USA Triathlon

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Awards | Drug Testing | Rules | Sportsmanship | Swim Safety

 

Individual Awards

Team Awards

Drug Testing

USA Triathlon takes clean sport and anti-doping very seriously. In accordance with U.S. Anti-Doping Agency (USADA) regulations, athletes may be drug tested at this event. Should drug testing occur, there are strict protocols that must be followed and will be coordinated by the on-site USADA representative as well as a USA Triathlon staff member. For information on USADA, please click here. For a list prohibited and banned substances, click here.

Rules

Collegiate Competitive Rules

Please ensure your team is familiar with the collegiate competitive rules. Click here to view the document in PDF format.

Draft-Legal

The USA Triathlon Draft-Legal Collegiate Championship will kick off the Collegiate National Championship weekend on Friday, April 9. Only the best 75 collegiate male athletes and 75 collegiate female athletes in the United States will qualify to participate in the draft-legal race, and each of USA Triathlon’s 10 collegiate conferences will be allocated slots in the field. Qualified athletes will be able to compete in both the draft-legal and Olympic-distance Collegiate National Championship events. Both races will count toward the Collegiate Nationals team scoring. All Draft-Legal athletes are required to attend a mandatory Athlete Briefing/Packet Pick Up.

• The pre-race briefing is mandatory.
• Time penalties assessed in the Penalty Box on the run course or stop-and-go in transition.
• Wetsuits are not allowed above 20°C (68°F).
• Athletes must move forward after the start signal.
• Blocking or interfering with the forward progress of another competitor is not allowed.
• Athletes lapped (overtaken) on the bike course will be withdrawn from the competition.
• Helmet chin-strap must be buckled at all times when touching the bike.
• Aero helmets are not permitted.
• All equipment must be placed in your individual transition bin after use.
• Torso must be covered from race start to finish.
• Unsportsmanlike conduct, including inappropriate language directed at fellow competitors, volunteers, or officials, may result in disqualification.
• Bicycle must have a traditional triangular frame; wheels must have at least 16 spokes and should be of equal dimensions; handlebars must be traditional drop-style with bar-ends plugged; clip-on aerobars may not extend beyond the brake levers’ foremost line and must be bridged; no bar-end gear shifters allowed; elbow pads are allowed; wheels can be replaced only at official Wheel Stops (when provided) and the athlete is responsible for replacing the wheel in the forks

Draft-Legal Rules

For athletes participating in the Draft-Legal National Championship, be sure to familiarize yourself with the rules, which have several differences from non-draft racing. Draft-legal rules can be found on this site. This PDF will be the source for rules and equipment requirements.    

*Please note that aerobars are not permitted in draft-legal racing.

Draft-Legal Athlete Checklist: Click here.

Pre-Race Briefing 

For the Collegiate Draft-Legal Sprint race, the Head Referee will conduct the athletes’ briefing. Coaches may also attend the briefing. The following penalties will apply to athletes who miss the briefing. See schedule here.

• Athletes not attending the briefing, without prior notification of the USAT National Events Department about their absence, will be removed from the start list;
• Athletes entering the briefing after the briefing has started and athletes not attending the briefing, but who have informed the USAT National Events Department about their absence, will be reallocated to the last position on the pre-start line up. 

Draft-Legal Mixed Relay

USA Triathlon will continue the 4-person Draft Legal Mixed Relay in 2021. 

There will be 75 mixed relay teams available; accommodating participation of 220 athletes.  Each team will be comprised of two females and two males from the same collegiate team. This event is DRAFT-LEGAL and will follow draft legal triathlon rules.

Race Protocol

• Substitutions: The Team Captains are allowed a maximum of three (3) injury- or performance-related substitutions following the conclusion of the Championships on Saturday, October 17. Substitutions must be delivered by (time TBD) on race day to the USAT staff. No substitutions will be accepted after this time for any reason, including injury or illness discovered after this time. Substitutes must have competed in the championship or the open wave or be registered for the team relay already.  Teams short one or two athletes due to the withdrawal of a teammate(s) will be allowed to start the competition, but will not be given an official result.

• Numbering: The Event Organizer will assign the starting position randomly.  The order by which each athlete completes the relay will be requested at the time of registration and may be altered only in the case of substitutions when replacing an injured or ill athlete. The order must be female, male, female, male.

The Event Organizer will assign individual race numbers as follows (for example):

Team 1

• 1a – First Athlete (Female)
• 1b – Second Athlete (Male)
• 1c – Third Athlete (Female)
• 1d – Fourth Athlete (Male)

Team 20

• 20a – First Athlete (Female)
• 20b – Second Athlete (Male)
• 20c – Third Athlete (Female)
• 20d – Fourth Athlete (Male)

Team 35

• 35a – First Athlete (Female)
• 35b – Second Athlete (Male)
• 35c – Third Athlete (Female)
• 35d – Fourth Athlete (Male)

Race Day Check In: All the team members must check in together at the transition area.  

Sportsmanship 

USA Triathlon Sportsmanship Creed

As competitive athletes and members of the triathlon community, you know there is no better feeling than succeeding in your endeavors in sport. As a competitor at USA Triathlon events, you have a responsibility to demonstrate the highest standards of sportsmanship per the USA Triathlon Rulebook (Article III, Sections 3.3 and 3.4, Line b.), and as such, should always show respect for the sport, your fellow athletes, race staff, officials, volunteers and spectators. Each individual athlete shares this responsibility, which includes refraining from the use of improper language and conduct detrimental to the community at large. This rule will be strictly enforced and disrespectful language or conduct will not be tolerated.