I'm very happy about this ruling. I've run too many crowded races where headphone wearers don't hear you when you're trying to pass them. Also, they take the fun out of racing-no talking to others and not hearing the spectators cheering them on.

We had people wearing headphones at our half marathon last November who didn't hear course marshals shouting at them - they were wandering too far into the center of the road, and were unaware of traffic coming up behind them. That is way too dangerous, so we are banning headphones too. While we want everybody to have fun at our race, our first priority is to keep them safe.

Jay

quote:

---

Originally posted by TMWIP:

I think this is the correct one - 144.3:

---

 

TMWIP:
...and this:
6. Any athlete giving or receiving assistance during any event other than as specified
in 144.3(a) must be cautioned by the Referee and warned that for any repetition,
he or she will be disqualified from that event.

I think we're both disqualified. !http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/smile.gif|src=http://www.coolrunning.com/forums/smile.gif|border=0!
-caitp

So why are the Grandma's people being to heavy handed?
How about tempering their ultimatums by stating that you may not win anything if you are wearing headphones.

In Tri's if the water temp is warm, wetsuits are disallowed.  However you may still wear one, you still exist in the world as a person, but yhou may not place, even in slow age groups.  Now that's addressing the "competitors" and leaving the "hobbyists" to play.

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 (http://www.armytenmiler.com/Raceinfo/Individual.cfm#security).  I can understand the Army 10 miler, it starts at the Pentagon.  But Grandma's?  Really?  I think there are bigger ssues than wearing headphones.  Don't you?

quote:

---

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

---

 

I can't believe a race would ban water bottles!   Is this similar to the fact that you can't carry on shampoo bottles onto airplanes?

Last year at Columbus marathon - a race official was pacing a wheelchair athlete.  I counted 2 runners with headphones that could not hear the official warn that the wheel chair athlete was coming through.  One runner was oblivious for atleast 2 minutes, until I ran over and tapped him on the shoulder and motioned to get out of the way.

As mentioned above - the first priority is SAFETY.