DQed for Running in Bare Feet!By Janice Nicholls
Well, it has been a day. I have been racing in triathlons since 1995. My first race was in Barrie, Ontario (where I had a panic attack and near drowning experience in the swim) and today I returned to Barrie for the first time since then to race again. And I got disqualified for running in bare feet.
Turns out there is a rule about bare feet in triathlon. I've never read all the rules -- there is a top 10 list provided on the Ontario Association of Triathletes website, but I've not read through the full set of rules. Until today. That's when I found the rules that got me the DQ.
"6. RUNNING CONDUCT:
6.1. General Rules:
a.) The athletes will:
....(iv) Not run without shoes or run barefoot on any part of the course;"
These rules are the one that triathlons sactioned by the Ontario Association of Triathletes (OAT) must follow. They come from the International Triathlon Union.
I have to say that I am feeling pretty down about having a DQ by my name. In the results, I'm listed at the end. My husband and I had to look through the rest of the results to see where I would have ranked without the DQ. Turns out it was pretty good. Seventh out of 22 women in my age group. I was pretty happy about that. I was also extremely happy about my swim. 700m in open water and I never once got scared. That's an absolute first for me. After my bad experience in 1995, I was afraid of open water. I've worked really hard to overcome this fear and I think I've finally done it.
My daughter raced in the Kids of Steel category and she did awesome. She's just 10, yet her per kilometre run time was faster than mine. She didn't get a DQ because she wore her Vibrams. Smart girl
I'm still trying to figure out how to frame this DQ. It's never happened to me before. I'm feeling less down after chatting with my husband. After all, I did the race and I raced well. My swim was the best experience I've ever had in open water. My bike was fast for me. My run was good too, although the pavement was quite rough and had I known that ahead of time, I would have worn the Vibrams! I think he's right in that a DQ doesn't really matter -- it's just about how I did the race.
The next question is where to go from here. Clearly I violated the rules. There was a 16-year-old also in bare feet. She mustn't have been caught by an official, however, because she didn't get DQed. My husband looked through photos online of the race and spotted someone last year in bare feet, noted his number, looked at his results and found out he wasn't DQed. I imagine that's sort of like being mad about getting a ticket when others were speeding and getting away with it.
I chatted briefly with a couple of people at the race and was told I could challenge the DQ at a cost of $50. I can't find anything about the $50 on the OAT website, but the guidelines for appeal are lengthy and I don't think it's worth it. I've decided that instead, I will write a letter to OAT and the International Triathlon Union protesting the rule and requesting that it be changed. I'm also writing a letter to Triathlon Magazine Canada about the issue. After all, the evidence in favour of barefoot running is becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. With publications such as "Barefoot Running Step by Step," by Barefoot Ken Bob Saxton and Roy M. Wallack, "The Barefoot Book," by Daniel Howell PhD, and "Born to Run," by Christopher McDougall, barefoot running is spreading. For it to be disallowed in the run portion of the triathlon is borderline ridiculous. If it's healthier for my knees and hips and my feet are trained for it, I should not be forced to wear shoes -- something I know is far less heatlhy for me.
I am really hoping I can get some support from the running and triathlon community to get this rule changed. If you are up for it, please write to Triathlon Magazine Canada, the International Triathlon Union or the Ontario Association of Triathlete in support of removing that rule. I've listed all the addresses below.
Barefoot running is here to stay. The triathlon community needs to wake up and recognize that.
Triathlon Magazine Canada
Unit 510, 344 Bloor Street West
Toronto ON M5S 3A7
or
PO Box 819, Station Main
Markham ON L3P 8L3
International Triathlon Union (ITU)
#221, 998 Harbourside Dr.,
North Vancouver, BC,
Canada, V7P 3T2
Ontario Association of Triathletes
3 Concorde Gate,
Suite 205,
Toronto, Ontario
M3C 3N7
http://www.chasingbarefootjoy.blogspot.com/