Originally Posted by
_ForceD_
I think you can wear whatever you want. Or, whatever the specific local race directors will let you. I really don't think that USAT dabbles in controlling relays. There would be just too much for them to control, distribution of genders per team...all male, all female, two males/one female, two females/one male. And then the same thing with age distribution/divisions. The relays are usually just an extra division that local race promoters use to get more participation ($$$).
Dan
I think you may be right that this is a "director discretion" item under USAT. I was hoping there might be a set of rules or interpretations of which I'm unaware. The clear conflict is the rule that says you must display your race number at all times -- and some triathlons require upper arm marking as your only front race number.
And yes, relays are the "gateway drug" that the triathlons, all the way to IronMan, use to try to get swimmers and runners (who often don't have a bike yet) involved in their first triathlon experience. Since I cannot run anymore, I'm glad to help them out -- and we've seen a lot of athletes move from relay to full triathlon after a couple relays. Especially if their team wins a relay or two, they catch the bug pretty quickly. It's very effective in growing the sport. (But it means I've never had the same team twice.)