Many
people do not understand how the scoring system works for the Virginia
Triathlon Series. In order to be eligible for an award, you need to compete in
at least five races in the series. The options to choose from range from
sprint, to Olympic, to the half ironman distance. The larger the distance of the race,
the higher the race is weighted; the higher the number of participants, the
higher the race is weighted; and the closer your finish time is to the top five
athletes in your gender, the higher your points will be.
A
quick take on how it works:
1.
The top five athletes times per gender are averaged (A)
2.
Your time (B) is divided into that average – so A/B
3.
That score is multiplied by the weight (W) of the race [(A/B) x W)] – see the
chart below
4.
And finally that number is multiplied by 10,000 to make the number an integer
[(A/B)
x W x 10,000)]
Event Distance
|
Distance Factor
|
Depth of Field Factor
(500+ finishers in 2011)
|
Depth of Field Factor
(500+ finishers in 2012)
|
Sprint (pool swim)
|
0.90
|
---
|
0.91
|
Sprint (open water swim)
|
0.91
|
0.92
|
0.92
|
International
|
0.93
|
0.93
|
0.94
|
Half Ironman
|
0.95
|
0.94
|
0.96
|
Championship/ Qualifier Status
|
+ 0.01
|
+ 0.01
|
+0.01
|
Event Weight Classification
Table
|
While
this scoring system has been set up based on other models, there are definite
controversies surrounding scores. The scoring system does not necessarily point
to the fastest athlete and the slower athlete can score higher than the faster
athlete just because they do a race that is more heavily weighted based on the
distance and participant number, like an open water swim versus a pool swim or
an Olympic or Sprint distance versus a half ironman.
Really,
it’s a shame there isn’t a way to have awards just for the Sprint and Olympic
distance and then a separate awards category for the larger distances like the
half ironman and larger. This type of scoring as in most, places a greater
importance on longer distances and the shorter distances get the shaft. They
are two different beasts and it would be more fair to have a separate scoring
system.
No
matter the number of races you competed in, your top five scores are added for
a final series scoring. The Virginia Triathlon Series awards per gender the top
five finishers, the top five Masters, the top three per age group, the top
three Athena, the top three Clydesdale, the top three Masters Clydesdale, and
the top three Military.
I
received my awards in the mail recently but the Virginia Triathlon Series also
offers awards to participants who have completed five, nine, or twelve races.
While I placed in my age group, I also completed twelve races so I received:
1.
Three free sprint distance races for 2013 in the Virginia Triathlon Series;
3.
A fleece hat which I have already misplaced!!; and
4.
A long sleeve t-shirt.
Just for participating in
five races, participants receive a long sleeve t-shirt and a fleece hat, and
for nine races you receive that as well as the fleece pullover.
So, while I had a great
time racing this year, I did become slightly obsessed with the points system so
I could nab a place in the top three in my 35-39 age group. It basically comes
down to how close your times are to the top finishers and how heavily the race
is weighted. Thanks to the Virginia Triathlon Series for putting on so many great and highly organized races and for providing great incentives and awards for their athletes!
