Ann Marie asks:
Have
you seen races where no Kiwi (music) is allowed? I signed up for
Myrtle Beach and the homepage says "The USATF has amended their ruling
on headphones and ipods. For safety reasons, the Myrtle Beach Marathon
does not permit running with headphones and ipods. " I don't think I
can make it without my tunes. Any advice?
But I Love My Music, Mr Director!
....the rule originally stated that no USATF sanctioned event allowed headphones. It has since been amended to leave that decision to the race director.
Yes, Myrtle Beach bans headphones.
...officially speaking.
I found this review from a runner. (Paragraph 4.)
It has been my experience that the rule is largely unworkable. If you aren't vying for prize money, as most of the general field is not; it doesn't seem to matter.
Why Is This Even A Rule?
First- safety. You need to be able to hear directions (water here, gatorade there & full marathon left, half marathon right), cars approaching (Myrtle Beach Marathon is NOT a closed course. There WILL be cars), and other runners about to throw up on you. This is MBM's reason for the disallowment. And it is a good one.
Second- winning. Before headphones helped us drift into our happy pace and happy place, cutting off the outside world, they were radios. Communication is a no-no. If the runner next to you had a coach in his ear, he would have a much easier time knowing when to push, when to hold back, etc. This is why you will never see the cross country kids or elite runners with headphones. It is an automatic disqualification for prizes.
How Does This Apply To Me?
Learn to run without music. Horrible. What if begins to rain? Gonna keep an electronic thing in your ear? No... it goes to your pocket! Try a lap around the block. It is possible. But you could always...
Hide it. Wear a soft headband (ear warmers in winter) and pull it over your ears. Tuck the cord down your shirt if your music is on your hip. Music in your hand? Wait til you get going to plug in. On your arm? Wrap the extra cord around the device and lace the cord behind your ears. I've seen them through hair, hats, ponytails, etc. Cordless headphones that are obvious? I'm not sure on that one, but Kiwi suggests a race day costume so crazy no one will pay attention to your head.
Ann Marie, we hope this helps! If we can clarify anything or answer anything else, let us know! And good luck at the race! Kiwi and I are looking forward to hearing how it goes!!!
GOOD LUCK ANN MARIE!! LOVE KIWI
Got a question? Send it to Kiwi. We'll answer it, or make up something awesome.
can you run with the tunes playing loud enough to hear without ear buds?
ReplyDeleteI believe you are allowed to run with your iPhone/iPod/whatever playing music, just not ear buds. The race director will reply promptly to questions I have found out. I'd say keep it at a respectful tune and people aren't really going to care. I am running the MB marathon and like this rule for the fact, at the beginning of races it is a mad house and for the first half this thing will have a lot of runners, so people will need to hear others around them. Best of luck! :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for your input, Andy. And thank you for reading!
Delete