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 > Home Page > Technical > Race Competition Rules

The Triathlon Australia Race Competition Rules have been recently updated for the season ahead, with the purpose of ensuring that all competitions are safe, fair and fun for all.

Race Competition Rules (RCR) are essential to maintaining a quality level of competition for all of our members, so the rules are reviewed and updated on an annual basis by our National Technical Committee to reflect the ever-evolving conditions of our sport.

In addition, our rules comply with those of the international body that governs triathlon, the International Triathlon Union.

 

RACE RULES TO REMEMBER!

Knowing your race competition rules is just as important as knowing your equipment or having the right training programme – it will set you off on the right foot, save you time and penalties, but more importantly knowing your rules will ensure the safety of you, and your fellow competitors around you.

We will be publishing a ‘Rule to Remember’ each month on our website in our aim to promote our RCR, so keep an eye out for these updates - we encourage you to share the rules with your training buddies, your club, and anybody you know who is involved in the sport.

Here is a summary of the changes made to the RCR, which are effective as of 1st July 2011:

1) Speed Suits (Rule 1.2)
A competitor may wear a speed suit at any time during an event.

A speedsuit must be comprised of 100% textile material such as nylon or lycra and must not include rubberised material such as polyurethane or neoprene. The speedsuit may contain a zipper.

2) Footwear for the cycle (Rule 3.1)
Competitors must cycle with appropriate footwear. This was not detailed in previous RCR.

3) Bicycle Course Time Penalty and Draft Zone Changes (Rules 3.9 and 7.5)
For all events with a nominal bicycle distance up to and including 40 km, the yellow card time penalty is now 3 minutes, with a draft zone of 7 meters x 3m. Overtaking competitors have 15 seconds to pass through this zone.
For all events with a nominal bicycle distance greater than 40 km, the yellow card time penalty is now 5 minutes, with a draft zone of 12 meters x 3m. Overtaking competitors have 25 seconds to pass through this zone.

4) Competitor Behaviour after Being Passed on the Bicycle Course (Rule3.11e)
Once passed, a competitor must immediately commence to drop back out of the draft zone of the forward competitor before attempting to re-pass.

5) Race Numbers (Rules 3.6 and 4.3)
Competitors are required to clearly display their race numbers whilst on the bicycle course and run course. Note that the event’s context and environment will be taken into account by the Technical Official when considering whether to issue a stop/start penalty.

6) Infringements Table (Appendix B)
To assist competitors with understanding the ramifications of breaking the rules a table has been included detailing examples of red and yellow card infringements.

Go to the Events and Technical section in Resources for the full Race Competition Rules

So, remember to race safe, race smart, and remember your race rules!