Trainingquettes and Racingquettes | Training and Racing Thoughts

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“Rider on your left!”, “BIKE BIKE BIKE!”, “Lane 1, Lane 1!”, sounds familiar? Good. That means you’ve been into triathlon for quite some time now. Heard this before being screamed at you? You’re probably a newbie and we, on behalf of the multisport community, would like to apologize.

Over the past few months, I noticed a trend where people are starting to complain about the training and racing etiquette’s of the elite’s, age groups, and newbies.

When I was still new, I cringe whenever a teammate of mine screams “BIKE BIKE BIKE!” on the top of his lungs during our training rides acting as if he owns the road. Some even cuss as they get past them. I don’t train with those guys anymore.

Don’t you get mad when you’re crossing the street and people in cars honk their horns like there’s no tomorrow? It’s the same thing.

During training and racing, I get both sides honestly. There are some who really wants to train and race hard. There are athletes who really go all out and do everything just to win or set a p.r.

But can’t we do that nicely? Don’t go acting all of a sudden like you’re all high, privileged, and mighty. The sad reality is, most of this actually occurs within the age group ranks. Sure, there may be a couple of elites out there who do the same, but most of them? They’re pretty nice.

“But they don’t know how to train properly!” “Slower runners shouldn’t be on lane 1!”

I remember I read a teamTBB article before when they were training in Subic. Obviously, those guys are a heck faster than most of the runners in Remi field. What did Coach Brett say to his athletes? “You won’t educate the locals.”

That says a lot about their philosophy and how they train. But did they say that because they’re foreigners training on our soil? I don’t think so.

We all pay the same amount of registration fee during races. So we’re all even. From the fastest athlete to the lowest one, we all share the same starting line, route, and finish line. Sure, that rider should’ve stayed on the right lane. But what if he’s new to the sport? Or took the leap of faith and raced, barely knowing how to grab a water bottle from the bike? We should applaud that athlete honestly for trying. Triathlon is a dangerous sport and if you’re a newbie, the distances, and race conditions can be really scary.

What if that newbie gets rattled and ends up crashing? Worse, takes you down with him/her?

I’ve been racing for years now and I remember last Tri United 2, as I was taking my nutrition in, I unintentionally veered to the left and heard a triathlete say “Left! “Left!”

What did I do? I just corrected my steering and just said “Go go!”. She said thanks and went on her way.

How simple is that? No shouting. No cussing. We all minded our own business.

And yes, if you’re wondering, I just got chicked. =)

Race directors should also take the extra steps necessary to address the proper racing procedures. I’ve been to a lot of race briefings and you know what? They always do.

To sum it up, triathlon in the Philippines is really small compared to other sports like basketball and running. If we want our sport to grow, let’s do our part and cultivate the newbies, properly. That’s the whole mantra of the SBR.ph Tri Series. No matter how slow you are, we will wait for you. Our ultimate goal was to get those newbies hooked and makes triathlon a part of their lives.

Last thing we need is for them to get turned off just because of a rude athlete or an elitist atmosphere. Worse, that newbie gets addicted and does the same to other newbies getting into the sport. A vicious cycle waiting to happen.

As for the newbies, sad to say, there are indeed untold training and racing etiquette’s that you should know.

If you really want to get into the sport, we also owe it to the regulars to do our own research and learn it ourselves :)

For example :

SWIMMING POOL :

* Depends on the situation, but if you’re sharing the lane and you’re swimming in one direction, the rotation is usually counter-clockwise. Just hold your line when the faster swimmer is about to pass you. No need to stop.

* Ask before jumping in if it’s ok to share a lane. If it’s a public pool, first come first served comes into play. I’ve yet to see a swimmer say no to be honest.

BIKING :

* Training – too many to mention honestly. Depends also if you’re training with a cycling team or with triathletes. Cycling teams usually ride in a peloton. If you don’t know how that works, we strongly suggest you read up on it as we’re pretty sure you don’t want to be labeled as the triathlete on a tribike who broke away only to get caught after 3 minutes type of guy. :)

* Racing – In the Philippines, slower riders should always stay on the right lane unless you’re overtaking. That also goes to the average age groupers.

RUNNING :

* During track oval training sessions, unless you’re a fast runner, common knowledge is that you should stay out of the first lane (The innermost lane). But then again, if there’s no one using it, feel free to run there.

Feel free to add more in our comments section.

So, is training and racing a privilege? Or a right?

Unless you own the road, I guess it’s obvious what the answer is. Are we pro-newbies or pro-veterans? Honestly, neither. We just understand both sides. We’ve been there.

There’s a reason why the SBR.ph Community Forum is unmoderated and will continue to do so. Because we believe, that triathlete’s in general are educated and wise enough to know when they crossed line. We don’t need moderation. In this sport, you can talk all you want and be the fastest guy in the world with your words, but in the end, it’s your finish time that matters. Back the talk and walk the walk.

As the famous Rodney King once said (not a triathlete), “Can’t we all just get along?”.