let’s look at last years top pro results:

Looking at the top finishers swim times:
Time:           Rank:

00:50:25    7
00:50:43    13
00:48:05    1
00:50:40    10
00:50:48    17
00:50:22    5
00:50:40    11
00:53:18    31
00:50:26    8
00:50:18    3
00:50:25    6

In 30 secs 14 athletes exited the water in around 50min.  Two guys were 2 mins up on these, one fell back on the run but not until after an outstanding 4:25 bike however he was not alone looking at top finishers bike times:
Time:           Rank:

04:25:27    5    00:50:25
04:25:13    4    00:50:43
04:27:36    11    00:48:05
04:24:52    2    00:50:40
04:25:33    9    00:50:48
04:25:28    6    00:50:22
04:24:52    3    00:50:40
04:40:03    15    00:53:18
04:27:13    10    00:50:26
04:25:15    8    00:50:18
04:25:30    7    00:50:25

So apart from the guy who swam 3 mins slower and missed the bunch and the two guys who were caught by the chase pack, everyone rode the same time (within 39 secs).  Not only that but all these guys rode 4:25 and then apart from a couple of 4:30 splits from 1 hr swimmers next closest bike times were 14 mins slower.  Why this tight knitted bunch of about 10 guys then a gulf of difference?

Finally, lets look at the top combined swim bike times which include all of the top finishers from the pro peloton:

Swim             Cycle              CyclePos       OverallPos
00:48:05         04:27:36     05:15:41………….3
00:48:11          04:27:49         05:16:00…………39
00:50:18         04:25:15          05:15:33………….10
00:50:22         04:25:28        05:15:50………….6
00:50:25         04:25:27         05:15:52………….1
00:50:25         04:25:30         05:15:55………….11
00:50:26         04:27:13          05:17:39………….9
00:50:40         04:24:52         05:15:32………….4
00:50:40         04:24:52         05:15:32………….7
00:50:43         04:25:13         05:15:56………….2
00:50:48         04:25:33         05:16:21………….5
00:53:18          04:40:03        05:33:21………….8

Within 24 secs 8 of top 12 all climbed off bike together. Perfectly matched abilities?  Tactics? Fear? Comfort?  Or something else????

JD
Thanks to John Dargie for that analysis of IM WA race splits.

After several years of racing elite at Olympic Distance (drafting) it became apparent that it was not the discipline for me. I was not a strong enough swimmer and the uncooperative nature of the chase packs lead me to pursue 70.3 Ironman triathlon.

I have had much more success in this disciple, qualifying for the Pro World Championships in my first season in 2008 where I finished 37th. I was optimistic this result would bring about some support for my professional triathlon career through sponsorship opportunities – I failed to gain a single sponsor. In 2009 I was hoping for an even better result at the Pro World Championships at Clearwater, and I was better, by ten minutes…however I finished 10 places further back in 48th…why was this?

Drafting, plenty of drafting, plain cheating from professional athletes and a total unwillingness of the referees to enforce the rules.

The 10m draft rule was ignored by most, and when the referees ignored the problem it gave the athletes the green light to carry on and creep closer and closer. This was a draft legal Ironman 70.3 World Championships. The implications for the future of an aspiring (still working, not funded, not sponsored) Pro triathlete are clear – I am not sure there is one. I am racing a draft legal event, which does not suit my strengths.

I am reaching the stage where triathlon has to be supporting me in someway, through prize money or sponsorship, and with my results suffering from drafting this becomes increasingly unlikely to happen. The prize money in the sport is so meagre that 10th at the Pro World Championships would not even cover my costs of getting to the race. When you are competing for such vital resources, sponsorship and prize money, the fact that drafting is permitted means clean riders have little hope.

Drafting is not a minor inconvenience for pro athletes who are not willing to compromise on the rules, it is threatening their whole careers.

Andrew Starykowicz has a record that speaks volumes about his biking ability. When he qualified for Clearwater 70.3 world championships at Steelhead 70.3 he rode 8 minutes in to Keiren Doe and Andy Potts and following that he rode 30sec in to Matty Reed at the US Open in Dalas. In 2009, for the second year running he was first off the bike at Clearwater 70.3 world championships but this time smashed 2 hours and the bike record with a staggering 1:58:49 90k ride.

Andrew with his biggest fan, mother and triathlete.

Andrew, after your outstanding ride in 2008 how did you feel and what has motivated you for 70.3 world championships 2009?

After the race in 2008 I remember how much I did not like the half distance.  Yet 16 seconds got me to come back.  The goal in 2008 was to break 2:00 and we missed by 16 seconds.  So I felt like I had a little improving to do.

You had a great build up to the race tell us how that affected your goals and race strategy?

My goals are simple, to go fast as I can as long as I can.  Occasionally we will race with the Suunto, which shows we have a race plan but most of the time, it is just to get out there and push the limit, race your competition.  As for Clearwater, it was to race your strengths.  For a race of that caliber, I do not have the ability to win yet, so I might as well do what I do best.  As we got closer to the race I was able to get a little better idea on an exact time, but the goal of 1st off the bike and record bike split was set in August when I qualified.

Your performance on the bike was mind blowing 1:58:49, how did the bike leg unfold for you?

The race unfolded not at all how I expected. In the first kilometer another guy was having serious problems putting on his shoe and was slowly rolling on the left side of the lane.  I passed him on the right, because let’s face it, I had a record to get and was shown a yellow card by a race official.  About 12K in, I was getting ready to roll into the lead, when a little guy moved in front of me and then stalled in the left lane when he hit the wind at the front.  I sat up and shook my head and waited for him to do something.  At that moment, the same official rolled up and gave me a second yellow card for blocking meaning I had to stop in the penalty box.

Finally about 16K I was in the lead and I got into my rhythm.  At the first turn around I jumped on the pedals and rolled the tubie off my wheel.  I some how jumped off and pulled it back on.  It was wobbly, but I was able to signal neutral support to get a wheel change.  By 36K I was clean of all the bad events, penalties served, first two in my life, by the way, and wheel changed and the bike was itching to fly.  The rest of the bike was a perfect storm, I had Adrenaline (it is a race), anger (penalties), confidence (great coaching), frustration (mechanical), power (great genetics), and top it off I hit a gel.  I pushed my self to misery.  I started cramping a bit around 80K, puked around 85K, but none of it mattered…I was racing the clock.  I came into T2, oh boy.  My legs were horrid.  I stopped to stretch 200m into the run.  I was in really bad shape, but once I loosened out I was able to run a solid half.

The race is heavily criticized for drafting. How does this make you feel and what thoughts do you have on drafting at this race?

I do not know what happens behind me.  I had a goal of first off the bike and I knew it would require my best.  I looked only twice, and both times I saw company.

In general how does drafting affect your racing and your career as a triathlete and how would you like to see things progress in the future?

Wow, great question.  It effects my career greatly.  Currently I am funded by a severance I took from my engineering job at Caterpillar.  I will race professionally until the money runs out.  So financially those who cheat, draft, dope, ect will ultimately end my career as a professional triathlete.  If I would lower myself to drafting, my final results would have improved this season and we would not be having this conversation right now, because nobody would have broken 2hrs at Clearwater.  The future of drafting.  This is a two horned bull.

Firstly, it is the responsibility of the athlete to obey the rules.  For example, the speed on M-1 is 70mph, we all go 75mph.  Why, we will get there faster and not get caught.  How about 80, 90, 100…do you see where I am going.  It is human nature to push the envelope.  It just requires the integrity of the athletes to not let it get too far.

Secondly, enforcement as people have gotten smarter, technology has improved and so can the officiating.  I have heard athletes in a pack call out when officials are coming, and suddenly the pack spreads out.  Let’s go back to M-1, there are very little subjective laws, they are concrete.  Then to enforce them there is air-to-ground communication, speed traps, video surveillance…and how long will it be until all cars have a GPS unit that will just mail you a ticket.  Also, overtime the penalties for speeding have become more harsh.  This brings us back to triathlon and drafting.  The officials need to us these same technologies to officiate the race.  Many watched the online coverage of Kona and Clearwater from the chopper and it was obvious.  Yet on the motorbike you see the same thing you see from the bicycle.  You know the distance to the bicycle in front of you, but have no clue about much else.  We have to go through a hard time here of penalties, similar to 1999-2001 in cycling.  We need to clean up the sport now before it becomes widely publicized and the races will be considered a joke.  Clearwater can be fair if technology is used, it is a world championship, the athletes raise the bar, so should the officiating team.

Would you like to see a triathlon time trial at the Olympics and how do you think you’d fair?

If the sport continues to grow like it has, I foresee the sport of triathlon having 4 events at the Olympics.
1.) Olympic Distance Draft Legal (1.5K, 40K, 10K)
2.) Sprint Relay (4x{400m, 10K, 2.5K})
3.) Long Distance (2.5K, 80K, 20K)
4.) TT Olympic Distance (1.5K, 40K, 10K) – 1 pro every 30 seconds.
How would I do?  Better than if it was draft legal. At this time I am not in the medals, but I am working at getting faster every day.

Thanks Andrew you talk about ‘we’ a lot is there anyone else youd like to mention?

We is my support team. The three key players are Bob from Bob Duncan Racing, Charlie Kern, and myself.  Then there are my sponsors (especially Zoot), friends, and family who are always there for support. Keep up with me at my blog http://astarykowicz.blogspot.com, and feel free to stop and ask me questions!

Good Luck,
Train Safe,

Andrew Starykowicz