• Posted on:January 8th, 2008
• Comments:No Comment
• Category:Run Girl Run

From this month’s issue of Runner’s World:

In 2006, USA Track & Field banned the use of headphones during its sanctioned races, a rule few races have enforced. Until now. Officials from Minneapolis’ Twin Cities Marathon (Oct. 7) scanned finishers’ photos — any runner in heaadphones was disqualified from the 2007 event and will be denied entry in 2008.

This gets a few runners’ short shorts in a wad, but I can’t say I disagree with the measures taken. The rule is clearly stated in the race materials. I know that some runners can’t run without their music, or audiobooks, or whatever they listen to while they run. I suffered through many long runs during my early days of training for my first marathon with an iPod strapped in my shorts, and I have the scars from the chafing to prove it.

But then you show up on race day and get caught up in the excitement. The tens of thousands cheering you on. The music from the loudspeakers. This is what you trained so hard for. Are you going to put on headphones and zone it all out? And being the other runner without the headphones, I find it really annoying when I’m trying to politely pass you in those first few miles and you can’t hear a word I’m saying because you can’t hear me. Hey, I’m just sayin’.

I guess we’re all different. And don’t get me wrong: if putting on headphones gets you out the door and on the road to run, then good for you. But to ask participants to leave the earbuds at home for a race does not seem like too much to ask. And if you ask me, the race officials are really doing you (and the other runners) a favor.