FAQ

Have questions about your ranking or about how the rankings scoring is conducted? Check out these frequently asked questions to see if your concern is addressed.

Please click here to review your rankings as the season progresses for accuracy. If you feel that there is an error in your rankings click here to submit a Rankings Inquiry. All rankings inquiries must be submitted by February 15, 2008 in order to have your correct ranking appear in the 2007 USAT Yearbook.  
 
Click here to see what races are included in calculating your personal ranking so far.

How was scoring done?
All USAT members that received a ranking for the '06 season will be used as pacesetters in '07.  The significance of the pacesetter system is to provide us with a “par” time for each event in ’07.  The “par” time is the projected winning time.

What is the equation?
The “par” time is calculated by taking the pacesetter’s finish time in the race multiplied by the pacesetter’s ranking and then divided by 100.  We then drop the top and bottom 20% in order to create the most accurate “par” time as possible.  Now that the par time has been calculated, it can be used to calculate a ranking for every participant.  This is done by taking the “par” time in minutes divided by the member’s finishing time and then multiplied by 100 to calculate the athlete’s event ranking.

If you have general questions regarding the rankings program, please visit our Rankings Criteria page or email Rankings. 

When I search for my rankings using the Rankings Search option, one or more of my races are not included. How do I have that corrected?  Before submitting an inquiry, please go through the steps below. If after reading through those you feel there is an error, please contact Rankings.

• Check the Event Calendar to ensure the event was in fact sanctioned.  If an event is not listed on the calendar, then it was not a sanctioned event. 
• Did you compete in a special wave or in a relay?  You must have competed individually and in your age group’s wave to be included in the rankings.
• Search for your rankings by submitting your name only and type of race (Triathlon or Duathlon). Although you are asked to submit your annual membership number to all sanctioned races, sometimes results are submitted to USAT without them. If your race appears when you search by your name, but not when you search using your membership number, please notify Rankings by Februaury 15, 2008. 
• If you are searching using your name, are you sure that you did not use a nickname when you registered for the event? Your name must match your membership card exactly in order for the search engine to work appropriately. To prevent issues, the name on your USAT membership card should match the name you register with and what is on your photo ID.

How were All Americans chosen from the rankings?
All American honors are given to the top five percent in each age group. The next five percent receive Honorable Mention honors.

How many races did I need to compete in to be included in the annual rankings?
You must have competed in a minimum of three triathlons or two duathlons. Please note that each discipline is scored separately, so you need to have competed in three races each to be included in both end of year rankings. If you competed in more than three events, the average of your top three scores will have been used to calculate your final ranking within the triathlon division and your top two scores within the duathlon division.

I competed in an event with a canoe leg; why does it not appear in my rankings?
Events with special disciplines (canoe, horseback and relays) are not included in the rankings.

I competed on a relay team at an event; why did that not count towards my ranking?
Relays are not ranked.

I finished first in my age group at an event; why did I not receive a score of 100?
All calculations were based on the “par” time. Calculations were based on a mathematical formula that computed the score based on information supplied by the race director.

There is an error in one of my ranking scores, how do I get that remedied?
Please contact Rankings before February 15, 2008.

I competed in the amateur elite wave; why did I not receive a ranking score for that event?
In 2007 Elite/Open waves were only be ranked if the race director submitted a dispensation request and it was granted by USAT's Sanctioning Department. 
This special dispensation is not required for the 2008 Elite/Open waves, These wave will be ranked just as Age Groups have been ranked in the past.  It is now the Race Director's choice to offer this wave or not.

How are the final scores tabulated?
Final scores will be determined by averaging your top three scores in triathlon or top two in duathlon and off-road triathlon prior to those numbers being inverted.  This is a change from the 2006 season in which we took a straight average.  (EXAMPLE:  A score of 85.98526 would actually be looked at as .0116299 for averaging purposes.)

What happens if a race is comprised of all new competitors?
The first default will be to create pacesetters in the race based on past performances within the year (meaning 2007).  If none of them have ever competed before, the default will be to use the 2005 rankings model which looks at the number of race participants as the primary gauge for the participants' rankings.

The name I used when I registered for races is different than what I used when I became a USAT annual member. Is that why some of my races did not appear?
Yes.  Please contact Rankings to have the correct name appear in your results. Commas and periods can mean a non-match in the system. If you used names in competition different than what appears on your membership card, this might mean you did not get credit for the event. Name matches have to be used since many races do not submit membership numbers on race results. Also, if you were married and your name changed during the season, please notify Membership and ask that your name be updated in the database as well as on your rankings.

Who created the mathematical formula that was used to calculate the rankings?
The rankings formula was determined by the USA Triathlon Membership Services Department, the Age Group Commission, and members from several other advisor groups including the Women’s Commission, and the Senior Task Force. (The complete list is posted on the Rankings Criteria page) 

Click here to review your rankings.