Grandma's Marathon's Successful Headphones Ban

[JimG]

Originally Posted by Trailrunnerdude

correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't the ban originally implemented to be in compliance with an IAAF rule forbidding such devices to prevent elite runners from getting information about the location of some of their rivals? If so, then at some level enforcement cannot be ignored.

Correct. But the instances of that occurring are so infinitesimal as to make the point moot. But the rule was extended to include everyone in the race.

BTW, I learned that in track & field, no headphone wearing is permitted anywhere in the field of competition. So no more listening to your favorite hip-hop tune to get psyched for the long jump. The officials realized it was only a matter of time until some "tuned-in" athlete didn't hear the "look out for the javelin" warning.

[pstewart]

Here's a new twist. I just received the follow email regarding this year's Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:

"I noticed that headphones are not allowed. Does that mean earbuds also? What about one earbud (i.e. for one ear only as you are allowed to do when driving a car). Thank you in advance for your answer."

Any suggestions?

[Trailrunnerdude]

Originally Posted by pstewart

Here's a new twist. I just received the follow email regarding this year's Credit Union Cherry Blossom Ten Mile:

"I noticed that headphones are not allowed. Does that mean earbuds also? What about one earbud (i.e. for one ear only as you are allowed to do when driving a car). Thank you in advance for your answer."

Any suggestions?

The main problem if we accept this type of listening device is that other people will say "Look, he's wearing headphones, so we should be able to do so too" and then it will be impossible to enforce the ban.

[hillrunr]

I've heard this excuse used before, also. I call it an excuse because, while it sounds like a good compromise, I've witnessed and been part of the same issues as we're discussing here even when only one earbud being used. The problem isn't always that people can't hear their surroundings. It's that they get so wrapped up in their "false environment" that they disconnect from the real environment. They get so wrapped up in their music that they subconsciously block out everything else that's going on.

When I was in college, as most of my teammates also did, I always wore headphones to meets and, in the off-season, road races. I never wore the headphones while running (the technology at the time I got my headphones wasn't developed enough to keep the CD from skipping when running so it wasn't an option even if I would have wanted to, which I didn't) and, at track meets, I'd often wear only one earbud with just the excuse you often see. I can enjoy my music and hear what's going on around me. After a couple of close calls with people warming up or errant implements, I realized just what I stated above, that even though I could hear what was going on around me, the music was taking me to my own little world and I wasn't aware of what was going on around me.

Personally, for this reason along with the "slippery slope" that Trailrunnerdude mentioned, I'd suggest not allowing one earbud.

[Brian Mastel]

If you read the rule and want to enforce it to the letter, it reads the visible possession or use of a device...so one ear bud or two doesn't make a difference, just having the device on the race course is grounds for disqualification.

[Sean Ryan]

Originally Posted by Brian Mastel

...just having the device on the race course is grounds for disqualification.

What about if I have the velcro strap wrapped around an appendage other than my arm and the device is not visible to the naked eye?

[easyrunning]

People can be distracted on courses for a lot of reasons. This headphone argument is really a religious debate.

I think it is safe to say that a very large majority of runners today wear headphones, perhaps not 100% of the time, but at least sometimes. To attempt to ban them is like peeing in the ocean, it will not succeed. The majority will eventually rule (show me any NEW for-profit race that really attempts to ban them -> it won't happen). If you want to grow your race you have to take the don't-ask don't-tell approach that the majority of races today take. IMO, there is no proof that headphones cause enough of a problem to really warrant a ban (it is all hearsay and assumption). The benefit of growing the sport outweighs the problem.

If you are an elite race and can afford to try and enforce the ban go for it, but it's a waste of time because the ban will go away before long, it must because the reality is most people paying the entry fees want to wear these devices.

Of course, perhaps marketing your new race as no-music allowed will work... Try it and see .

Hi, This post of mine will surely updates knowledge and contain valuable information. However I would like suggestions about some specific information. If you can help me then please send me a private message. Many Thanks,

[Trailrunnerdude]

Originally Posted by easyrunning

I think it is safe to say that a very large majority of runners today wear headphones, perhaps not 100% of the time, but at least sometimes.

the reality is most people paying the entry fees want to wear these devices.

Do you have any empirical evidence to support these claims? Otherwise, they are just as, if not more, tenuous than the 'hearsay' evidence you refer to regarding problems caused by headphone-wearing runners in races.

I work with dozens of races a year and I have never seen a field with more than 20% of runners wearing headphones. The rate tends to be between 5 and 15%. The thing is, most of these people tend to be in the bottom half of the fields in terms of pace (usually 8:30/mile and slower). So, even with a small percentage of runners such as 5%, there is greater risk for problems they are more concentrated within the fields.

[hillrunr]

Indeed, the numbers I have seen much more closely resemble the numbers Trailrunnerdude reports. Between running and working, I see at least 10-15 races a year and I've never seen a race even approaching 50% usage. The people wearing headphones are in the minority and many in the majority are getting upset and concerned about what is happening.

Trailrunnerdude is right about who is using the headphones in another regard. They tend to be people who are inexperienced. They are slower individuals (most people who have been around running know speed tends to come with experience) and they don't know the rules of the road. This creates problems because they don't know how to line up, will often line up in front of people much faster than them, then can't hear warnings from the much faster people trying to pass or don't realize that some of the things they may do can create hazardous conditions if not done in a certain way (stopping to walk without moving over to the side first, for example). It also causes problems because they are not familiar with the instructions given at the start of the races and, because they are using headphones, can't hear the instructions.