worked the 1st water stop at the chicago marathon, then, after watching the finish, proceeded to ~ mile 22 to meet up with a friend who was struggling and make sure she got back to her car one way or another (i promised her daughter i would stay to make sure she was ok).  was at the timing place when the race official in the timeing truck got the notice that the race was canceled.  he started telling people and they were freaking out "no way, they can't make me stop!!!  i won't".  was wearing my volunteer hat, so folks started asking questions, talking to me, etc.  didn't notice a single mp3 or anything that had to do with them.  i talked to dozens of people at the mile marker, dozens more after we picked up my friend and walk/jogged the last few miles with her.  folks didn't stop because by nature, marathoners are stuborn blockheads (just finished my 18th).  they don't stop.  they don't know how, don't know better.  got nothin to do with ipods folks.

been running with music since day one, ran my first marathon with a great big "walkman" and an extra tape in a big old neoprene belt.  could run without my shoes easier than in could run without my music.  i love races, they help me set goals and keep me in the game. but hey, ustf?  please, i won't be winning any money anytime soon.  i paid to run on your course and drink your water, let me have my music.  (this is the difference that the folks saying "don't wear them in baseball or any other sports").  hello, 99% of us are not pros.  ok, meb, paula, katherine, and khalid shouldn't be allowed to wear headphones, but the rest of us, come on, 26.2 miles is a long way to listen to my own labored breathing!!! 

as for safety, agree wholeheartedly.  we are all adults and responsible for our own safety.  when i run in the winter at night i wear flashers and a reflective vest.  on ice, those thingies on my shoes, in the heat i carry water and wear sunscreen.  when i wear my music, ALWAYS, i wear one headphone.  buy the cheap ones and cut one off.  HELLO.  not that hard.  i can hear fine and not bothering anyone else.  OK, maybe when i sing along sometimes it bothers others....  but trust me as an adult to keep MYSELF safe.

just my thoughts.  oh.  i and as a severe allergy sufferer, i take claritin D before any race in the spring and the fall (and every other day too).  that contains a USTF banned substance, i think.  they gonna start making all 40K people in the chicago marathon pee in a cup???  this is my point.  some folks are professional runners.  they can and should have all the rules they want.  me, i'm payin.  let me have my tunes. 

My two cents on this topic is comming from a High School student who has seen first hand in the problem with people wanting ipods. Honestly there is problem in my opinion, yet in certain circumstance it is something that does take away from the team, for instance in XC, which you are supposed to be there for the "team" type of ideal. Honestly there is nothing that is going to make somebody run any faster because they are using an iPod. There is nothing that is going to make the guy listening to pink floyd run any faster in the home stretch than somebody who wants to just listen to the wind blow past them. There is a certain thing in running that I think pretains to this, we runners, as a whole; care about are bodies, why should we limit somebody who uses this device to still get out and stay physically fit? People use this to get them out of the house, out on the trail; make sure that they are doing something that they normally may not do without it. We want people to go out and get physically fit, lower the obesity rate; why not use a tool to make people better focused and more able to do it. I see no problem with a guy wearing an iPod during a race because I know that they are not going to run into a wall; in fact i've trained both ways and there is not too much of a difference. Sometimes I use an iPod to "escape the moment" and sometimes I dont so that I am more into the run. Honestly though why somebody is using one makes no difference to me, its there body and they can do as they please.

Reguards.

The thread that never dies...lol...

Actually I am there to listen to my favorite tunes and race, as well as place if at all possible!  Nothing tacky about people using Ipods or any other listening device, just ask the thousands of runners out there that run and race to music.  It is a personal choice but like so many other personal choices, it is under attack.  I ran a 10k on Saturday and most of the people I saw were using music devices.  The important thing is that these people were out there doing something that to much of our country does not do and if music motivates them out the door, I say Ipod on!

And the dominos begin to fall............................

Excellently framed article. I find IPods to be terribly distracting when attempting to focus on rhythmic breathing, checking heart rates after hills and recognizing the threats in my running environment. IPods, I also find, are wonderful motivators on both tired days and days the run is pure fun and relaxation as opposed to training. When it comes to official races my initial instinct is to ban IPod use. I believe in an even playing field and judging from what incredible motivator Madonna ComeSessions is for me, I might feel a little resentful of the perceived advantage of a fellow racer getting an extra push from music that motivates her. The challenge of endurance sports is that inner drive. That sacred voice we have to train to lift us up, not put us down. Its that inner voice and drive that seperates endurance athletes in a big way. I call it the give-up voice. Its what makes wanna be's roll over and hit snooze on rainy days. If Aerosmith is screaming a person on...its like a drug to mask a pain I think. Keep IPods out of races.

I have run races both with and without an iPod. Should we not be looking to encourage runners to participate in an event? i would rather run a in an event with 1,000 runners instead of 100. I believe we are losing sight of any sports goal. To promote participation in the sport.

Some people believe they run better while listening to their favorite music. While there are two sides, the sport should not discourage people from entering or winning non cash awards should they do so "plugged in".

If the race doesn't allow headphones, you have three choices: Not enter, enter and run with them (suffering any consequences), or not run with them at all.

I run with a cell phone too, and always call my 88 year old mom a mile or so before the finish so she can be part of "the moment" .  I'm not setting records, I'm there for the challenge, the accomplishment and to raise money for worthy causes.

That's great and I don't have  a problem with that, but it doesn't mean that people who enjoy music and relax to it while running should have it banned from road races.