Why kids shouldn’t run into finish chutes
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j.qualle posted 41 weeks ago.
Kudos for having the guts to say it!! I had a race last year, as a 40 plus we started third wave but another 40 year old and I were racing to the finish for top in our age group when we had to cut back because of a clot at the chute. We missed the overall win by one second!! Keep the chute clear and celebrat off to the side.
jq
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Joe_H posted 41 weeks ago.
nice race tactics! using the kid to slow you down
I'm all for having kids cross the finish line AS long as they don't F up somebody elses race or finish line photo and clearly that is what happened here. sorry! next time push him outta the way. he's little and only has a short way to fall ;)
what I'm up to:
http://www.athletefocus.com/forum/sport/triathlon
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charlie6460 posted 41 weeks ago.
I agree. When it is that close, kids should stay away. Of course it could have been their race strategy to ward off a sprint overtake at the end. If there was nobody around that would be a different story.
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tri-ac posted 41 weeks ago.
from a purely Machiavellian standpoint, celebrating in general in the finish chute is best done with no one on your tail!
congrats on hitting the podium!
sorry it came without a good hard sprint to the line!
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PJT posted 41 weeks ago.
Justice was served. If you refuse to treat the race like a race from start to finish, it is fair not to expect to receive a racer's award.
Now just imagine if those guys had been in a different division than you and cost you a podium spot by making you slow down a few seconds in the chute. Even if they were DQ'd, you would still miss the podium through no fault of your own. That would leave me more than a little angry.
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macker posted 41 weeks ago.
If you have kids you have mixed emotions. The only race my kids crossed with my was at IMLP...and I was sure not to mess up anyone's photo or finish..I let a guy that was close to us pass so he got his pic/finish etc. But with that said, it seems like a good idea b/c with the photo, you could cherish it with them forever and its something they may keep for their whole lives, but at the same time I totally get why it is not a good idea - can be dangerous, can affect an outcome, can affect another's picture....i have come to the side that you can take great pics before, and after with the family...the finish should be kept clear for all the reasons above and I am sure there are more...
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TryScott posted 41 weeks ago.
What an idea! I should hire a bunch of kids to run the last part with me so nobody can pass.
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chekmarks posted 41 weeks ago.
i think the ironman folks should just set up 2 finish chutes. 1 for people who want it Trisooners way, and one for people who want a family portrait! That way, people could cross the line with their parents, coaches, children, wife, etc... problem solved.
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jwillia852 posted 41 weeks ago.
The only way a child can be allowed in the chute is if they are carried over by the participant; the transfer from the spectator to participant area must only be done in a non-impeding movement, such as, but not completely limited to, a football-type participant lead pass... see example...
Jeff
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jtrimom posted 41 weeks ago.
I'm with you TriSooner. I have 4 kids, but as a matter of respect (and safety), I would tell them to wait on the side until I actually cross the line, then there's time for hugs, pics, and whatever else.
Congrates on the podium finish. What did you have to do in the adventure race?
Taper Naked
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DannoE posted 41 weeks ago.
+1
I have kids, too. I cannot fathom why I or anyone else would want my kids to cross the finish line with me. It's not their race, and they'd OBVIOUSLY be in the way. Plus, if they didn't run, bike, or swim the course, then they shouldn't think they can cross the finish line. That crazy! Teaches kids the wholly wrong lesson, i.e. Daddy can run a race, and I can get the credit with him.
If my kids want to cross a finish line, then they better start training. And hey! My 4-year-old already ran her first race, so what can I say? It was only a hundred yards, but at least she ran the whole damn thing... and then crossed the line on her own two feet.
DannoE
"You may say I'm a dreamer, but I'm not the only one..."
http://www.storytellersplaybook.blogspot.com
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Ironmom posted 41 weeks ago.
Eh, it all boils down to a matter of respect. That guys with the kids was being disrespectful and blocking your path. It just so happens, he was using his kid to do it. But there are disrespectful racers all over courses, it's just what happens when you throw a few hundred or thousands of people together and have them compete.
Things I've been blocked by:
- Guys who can't stand to have a woman pass on the bike, and so they use their superior short-term power to speed WTF up and block me from passing, only to slow down to 16mph once I have to drop back (to avoid drafting penalty). This happens at almost every race
- Two friends who want to cross together holding hands in the finisher's chute
- People hugging in the chute or at the line
- People sidestroking and breaststroking in the swim. I especially loved getting kicked in the face by someone swimming crawl in front of me who doesn't know how to sight and so takes a quick breaststroke to get a view of the buoy, thus kicking me in the face as I'm moving past them on the side
- People at walls and in lanes in sprint triathlons who don't know how to be passed in a pool lane
- People who don't know how to do a bottle exchange on the bike at longer races
Based on this, I think we should ban:
- All male competitors whose testosterone count is over a certain number
- All friends who want to race together
- All swimmers who don't pass a test to determine their ability to sight and their knowledge of pool etiquitte
- All bikers who don't demonstrate an ability to hand a bottle over while riding a straight line
Bottom line: inconsiderate people suck. But they're everywhere and just have to work around them. I can't count the number of seconds or places I might've won or lost due to inconsiderate folks on race courses. Especially those guys who block me on the bike. I've probably easily lost a place or two to them in at least a few races. Oh yeah, let's not forget the swimmer who grabbed my foot and dislocated my toe at IMFL. Ya think running a marathon with a dislocated toe cost me a place or two???
The race director was right in DQing these folks, and a congrats to you on your good finish! But I still don't think it stands as an argument to do away with families who want to finish together at an Ironman. There are very simple ways to make it safe for both families and other competitors. Two chutes: easy option.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
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Anton posted 41 weeks ago.
We can argue all we want about this but there is a reason Ironman instated the finish line policy, which appears to be trickling down to smaller races....I suspect a lawsuit because someone's kid got pranged at the finish or someone sued because their picture has someone else's kids in their photo....whatever happened, it cost someone, money, somewhere. Hence, the clear change in policy.
Now...I'll be interested to see if folks really start getting DQ'd for it at IMC, IMLP, IMKY....
Good on you Sooner.
"A little nonsense now and then is cherished by the wisest men."
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StephenPDennis posted 41 weeks ago.
The solution of having two finish chutes seems elegant and simple to me.
Right now my half marathon time is roughly on par with the fastest women runners in my area so that every time I'm finishing a race they herd us to the left while holding open the ribbon for the 1st place on the right and you know what? It works perfectly. It's not like they need to install a larger finishing mat or more equipment or anything.
+1 to Sooner for doing something about it.
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danpatgal posted 41 weeks ago.
TriSooner wrote:
... That’s not cool when you – and/or your kid – impede a sprint finish to pick up your brood on the race course. Cross the finish and take all the pics you want.
I totally agree with this and the rule imposed for IM.
I'm sure to get flamed for this counterpoint question: Did you really have to make an issue of it and get the other team DQ'd? I'm guessing you didn't miss out on some huge cash prize. You admitted even that if the kid had not got in the way you might not have passed them anyway. So you got your medal and the recognition, but you ruined a couple people's race day, and their family, and maybe made enemies in the process. Is that really worth it? Is that really why you train and do the races?
Again, I totally agree the kids/family shouldn't be out there and family's should control their kids. But, being a parent of one well behaved and another very much unruly child, I know that sometimes children are hard to control. Maybe this was one of those moments.
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tri-ac posted 41 weeks ago.
i've got a little one too, but somebody's got to cry foul
there's nothing wrong with that, unruly family moment or not
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zagfan posted 41 weeks ago.
Trisooner did the right thing. He didn't ruin that team's race, they did the second they decided to grab a non-participant onto the course in the middle of a sprint finish for a podium spot. I don't train so that I can help someone else have a nice family stroll to the finish, I train to race. If this had been a softball, football, or basketball game the opinion might be different.
Imagine the softball game that is determining the 5th and 6th place finish and someone brings their kid out onto the field at the end of the game as the possible tying run is rounding 3rd, only to have the runner get held up by the kid and in turn thrown out at the plate, resulting in his team getting 6th place and no award. Do you think the team that won would be DQ'd immediately? Since when did we stop competing in endurance events and decide that the finish line is a place for a family hug and not an all out effort to beat that person/team in front of you. Its a competition not a family picnic. The time to celebrate with family starts after you cross the line and are done racing.
If you are Andy Potts and have over a 3 minute lead on the competition, by all means grab your kid and enjoy your jog throuh the chute. Or if you are absolutely sure that you are not in anyone's way then go ahead and enjoy the moment with your family. But if that team wanted to run in with their kid, they should have stopped, allowed Trisooner's team to pass and then finished with the child, out of the way of others. Two chutes would be a good idea, as well as a larger finish line with a side dedicated to families.
I have no problem with people taking a different approach to their racing. If they are out there to just enjoy the day and they want to finish with their family that's fine. But there are many of us out there that take their training and racing very seriously and I don't want someone pulling a kid out of the crowd to run right in front of me as I'm giving everthing I have to finish the best possible.
"Pain is temporary. Quitting lasts forever." Lance Armstrong
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Ironmom posted 41 weeks ago.
It is a bit hard to say from the picture whether the athlete in question actually "brought" their kid onto the course, or whether the kid made a break from mom on the sidelines and sprinted out onto the course and the dad picked him up to get him out of the way. If it's the first scenario, then bad on the athlete. If it's the 2nd scenario, then it's not necessarily something that the athlete initiated and he was just responding to a bad situation in the best possible way. I can definitely see one of my kids at that age making a run for me from the sidelines the minute they saw me. Not optimal, but not totally within the athlete's control either, unless the RDs use that plastic weave fencing for the sides of the chute, which does tend to eliminate some of these issues.
Blue Skies, -Robin-
http://ironmom.blogspot.com/
Because they can cost you an award. Case in point: At an Adventure Race in which I recently competed, my teammate and I came in :01 second behind the fifth place team in our division. The race awarded spots five deep, so we were out of contention by one spot. We may have passed them at the finish or we may not have. Regardless, we had to stop in the approach to the finish line because one of the guys in front of us slammed on their brakes to pick up their kid. My girlfriend was at the race taking pictures and caught this image of the finish chute. The kid running into the finish chute belonged to team ahead of us. The RD saw it happen and also looked at the image and DQd them.
After a very lively discussion about Ironman’s enforcement of their existing finish line policy, I’m sure I’ll get flamed for this, but I'm wearing my asbestos suit today. We moved up a spot and were awarded fifth place in our division (eighth overall, no golf clap necessary). I’m sure people will whine, “But it’s their kid! They just want to experience crossing the finish line with their kid!” That’s not cool when you – and/or your kid – impede a sprint finish to pick up your brood on the race course. Cross the finish and take all the pics you want.
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