Grandmas Headphone Ban Lifted

Good news for music-loving, gray-hairs everywhere: Grandma's runners can use headphones again.

This story could possibly raise way more questions than it answers. I mean, why were grandmas banned from using headphones while running in the first place? Seems kinda discriminatory, if you ask me. On the other hand, why the sudden reversal? I mean, it was dangerous for grandmothers to run with headphones a month ago, but now it's somehow safe? What changed, exactly? Did a group of angry grandmas lobby for this change? If so, did they wave their canes and walkers in a threatening manner while doing so? Because that could be considered assault. And what do grandma runners listen to anyway? Folk music? Lawerence Welk? (Is that stuff even available on MP3?) It just doesn't make sense.

While you ponder, and possibly either show displeasure or revel in the rule reversal, here's some background music for your run/workout today...



By the way, I've signed up to run Grandmas Marathon again. I think this will be either number 15 or 16 this year. And I doubt I'll be bringing my iPod.

Debating The Headphones Ban

Delegates to the USATF convention who attended the open session of the Long Distance Running Division chaired by Fred Finke this past November were anxious to debate the ban on headphones in road races which was imposed by USATF at last year’s convention.

“We realize this issue has caused a great deal of angst,” said Finke, who has received hundreds of e-mails on the subject. “It seems to be a hot button issue.”

USATF enacted the ban in accordance with a rule put in place by the IAAF which banned the use of headphones in championship events. The IAAF ban was intended to prevent athletes from receiving information via radio about the whereabouts of their rivals, a practice which is permitted in the big bicycle tours, like the Tour de France.

But in practical application, it has meant that recreational runners are not allowed to wear MP3 players, like Apple’s iPod, and listen to music during road races. Only a handful of U.S. races have actively enforced the ban.

“It hasn’t been given enough of a chance, but it is enforceable,” said Jim Gerweck of the Road Running Technical Council who is also the managing editor of Running Times Magazine. “I wonder how many people in Chicago didn’t hear that the race was cancelled because they were wearing iPods.”

Opinions in the room were sharply divided. Organizers of the Twin Cities Marathon said that they took the ban seriously and disqualified 176 runners from this year’s race for wearing headphones. “I would like to see USATF enforce the rules,” said the event’s operations manager, Brian Mastel.

But Tracy Sundlan, whose Elite Racing event management firm puts on the the Rock ‘n’ Roll Marathon series, wasn’t sure the ban was well thought out and could simply end up driving away customers for race organizers large and small. “I’m not sure the reason to have the ban is consistent with where the sport is going,” he said, referring the the legions of fun runners who dominate the ranks of America’s road racing participants.

Since USATF were not considering any rules changes at this past year’s convention (it’s not a “rules year”), the ban will be in place for at least another year. Delegates voted to table the issue until next year, and Finke said a subcommitte would study the problem and make a recommendation for action, perhaps limiting the ban to just national championship events.

“It’s really a no-win situation,” said Finke. “I’m looking for a middle ground.”