Ipods and racing

Reprinted from 4/22/07 following last year’s Earth Day Race:

As the lead cyclist at yesterday’s 4K, I was responsible for helping provide ‘safe passage’ for the leaders as we weaved through lapped traffic on a rather complex course. Despite nearly losing my voice encouraging runners to “move to your left!” I had a very difficult time with those wearing headphones during the race. Despite the ‘small print’ written on every race entry requiring runners to NOT wear headphones in order to be more aware of others around you… safety vehicles, etc.”, many runners choose to wear them anyway. After narrowly avoiding several headphone-related accidents yesterday, I would like to strongly encourage F4 athletes (or anyone really) to refrain from wearing headphones at all races and group workouts, and limit their use to solo runs and hikes.

Read more on the subject from Boston Marathon and Denver Marathon Director, Dave Mcgillivray.