RaceRanger: Changing Triathlon - What The Data Reveals

Wanaka, New Zealand - This year’s Challenge Wanaka Half marked a major step forward in fair racing, as age-group athletes experienced RaceRanger, an advanced electronic drafting detection system, in action. The feedback was overwhelmingly positive, with competitors noting how RaceRanger provided clarity on the 12-meter draft zone, removing the stress and uncertainty of staying within the rules.

RaceRanger was introduced at Challenge Wanaka to provide athletes with real-time feedback on their positioning within the draft zone. With visual indicators helping competitors maintain legal distances, the system contributed to a cleaner, fairer race and a better overall experience for all participants.

Now, Challenge Wanaka is taking this innovation a step further by publishing anonymous drafting data from the event, offering athletes, officials, and event organisers unprecedented insight into drafting dynamics.

Drafting Insights

The collected data provides an objective picture of drafting behavior, including:

Time spent inside the draft zone

Instances of 'illegal drafting' due to:

Exceeding 25 seconds to overtake

Exceeding 25 seconds to drop back

Entering a draft zone and then dropping back repeatedly (‘yo-yoing’)

Most drafted competitor (the ‘favorite wheel’)

Longest single drafting instance

Frequency of ‘yo-yo’ drafting behavior

Currently RaceRanger produce a summary spreadsheet (download via button below). They also produce a detailed file on each athlete’s race, showing every passing / drafting interaction they had with other athletes on the course. This is currently still in development and is only being shared with officials at this stage.

A Fairer, More Transparent Race

Challenge Wanaka Event Director Jane Sharman praised RaceRanger’s impact:
“RaceRanger was a fantastic addition to Challenge Wanaka this year. As an event that prides itself on fairness and integrity, having a system that helps athletes understand and manage their drafting distances in real time was a game-changer. We saw competitors actively using the units to stay within the rules, which contributed to a much cleaner race overall.”

One of the biggest challenges in long-course triathlon is consistent drafting enforcement. RaceRanger provided officials with valuable insights, improving decision-making and enhancing the overall integrity of the competition. While penalties remain part of the sport, the system’s primary goal is education and awareness—and it is proving to be an incredible tool in achieving that.

“We received overwhelmingly positive feedback from athletes who said RaceRanger removed the guesswork of drafting,” added Sharman. “Knowing exactly where they stood in relation to competitors allowed them to race with confidence, without constantly worrying about potential penalties. Many were surprised at just how far 12 metres actually is in a race environment.”

What’s Next for RaceRanger?

RaceRanger continues to evolve, with exciting future developments including:

Single-unit systems for easier self-installation on bikes

Live internet connectivity for real-time drafting data, live athlete tracking, and potential stopped athlete alerts for added safety

RaceRanger is revolutionizing drafting enforcement, simplifying the job for officials while giving athletes real-time awareness of their positioning. By increasing understanding of drafting dynamics, this technology is paving the way for fairer, more transparent, and more enjoyable racing.

“Challenge Wanaka has always been a supporter of innovation in triathlon, and we’re excited about where RaceRanger is heading,” said Sharman. “The potential for live tracking and real-time race data is something we believe will elevate the athlete experience and enhance fairness in our sport.”

Stay tuned for further updates from the team at RaceRanger as they continue to develop new features. If you competed at Challenge Wanaka or want to learn more, check out the links below to RaceRanger’s summary data and sample personalized athlete reports (these reports include randomly generated names and numbers as real names have been removed).

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