quote:<HR>Originally posted by shortknee1:
The Army 10 miler banned even more than headphones last year. They banned water bottles, heart rate monitors, and cell phones. I just checked their website for 2007 and they opened up the restrictions to allow heart rate monitors and water bottles <HR>

Geez. We always carry a cell phone in a big race so PDR and I can find each other. I guess we'll have to check these with our garment bags.

I guess I don't care if others are using MP3 players. I don't during a race but always do during a run unless I'm running with someone.

Depending on your point of view, this is either fortunate or unfortunate. But in the US the marketplace will dictate what happens. As I see it, 1 of 2 things could happen...

1. The ban is widely enforced and followed and life continues under the new regimen.

2. Runners who like using headphones will abandon races that are USATF sanctioned causing some (maybe most) races either to not enforce the ban or to not seek USATF sanctioning.

If I was a betting guy, I would put big money on 2. Why? For the same reason that most races don't enforce the rule now ... they want people to come to their races and are willing to overlook this for greater attendance.

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- Rich[/URL" target="_blank">

I've run 2 marathons so far,one with headphones and one without.I wish I had headphones for my first one as I was hurting pretty bad and maybe I could have taken my mind of the pain for awhile.

The rules are the rules,I will abide by them but it doesn't mean I have to like it!!!

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Gordon
My Profile[/URL" target="_blank">

Headphones have been "banned" from races in the Hudson Mohawk RRC for many years. It is often stated so before the start of races, but no one has ever tried to actually enforce it by pulling someone out of the race. Since it is stated as "not allowed" on entry forms and as club policy, plus announced before a race, if your get hurt because you didn't hear a freight train coming up behind you, it's your own fault.

They also "ban" baby joggers in races, but I've seen a few. Not as many though, perhaps because babies are harder to come by than MP3 players.

How 'bout a requirement that everyone needs a stress EKG test before running a race? Or a BMI determination? I mean for the safety of all of us. Require that EVERYONE grab a cup of electrolyte drink at every station? I mean why should I have to risk not getting medical attention (if I trip over one of those criminal iPod users) because someone ahead of me had an MI, or is suffering from hyponatremia?

Any time someone wants to make a rule, they will argue that it is for "safety". And then everyone else is afraid to oppose that rule. How can someone be against "safety"?

No def people, no blind people, no fathers pushing their developmentally disabled children. No "fat" people. No "old" people. No figurative crutches, like iPods. Heck, no real crutches. If you aren't a real runner, don't even bother showing up.


You are going to "rule" yourselves right out of your pastime.

i copied and pasted it, lol

I normally run with ipod but will give it up if i have to. If we are going to start with following the rules how about a little etiquete with the walkers who line up behind the elite runners at some bigger races right with the guy who is holding the 7 minute pace sign. I really enjoy coming around a blind corner and running smack dab in to 30 walkers taking up most of the road . Oh heck I quess it is better if I do run up on the sidewalk to get by. O f coarse I could get DQED

Marthon Derrick

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I say hooray!

In the thousand or so races I've run, I've seen many problems caused by those wearing headphones, and experienced several myself, both as a runner and as a race official. I saw one runner who had to be physically yanked off the course - she didn't hear an ambulance trying to come through. I had one headphone wearer draw blood by running across the back of my ankles - was paying attention to the music and not that the pack was slowing down for a turn. I've had several experiences when headphone wearers stop short, miss turns and backtrack, you name it - causing others to have to try to stop short themselve or alter their own course to try to avoid a collision. You just don't see anywhere near the same kinds of problems with runners who are not wearing headphones -not even close. I even saw one collision at a race for deaf people - and one guess who caused the collision - not a deaf person, but a person wearing headphones who didn't see a turn coming up until almost past it, and backtracked into the path of another runner.

On the race organization side, I've heard several race directors complain about the problems caused when runners with headphones don't hear the race instructions, don't pay attention to race officials on the course, don't pay attention to the race officials at the finsih line, etc. We had one runner just go sailing past the finish line on the other side of the road - paying atteniton to the music, I guess, and not the big finish line banner and the cones directing people to the finish chute. Personally I would have let the person run into the next county and not cared, but one of the other finish line people abandoned his post to run after Ms Oblivious, leaving us short-handed. Never had anything like that happen with a headphone-free runner.

Frankly, I don't care so much of the safety of the headphone wearers themselves. I'm just sick of having oblivious headphone wearers stop short in front of me, or backtrack into my path, and for sure I don't like having my heels stepped on. I've never had problems with anyone who wasn't wearing headphones, including deaf runners and blind runners (and yes, I have races where there were several in that category).