Marathon Winner Disqualified for Using iPod
Marathon Winner Disqualified for Using iPod
By Jane McEntegart, published on October 12, 2009
" The Lakefront Marathon winner has been stripped of her title by officials because she listened to her iPod during parts of the race.
Whether you've experienced it first hand or not, it's pretty safe to run with the assumption (unintentional jogging pun for you there) that completing a marathon is hard work. Aside from the fact that you're running 26.2 miles, it takes hours and that seems like the hardest part. You start running and you know it's going to be between three and four hours before you get to stop and do something else. In short, music helps to pass the time and stops you focusing on the fact that your legs are screaming at you to pack it in.
CNet reports that runner Jennifer Goebel had her iPod along for the ride for that very reason. "I wasn't listening to it earlier in the race. I wasn't going to put the music on unless I thought I needed it," she told her local paper. After a 19-mile slog, Goebel decided she needed it and listened to her iPod from the 19th to 21st mile. Unfortunately, because Goebel was running with the elites, she has to abide by the rules set out by USA Track and Field. The USATF recently relaxed its ban on the use of iPods and PMPs during races, leaving it up to race directors to decide whether or not to allow runners listen to music. Organizers of the Lakefront Marathon in Milwaukee decided that most people running the marathon could carry iPods but the elites could not.
The craziest thing about this story is that Goebel actually came second but was bumped up to first after the actual winner (who completed the marathon in a mind-blowing three hours, two minutes and nine seconds), Cassie Peller, was disqualified because she accepted a drink from a friend she saw at the 20th mile. Peller was notified that she had broken the rules after she had been told she had won.
Read the full story here. "
:source: Source: http://www.tomsguide.com/us/ipod-mar...news-4834.html
Re: Marathon Winner Disqualified for Using iPod
I can understand not allowing music , it does supply motivation and is a bit of a safety issue . The part that gets me is the woman disqualified for taking a drink outside a designated feed station. There's no justification for that.
In cycling where there are clearly defined rules when and where you can pick up "food" and where the risk of an accident is much more real ( and potentially catastrophic), no one cares if you grab a coke from a spectator if the need arises.
The officials at Lakefront Marathon really need to get their collective egos in check.
