Marathon Winner Disqualified for Using iPod

[chaohsiangchen]

I would change my family name if it sounds like Goebbel, Himler, Goering or Hitler.

BTW, who'd carrying an iPod during a Marathon race? after a few miles that thing, however light it is, would start to feel like an M14.

 

[cookoy]

actually carrying an ipod is a disadvantage, theoretically you're carrying a load, and you're more careful to run more smoothly as you don't want to jog the chips inside the ipod out of their sockets. so who's more stupid: the people making these stupid rules or the judges who implement these stupid rules? boycott the stupid race next time around!

 

[geoffs]

[citation][nom]chaohsiangchen[/nom]BTW, who'd carrying an iPod during a Marathon race? after a few miles that thing, however light it is, would start to feel like an M14.[/citation]Ever heard of the iPod Shuffle or the dozen similar devices from other manufacturers?

 

[geoffs]

If music (or whatever was playing on the iPod) is a "performance enhancer" then all distance runners should have to wear noise canceling headphones to prevent crowd noise and other "environmental" factors from affecting their performance.

Yes, the rhythm of the music can help pace you, and it can help distract you from the discomfort of you body, but so can humming, thinking about a specific topic, counting your footsteps, etc. Playing audio on your PMP doesn't give anyone an unfair advantage, even if other runners aren't using one.

That's an even more ridiculous rule than the (now revoked) rule disqualifying athletes who took pseudoephedrine (e.g. Sudafed) to treat congestion due to allergies or cold. Anyone who has ever taken it can tell you it doesn't enhance performance above "normal" levels. In fact for many people, it may make it difficult to concentrate, which is a distinct disadvantage. Even though reducing the congestion will help improve performance, someone who is taking it for allergies or cold will definitely not perform as well as when they're healthy and not taking PSE, so at best it simply gets them back to near normal performance.

 

[xrodney]

Thats plain stupid, i would agree if it was clearly decided on beginning that ipod is not allowed to use, which was not clearly in this case.
Personally i would put race director out of job for at least 2 years for this for not making rules for race on beginning.

 

[velocityg4]

I still don't get why music will disqualify you. Even with the rhythm argument. People can choose whether or not to carry a music player.

If it is a matter of cost. You may as well require everyone to run naked and barefoot. As quality of shoes, clothes and other apparel can also effect performance.

 

[reverendxero]

hmm, wonder who the 3rd place winner was boning?

 

[Guest]

velocityg4 wrote:
"You may as well require everyone to run naked and barefoot."

That's how the ancient Greeks did it 😉

 

[Guest]

pathetic rules

 

[rick_h]

Dang, I couldn't run a half marathon with some head-banging Metalica. Give the gal a break!!

 

[aapocketz]

The person who came in third was disqualified because she quietly hummed "eye of the tiger" to herself between the 10th and 11th mile.

The fourth place finisher was disqualified for an illegal undergarment adjust during the 5th and the 17th mile. She claimed it was "riding up", likely story...

 

[Vermil]

Banning music or listening devices from running events is IMO an unwarranted rule, which also, I asume, is why USATF has now removed this rule. While it seems pretty clear to me that music devices are performance enhancing for long distance running, there's really not anything wrong with that. This is just a mental help. It's not some experimental drug with short&long term consequences for health.

However, it was a rule in place in this race. So the judges did just right in disqualifying her. That is first of all their job. And if you want a motivation: You see,.. her competitors abided by that rule! And since she didn't, through ignorance or intent, she won by an unfair advantage.
As for the outside drink, that should be obvious to anyone... (maybe not on THW comment section though. It often seem even more stupid than YT)
So the judges were not "stupid". They did just right. The rule is stupid though, hopefully it will be completely gone soon.

 

[kingssman]

i didn't think "eye of the tiger" was such a game changer

 

[timaahhh]

U can use music for pacing which would be a major unfair advantage. Akin to having a stop watch, or a coach running along side you telling you to slow down or speed up.

 

[Guest]

I would hardly call 3 hours an "Elite" marathon, even for women, nor is 3+ hours "mind blowing" for anybody. 2:20 for men and 2:40 for women are the threshold of elite, and that "3 to 4 hour" estimate is so narrow as to be absurd. World class men can do it in nearly 2 hours flat, and the "I just want to finish" crowd might take 4 to 6 hours...

 

[Guest]

timaahhh: Normal non-marathon races have a timer, and I doubt that anybody has banned watches. For that matter, did she listen to carefully picked music all at the same BPM? That's just absurd.

Pacing isn't even important anyways, winning or losing a marathon is relative to:

a)who you are racing against, and
b)are you even capable of beating them anyways?

 

[nurgletheunclean]

Who cares, it's just a f'n trophy. It's not a Nobel Prize or a Olympic gold medal. She knows she was the fastest, I'm sure she's got plenty of other trophies cluttering up her place already. She won't miss it.

Now if it was an olympic gold or a cash prize or something of real value then that would be another story.

 

[thejerk]

Well, if it's a rule, and the runners were adequately made aware of said rule prior to the race... then the result stands by the rules... even if the rule makes no practical sense.

 

[anamaniac]

Only the elites couldn't use a MP3 player, just sounds like a way to put a harder challenge out.
For accepting the drink, disqualification actually is reasonable. No red bull for you!

I managed to run 4km rceently, does that count?

 

[KTSnyder]

[citation][nom]35ft_twinkie[/nom]5) Haven't you ever seen the movie Iron Eagle? If listening to music makes you fly better, it most certainly makes you run better[/citation]

But the article never specified that she was listening to the god-awful "Road of the Gypsy".

...Which will now be in my head all morning thanks to your "Iron Eagle" reference. Thanks a million.