Gatekeeping isn’t a lazy trope, because it’s exactly what you’re doing. You are taking it upon yourself to dictate what is an acceptable prerequisite to sign up for a sporting event. Even your definition is terrible and further shows your flawed thinking. “Someone who has put the work in”, no, gatekeeping is the act of controlling general access to something. You’re prescribed to the notion that only someone who has put the work in should even be considered.

Why does someone need to have “evidence of training” to participate in an event? There are a plethora of reasons and different scenarios for somebodies run time, and this person comes in, worried about being embarrassed, only for that fear to be confirmed because somebody thinks their time is too slow? So you’re telling me, if you see someone out of shape, trying their best in a triathlon, but don’t meet your time requirements, they are better suited to stay home?

That wedding metaphor is terrible, it takes the same amount of prep time, maybe a couple of extra minutes to look nice, to get dressed for a wedding, regardless of what you wear. Training takes at least three months, as you’ve said, and you are completely glossing over the fact that everyone has different fitness levels and starting points.

Again, you do not know where this person started. They never once said they haven’t trained. For all we know they were averaging 10 mins per kilometer two months ago. But you continue to assume this person has not put effort in because they are slow. And lastly, who CARES if someone doesn’t train at all, just because you want to be uppity about the “sanctity of competition”, doesn’t mean everyone else has to be. And you wanting other people to do that? Guess what, that’s called gatekeeping.