by Larry EderUSA Track & Field has a rule about stopping the use of earphones on Ipods, Mp3s during sanctioned running events. Certian events have now come out and said they will not honor the rule..USATF is getting hit with questions on their policy…I think the point has been missed….
First, on safety. If you are going to use earphones, etc. then do it safely. Stay observant of your surroundings and watch for traffic. If you are a women, please run with others, especially after dark, if you are running with or without earphones.
The music in Ipods is alot of fun. I use it for two or three of my walks each week. But there are times, with the traffic, that it just does not make sense. And common sense needs to be the rule of the day.
It is great that a race director says his or her race is open to runners using earphones. But those runners need to be responsable enough to know that they have runners around them and vehicles too and they must be aware. I for one, have no clue why someone would use earphones during a marathon with all of the fans and excitement along a course, but that, I guess is a personal decision.
The key is safety, and the individual runner must take responsiblity. Ipods are opening running up to new people and that is great. They just need to run safe and run smart.
