Getting Started

Important Event Services Information for 2010

1.   The USAT waiver language will not change for the 2010 season.  You many continue to use the 2009 PDF or online waiver but the old paper waivers should be discarded.  2010 paper waivers will be shipped out in your sanction approval box a few weeks before your race so be sure to indicate how many you need on the waiver usage guidelines section of the application. 

2.  The following fees apply for sanction applications completed at least 60 days before the event or the start of the camp/clinic:

 USAT Certified Race Directors

  • Adult event - $150
  • Youth event - $25
  • Camp/clinic - $25

 Non-certified Race Directors

  • Adult event - $200
  • Youth event - $50
  • Camp/clinic - $50

 Sanction Late Fee Breakdown:

  • $100 late will apply if the sanction application is completed within 59-31 days of the event or the camp/clinic start date.
  • $250 late will apply if the sanction application is completed within 30 days or less of the event or the camp/clinic start date.

*Late fees are established by the USAT Board of Directors and are not negotiable.

Note:  A 'complete' application means that all forms of the sanction application have been filled out and payment of all fees has been received.  Please don't forget, course maps (for adult events) and an itinerary (for camps/clinics) must been submitted with the application or be available on the event website.

3.  The Gatorade Event Sponsorship Program is only available to USAT Certified Race Directors in 2010.  Events must have a minimum of 400 participants (at distances of swim >1.1K; bike of >30.1k; and run of >6.4k) to qualify for sponsorship.  Non-certified race directors who used the program in the past are still eligible for the support if they were compliant with all of Gatorade's requirements.  Please contact cile.martin@usatriathlon.org if you have any questions about the program.

4.  All youth ages 17 and under are required to be annual USAT members to compete in sanctioned events.  The cost of an annual youth membership is $5 per year.  All membership money, forms and event waivers for youth membership purchases must be submitted to USAT after the event for processing.  For more information on the Youth Annual Membership, please visit the USAT membership section of the web site.

All membership fees will remain the same for the 2010 season:

  • Adult (age 18 and up): annual membership  = $39
  • Adult (age 18 and up): one-day fee = $10
  • Youth (age 17 and under): annual membership = $5

5.  Result requirements (adult events only) will be strictly adhered to and all files not formatted correctly or missing information will be returned for correction.  A results requirements form is available on the USAT website here and is included on the sanction box CD so please pass that on to your timers to assist them.  If you have any questions about the requirements, please email rankings@usatriathlon.org.

6. Race Directors will be charged the UPS shipping fee for more membership application forms and event waivers if they are requested the week of the event or after the sanction box has been sent from USAT.

7. Post race materials must be submitted and postmarked no later than fifteen (15) business days after the event.  A $200 fine will be applied, access to the online sanction application will be put on hold and future sanctioning may be denied to those race directors who do not adhere to this policy.  Please use the UPS mailing label provided in the sanction approval box and record the tracking number before shipping.

8. The age group of a participant will be determined by age on Dec. 31 of the event year, not by age on race day.  For example: If you turn 25 years old in July of 2010, you will race and be ranked in the 25-29 age group for the entire 2010 season. 

The age up rule applies to youth events as well.

9. It is very easy to submit a sanction application in 2010 if you sanctioned an event in 2009. Just log into the sanction site and use the ‘copy' button to create the 2009 application. Be sure to change the event date, sign the waiver guidelines and pay the sanction fee. The rest of the application will then upload for any changes that need to be made. Sign all four (4) screens of the sanction agreement and you will be done.

10. Please make sure that all your event materials have the most recent USAT Sanctioned Event logo.  If you need an update, please email sanction@usatriathlon.org.

**For more detailed Information about changes for the 2010 season, please read through the Frequently Asked Questions below.

Sponsor Opportunities for USAT Race Directors are located in the Race Director Toolbox.

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What does it mean to sanction with USA Triathlon?
The term "sanction" refers to the approval of the event from several points of view. It means the event safety plan has been carefully reviewed by experienced staff at USA Triathlon; that proper insurance coverage is in place; that all participants will be either annual members of USAT or one-day license holders and that the results of the event (adult race) will be scored in the annual rankings. Youth events and camps/clinics do not submit results for the rankings as they are not competitive events.

There are several key benefits to sanctioning your event with USA Triathlon.    

  • An affordable, comprehensive insurance program to protect you, the event's participants, volunteers and sponsors.   
  • Inclusion in the USA Triathlon National Ranking System which ranks athletes across the nation.   
  • Access to professional USA Triathlon officials.
          o All USA Triathlon officials are educated to ensure that your event is safe and fair for your participants.    
  • Access to the USA Triathlon membership mailing list.
          o Sanctioned race directors can receive access to the USA Triathlon membership list, containing over 100K possible participants, at an unbelievably discounted price.    
  • Access to great sponsor programs and benefits.   
  • Participants will recognize your event as a fair and credible race.   
  • More exposure for your event.
          o USA Triathlon has an annual membership of over 100,000 people who frequently view the website and race calendar.

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Important things to remember about sanctioning:
1. Sanction fees are only refundable if the event is cancelled due to the weather.  Sanction fees are non-refundable if the event is cancelled for any other reason.  Additional insured and late fees are also non-refundable.  Please be sure to contact sanction@usatriathlon.org if you need to cancel the event.

2. An event may not be sanctioned if the sanction application is submitted within 14 days of the event date.

3. All participants in a sanctioned event must either be an annual USAT member or purchase a one-day membership (available for ages 18 and up).  Youth participants must be an annual member for $5 a year.

How do I get started?
The sanction application can be found at www.usatsanctioning.com.  If this is your first time to the system, simply create an account in the ‘Don't have a username yet?' box. Please note that your email address entered to create the account will become your username.  Seasoned sanctioned race directors can login by using their existing account information.  

Important things to remember as you complete the application:
1. Adult and youth events must be sanctioned and insured separately therefore each event must have a sanction application on file. Be sure to select the appropriate type of application needed in the drop down box next to the 'create a new event' button on the race director dashboard.  The adult application is the default if no other application type is selected.

2. Course maps are required (not for camps/clinics) each year for safety and insurance purposes.  Please be sure to include a map of the transition area(s) and pool course (if the swim is done in a pool).  Course maps can be submitted in four ways:    

  • upload into the sanction application   
  • provide a link to the race website   
  • fax to 719-597-2121
  • snail mail to the Event Services Department at the National Office

3. Five-year age groups in increments starting with 20-24 and going through 85-plus are required.  There are no age group requirements for youth events except that all participants must be 17 and under.

4. Mass swim starts or wave starts of more than 150 athletes require a rules dispensation request.  The request must be received no less than 30 days out from the event.  If this is the first time you have sanctioned the event, the request will be automatically generated by the sanction application.  If you are copying an existing event application, please email sanction@usatriathlon.org with the following information:   

  • Number of athletes   
  • Width of the starting area   
  • Distance to the first buoy   
  • Reason for wanting a mass start
  • Any other course information to support your request such as "How will the mass start enhance the safety of the event?"

  *Please note - the same mass start rules that govern a swim also apply to duathlon starts and a rules dispensation request is required by emailing sanction@usatriathlon.org.

5. Water testing is a requirement, even for pool swims.  USAT recommends that you follow the guidelines established by the agency that governs your body of water, such as the county, city, EPA, pool management, etc. USAT will accept whatever criteria the permitting agency has established for swimability and human contact. Please obtain a copy of the certificate that is issued nearest to the event date and keep it with the event files for seven years, as it may need to be provided to USAT after the event.

What happens at packet pickup?
ALL athletes are required to show photo ID. NO ID, NO RACE, NO EXCEPTIONS.  Every single participant in your race must have a photo ID, this includes all relay participants. Youth athletes without an ID must be accompanied by a parent/guardian with a photo ID.  Annual members are required to bring their membership card every time they compete in a USAT sanctioned event. If their card has been lost, they can download and print out a temporary one at the Membership Dashboard.

Important things to remember during packet pickup:
1. Below is a break down of all membership fees for 2010:   

  • Adult Annual Membership - $39   
  • Adult One-day Membership - $10
  • Youth (age 17 and under) Annual Membership - $5 (this is an annual membership, one-day memberships are NOT available for youth)

2. Athletes may only pick up their own packets. Under no circumstances may an athlete pick up a packet for another person. Regarding relays, all relay members must be present to receive the packet, or split up the relay packet for each participant.

3. If an athlete does not bring a photo ID to packet pickup they have two options:   

  • Go home to get it
  • Have someone fax them a copy of their photo ID

4. If an athlete does not bring their USAT membership card to packet pickup they have three options:    

  • Go home to get it   
  • Find internet access where a temporary card can be printed
  • Purchase a one-day membership for $10 which can later be applied to a membership renewal by submitting a receipt of purchase

5. Athletes that need to purchase a one-day license must sign the USAT waiver if it was not included on the event registration form or process.  Annual members do not have to sign a waiver at packet pickup because they already signed it when they applied to become an annual member.

What happens after the event?
Post race materials are due back to USAT postmarked no later than 15 business days after the event (or the last meeting of the camp/clinic).  USAT provides a pre-paid UPS label in the sanction approval box for returning the materials.  Below is a list of what items are required:

For adult events:   

  • accounting form   
  • collected membership money   
  • signed waivers/membership forms   
  • incident reports   
  • electronic results
  • officials evaluation if applicable

For youth events and camp/clinics:   

  • accounting form   
  • collected membership money   
  • signed waivers/membership forms
  • incident reports

 Important things to remember with post race materials:
1. The accounting form and incident report form can be found on the CD that came in the sanction approval box.  They can also be downloaded from the race director's dashboard and are available at the Race Director's Toolbox.

*Please note - Only the USAT Incident Report form will be accepted by our insurance provider.  Reports completed on any other form will be returned.  Also remember that the race director's or the medical personnel's signature is required at the bottom of every form.  Unsigned reports will be returned for signature.

2. All signed waivers/membership forms for annual membership purchases (including youth annual memberships) must be retuned to USAT for processing.  If waivers were collected online, please include a list of those participants who purchased an annual membership at the event.  Also indicate that their waivers were collected and are being stored online.

3. Waivers/membership forms for one-day sales may be stored by the race director and are required to be kept for seven years.  Waivers ‘signed' electronically through online registration must be stored for seven years as well.

4. USAT will provide a pre-paid UPS label in the sanction approval box to submit the post race materials with.  Please write down the tracking number before shipping and keep it with your event records.  If you misplace the UPS label, please mail the materials via a trackable method to:

     USA Triathlon
     Membership Services
     PO Box 49489
     Colorado Springs, CO  80949-9489

5. The electronic result file must conform to the results requirement form provided on the CD.  Any file not in compliance with the requirements will be returned to the race director for correction.

6. Events not submitting all the required post race materials within the allotted time frame will be subject to a $200 fine and future sanctioning may be denied.

7. If there is a serious accident or injury at the event, immediately call the USA Triathlon National Office at 719-597-9090 x102 and leave a message. Also fill out an incident report form and fax it to the National Office at 719-597-2121 as soon as the event is done.  

Please provide a medical claim for to the athlete as well.  Both the incident report form and the medical claim form can be found on the CD in the sanction approval box and on your race director's dashboard.

**For more details on any of the items above, please check out the FAQ section.**