ArkansasRunner.Com

My favorite so far was at the Philly marathon last year. Everything said before the race echoed so bad I doubt even the front runners coulda understood what was said!

Huh?

Paul T said: What if you had a dinner party at your house, and told the invited guest "no smoking in the house"... and some one went into the bathroom and smoked thinking no one would notice... would you be upset or not? I'm guessing you'd be very upset about it.
Well what that person may have done is no difference than what you are doing here.

A better analogy is that you paid to attend a dinner party at the convention center. There is lots of space and patios, but not sure if you can smoke or not. Some say yes, some say no, but as long as you are on the patio - no one shoud care... how should someone smoking on the patio bother your sensitivity....?

Get a life and get out my way.... I will be the big Cajun with USMC T-shirt with an IPOD turned way up. Please stop by and say hello.

Very valid points RM... I've been there and done that, and I can see where you would feel that way.

I'm glad the numbers of runners/walkers is increasing, and give kudos to LRM for being a race that goes outta the way to welcome all runners/walkers.

I think the problem is inexperience with racing and race etiquette... and we should all help out with that.
All of us... whether we are front-of-the-pack, mid-pack, or back-of-the-pack should work with each other to make it a better experience. Heck all of us are out there for some goal or another... and hopefully we can respect each of those goals.

I think some times, some one out of position getting yelled at by others, may feel like they are getting yelled at because they are slow and don't deserve to be out there, and that's not the case.

Whew, glad I am only in the 5K....I will be one of the lowly 5K people that will have the wires coming out of his ears....have fun, run hard, and finish with a tune in your ear is my motto.....oh, and if I am in your way, please go around.....

This thread reminds me of dealing with my teenagers. Except for big Cajun USMC guy, that's something else altogether.

In regards to iPod usage. I have run many marathons and most encourage runners to leave the iPod at home.
I tend to be a mid-pack runner and I do like my iPod as it help to "kill" the time (4 hours is a long time).
I don't mind abiding by the "rules" I really get xxxxxx off when I follow the rules and leave my iPod at home and
I see other runners wearing theirs.
I say either eforce the rules and disqualify those wearing iPods or just leave them alone!
Large marathons discouraging iPod usage is a bunch of poppycock! I just finished the Marine Marathon last
October with 36,000 runners and they DID NOT ban iPod usage, thank you.

HAHA!! That's awesome Razorskin

The official booklet for the marathon on March 7, 2010 reads on page 21. "No bicycles, automobiles, headsets, iPods, mp3players, roller skates, roller blades, skateboards, baby joggers, or animals will be allowed on the race course at any time. NO EXCEPTIONS.

I can see someone riding a bicycle or roller skating being taken out of a race but using an iPod or mp3player? Will they be treated the same. Since they have this rule and it is specific about mp3players I won't wear mine since the rules clearly state it isn't allowed even though I was planning to use it with just one earpiece in. Will they have volunteer spotters stepping in to pull people out of the race for having an ipod or mp3player on?

I will look in the future for races that don't rule out a mp3player so this may be the only one I do for awhile. I'll be way back in the pack anyway.

There are several laws on the books, which are there partially due to safety (speeding and jaywalking just to name a couple) and yet a bunch of folks still do it. I would hope that those who choose to break those laws do it having thought of the consequences and are willing to take the risks involved. We have all seen at some point in our life people get ticketed for speeding and know what is at stake.

The LRM website says that "our official answer is no" when asked about MP3 player use in the FAQ. Until someone/all with headphones are removed and they emphatically state NO re headphone use people will continue to use them.

There is currently no retribution from authorities for wearing them and until someone is injured during the LRM I doubt people will feel they are risking THEIR own safety wearing headphones.

As for me...I have/had planned on running with just one side in and at a low volume. This is my first race longer than a 5K and think I need my "friends" to get me to the end.

I still have a couple of weeks to make my mind up. The above of course is just MHO.

I actually did read in RW not too terribly long ago that there have been marathons (I think Disney 2008) that went through race photos after the race and official disqualified anyone having earbuds or headphones. That probably makes no difference to most since you'll have your finishers medal, but but if you should BQ or need an official finishers certificate for preferential starting position at a future race, I could see where it would be a problem.

I could care less if you wear headphones or not until you cut me off or stop suddenly in front of me because your music kept you from realizing I was there.

I am not going down because of you.

I have to admit I was disappointed to find I would not be allowed to use my IPod for the race. I use a nike chip that sends information to my Ipod about my runs ~distance/time/pace/calories ~.Then I download it to the Nike website and it tracks my progress. I use this as my running journal and must admit the visual display of my progress is sometimes what drives me out of bed and into the cold at 4:30am. I like to be able to see my pace at each mile and make comparisons between runs. I don't want to have the data from the race not in this log. Does anyone see a problem with wearing the chip and ipod without the earphones or music so I can download my race when I get home??

It's not the iPod that is the is the issue, it is the music blasting in your ears that make one oblivious to their surroundings that is the issue. I'm sure you can wear your iPod on your waistband or tuck it into a pocket and no one will say a word.

I was running along last year and I heard someone say "wheelchair." Well, of course, I moved to the right. Unfortunately, the 2 or 3 people in front of my were wearing ipods and obviously did not hear that a wheelchair was coming because they did not move. They were nearly mowed over and caused the wheelchair person some problems. Sadly, common courtesy and respecting rules (whether you agree with them or not) seems to be a thing of past.

I'm thinking wearing one ear bud is the way to go.

Seriously? This will be my 5th time to run in a marathon. My first one, I followed rules and didn't listen to my beloved music. I still stepped in front of folks and made mistakes. I also noticed others enjoying their music and was a little aggravated that I did NOT do the same for it really helps me get thru the rough spots! Now, I've learned how to listen (one ear bud in down low....I can even carry on a conversation with other runners) and stay out of the way of the elite who need to pass. I love running. I love Little Rock. I love my music. Why can't I have all three responsibly? Needless to say, the other four races have been more enjoyable with my music. Do what you may, but I pay to run this race and I do it without causing problems and still manage to have fun..... so there! Good luck to all in 2010.... See you there!



Those who run seem to have all the fun!