A couple ideas.

I had an idea for a race a while back, something that is kind of an equalizer, and based on a workout we did in track with the distance runners. It goes like this:

It's a team race, each team consisting of two people. I'd kind of thought of it as a Valentine's Day event, geared towards couples. Anyway, you have a loop course, with one start/finish line. One person goes clockwise around the loop, the other goes counter-clockwise, and when they meet, they hand off... something, then turn around and re-trace their route back to the finish. The time would be based on when the second person got back. Variations would be that there could be a corral where the first person waits until their partner gets back, and then they finish together.

There's a bit of strategy here, where if one part of the course is more difficult, you'd send your stronger runner to go over that part before meeting their partner and turning around. When I did this in high school, we did it on our 5-mile loop. Normally we ran it clockwise, and there was a monstrous hill just past half-way. Kill Hill, we called it. The stronger runner would want to get over than hill before their partner got on it.

Now what could be used as the baton, the object handed from one to the other? In tri relays, they hand off a timing chip. Wouldn't really work unless we used the corral. Or it could be something Valentine's Day related, like a stuffed heart or other object. You just want to make sure they actually DO meet somewhere out on the course...

Haven't pitched this idea to BuDu yet...

Also, my wife and I are tossing the idea around of becoming USAT officials. Seems that not many races in the area have them. Maybe it's just a matter that the RD's don't want the expense, or don't see a need, but I've seen so many rules violations at the tri races I've been to that it's ridiculous. It's like the people on the course have no idea what the rules are... And that is likely true. I've ridden lead motor for several races, and even at the front I've seen (from my rear-view mirror) my share of illegal drafting. I can't stop to write down numbers...

How about this: We ride around the course, my wife on the back of the motorcycle, and she's carrying a paintball gun. Rules violation 1 -- you get hit once. If you have two paintball splotches at the finish line, DQ.

I've been paintballing before, and those things HURT! I don't think we'd get many repeat offenders.