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how many of you got dq for wearing ipods at races
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Ooh can I borrow them?
My kids are singing Adele songs.....
Following safety advice from UK Athletics we made it a condition of entry into the event that runners must not wear headphones or earphones whilst running.
Last year a large number of runners ignored this condition and their race numbers were noted.
This year, marshals will ask for headphones/earphones to be removed. Runners who ignore this request will have their number noted and they will be removed from the official results listing.
This action is taken entirely for your safety, so please comply.
I ran the Berkhampstead half at the beginning of the month. There was a no MP3 player rule there too but it wasn't enforced.
I was cut up and nearly tripped by two people on corners who were completely oblivious to me. They would have heard me if they hadn't got their iearphones on. Another person ran out wide onto the otherside of the road and was nearly run over by a cyclist coming up the outside.
Maybe Darwin will sort them out or maybe we should just push people over if they run into our way.
I think that suggesting GPS and iPods are technical assistance is a red herring. They don't help you run any better it's not like roller-skates or big springs. The UKA rules allow you to communicate with other athletes and people outside the race. A GPS is just another form of communication. If iPods were technical assistance why are they mentioned separately? If music was technical assistance then bands with PAs on the route would have to be banned. Mobile phones to call your supporters to tell them where you are would be banned.
The iPod issue is purely one of safety. There have been countless near misses. I'm not suggesting anyone is likely to get run over and killed. The most likely outcome is a twisted ankle or grazed knee but that can present it's own problems 3 miles from a marshall on a rural race. Maybe not so much on the London marathon but I would be a little bit annoyed if I had been training for months and someone tripped me up and ended my race.
In view of Brentwood, about bloody time and well bloody done.
They did have a no ipod/mp3 ban last year and many ignored this.
So I emailed the race director about the issue. He told me that they will send letters to
those wearing them last year as a warning. They promised they were not taking this
matter lightly and will disqualify any runner wearing them and photograph every runner
so they know the ones to disqualify.
All I say is well done and hope other race organisers learn from this one.
Music can give you assistance. Look at the number of services you can subscribe to giving music designed around different intensities. I know in training certain music makes me run faster. Bands on courses are heard by everyone, so no one has an advantage. Plus you only hear them for a few minutes at most.
GPS real time pacing is a huge assistance. It's not a form of communication as it's one way. If you don't believe me, switch it off next time you race and see how you get on. Using a phone to make a call can hardly be seen as assistance as in most races, you would need to slow down to have a decent conversation. Though why you would want to make a call during a race is beyond me.
It's about level playing fields. An elite would be DNQ's for wearing an ipod and/or using a GPS. So it applies to the rest of the field too.
The ipod thing is being pushed by a perceived issue of safety (I don't completely buy it personally, but if the people issuing licenses do, then we all need to take note and it has been done to death) but safety also gives those that just don't like it something to hide behind.
People who need to listen to music whilst running, especially racing, just don't understand the sport at all. They are what is called by us proper runners a 'jogger' or maybe 'funrunner'. You only need to tune into your body, not music.Please try running more to understand this. When racing, try to run faster rather than loiter and meander and maybe put an effort in to beat the next runner - it's what it's all about - not a bloody time trial.
The Brentwood half had loads of sign up about being DQ'd if caught wearing earphones. For instance, there was one on every post where the bags were stored.There were also countless announcements.
No sympathy at all - just in case you hadn't guessed.
“In exactly the same way that Lewis Hamilton can't drive down my street at 100mph in a Ford Fiesta.”
Rules are created for specific reason’s and their enforcement should reflect this. Ambulances and police cars regularly break the speed limit, judges often give different punishments dependent on the severity of the crime and the intentions behind it, medical marijuana, euthanasia, acting in self-defence .... if rules are just rules for no reason, why have them? If there is a reason for them then take into account situations that do not apply when enforcing ...
If headphones are banned due to insurance, then fair enough, can’t argue against that, they have to do it, but I’ve run in many races where that can’t be the case - no cars .... I’ve been shunted, tripped etc. by people in costumes, people who started in the wrong pen, people with blonde hair, people wearing the number 7 and while it is regrettable that some listeners to music are not conscientious, that's true of a lot of other runners, but the vast majority of runners are, music or not.
As for the argument that runners with headphone's don't understand the sport, hard to know where to begin, but I obviously applaud them on their in depth understanding of every runner with music; be helpful if they could group as succinctly the attributes of all men, all russians and all bisexuals. I'm sure my friend will also be dismayed that he he doesn't understand the sport at all, he was treating the amsterdam marathon as a time trial to try and get 2.15 and qualify for the olympics, guess that's not proper running.
I'd like to see all the people who get all elitist about running get tripped up by a "jogger".
No symapthy at all either.
DH I don't think your going to win this arguement, I know of no serious runners who think that running with music is a good idea, never seen anyone in the olympics wearing them. Keep them for the gym where they belong and move on. Even in races where there are no cars ambulances still need access.
If your racing to your limit you need to concentrate on your form, your breathing etc, running is all inclusive as long as you want to compete, no sympathy from me either.
Lets null and void Roger Bannisters 4 minute mile- he started all this pacing business. Along with the London Marathon founders too-Chris Brasher!!
Great to see a race stand up and enforce the rules, as sorry as I am for the OP's DSQ, it's great to see a race ban these audio-glazed over people. Well done.
Other races, please take notes.
Wearing ipods in races is not just dangerous, but obviously dangerous. It creates an unacceptable risk that can easily be controlled by banning their use.
End of.
As far as the technical assitance goes. Heart rate monitors are allowed on races above 10k, there is no mention of GPS or MP3. I don't see a difference between HRMs and GPS. If you learn what your heart is doing at various paces and inclines there is no difference. I think GPS just hasn't made it into the rule book yet.
Well I am confused ,I understand the rule about not wearing head phones ,I was lucky Sunday I ran the Hasting half marathon wearing headphones ,there is a lot of that race up hill and no-one around so having music helped,April I am running the brighton Marathon and will not be able to wear my head set as the rules state no headphones not to bothered as music is provided along the course and I would like to see how I get on without the headphones ,but why would a garmins gps be banned it basically only tells you how far you have run,its not cheating it just means I can log my distance
headsets I understand due to H&S even if HSE has gone a bit overboard the arguements for not wearing them are very good points ,but can someone explain the reason for not wearing a gps as surely that is not an HSE problem
"Pacing in running or walking events by persons not participating in the
event, by competitors lapped or about to be lapped, or by any kind of
technical device."
seems fairly unequivocal
Sian, there were several very large signs attached to lamp posts between the college HQ and the actual start, warning that iPods/MP3 were not allowed and using one would result in a DQ.
I also heard a marshal call out to one runner wearing theirs, to tell them to take it off or be disqualified.
It's about time too - if races are going to ban them then they should enforce the ban.
Razkatz, I am confused as well. This thread started as a question about being disqualified for wearing ipods and has somehow morphed into a thread about ipods, pacing, Garmins and god knows what else.
Ipods and Garmins are two different issues.
The Ipod issue is a safety issue. Safety applies to, and is the responsibility of, everybody taking part in the race. Even if the rules don't specifically ban ipods (and these days that is a bit negligent because of the insurance/duty of care issues), it is irresponsible for participants to wear them. Even if you're happy to take the risk of being hit by a car or whatever, they are a danger to other runners and it would be nice if more people recognised that and took a bit of moral responsibility to look after/care about the people around them as well as themselves.
The Garmin issue, if it is an issue, is about performance and whether they deliver a competitive advantage. Personally I don't think it matters if you're not a prize winning/elite athlete, which, let's face it, applies to 95% of us. It is different to the Ipod issue because the Ipod issue applies to the whole field, from those in it to win it to those just there to plod round.
So, in summary, wear your Garmin but leave your ipod at home.