Headphones in races (Mod Post #121)

boucher

Hi,

I was doing a tri over the weekend. The run part was not on the open road but along a prom. In T2 I strapped on my ipod.
I admit I have gotten into a bad habit of not running without music.

During the race a spectator (not a marshall) signalled to take them off as I'd be disqualified. So I did and put the headphones down my tri-suit. Needless to say I wasn't disqualified.

What is the official line on headphones during running? I can understand if it was out on an open road but surely along a prom is ok?

I've done a few half marathons and have always seen dozens of other people using them without any trouble.

goalscoringhero

The official policy on headphones / ipods is usually stated in the race briefing document or the FAQ.
So far in every race I've taken part the use of headphones / ipods was explicitly forbidden.
Seeing others with their headphones plugged in doesn't give you a free ride to do the same, and is not a good basis to build an argument upon I reckon.

tunney

Triathlons in Ireland won't let you use earphones. You cannot hear instructions from marshals and other competitors - say you are in the way and obstructing a fellow competitor from passing? They call out, you cannot hear them - so what they do? Most likely shove you out of the way.

its not all about your race

boucher

tunney wrote: »

Triathlons in Ireland won't let you use earphones. You cannot hear instructions from marshals and other competitors - say you are in the way and obstructing a fellow competitor from passing? They call out, you cannot hear them - so what they do? Most likely shove you out of the way.

its not all about your race

That is a very fair point. Duly noted.

elvis jones

Not to mention emergency services needing to get though an area and your bouncing along with your headphones on unaware of them..............

gosuckonalemon

elvis jones wrote: »

Not to mention emergency services needing to get though an area and your bouncing along with your headphones on unaware of them..............

I think people are getting a little over excited here!

How high a volume do you think somebody will have their music at that they couldn't hear emergency services?

I've done all lengths of races from 10k to marathons and always have my headphones on. I find it gives me an extra boost, particularly towards the end.

However, I always have it at a volume that ensures I am fully aware of what's happening around me.

Exercise caution and cop on and they shouldn't be an issue. Not sure about tri's but for marathons I've never had a problem and have yet to be disqualified.

tunney

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

I think people are getting a little over excited here!

How high a volume do you think somebody will have their music at that they couldn't hear emergency services?

I've done all lengths of races from 10k to marathons and always have my headphones on. I find it gives me an extra boost, particularly towards the end.

However, I always have it at a volume that ensures I am fully aware of what's happening around me.

Exercise caution and cop on and they shouldn't be an issue. Not sure about tri's but for marathons I've never had a problem and have yet to be disqualified.

Think about straight running races is that, assuming everyone paces sounding, you're not going to be over taken by someone moving drastically faster than you. Imagine in a tri a very slow swimmer, who is an okay biker but a 32 minute 10ker - coming past a 45 minute waddler at quite a difference in speed.

elvis jones

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

I think people are getting a little over excited here!

How high a volume do you think somebody will have their music at that they couldn't hear emergency services?

I've done all lengths of races from 10k to marathons and always have my headphones on. I find it gives me an extra boost, particularly towards the end.

However, I always have it at a volume that ensures I am fully aware of what's happening around me.

Exercise caution and cop on and they shouldn't be an issue. Not sure about tri's but for marathons I've never had a problem and have yet to be disqualified.

Not at all.

You've had the volume set, not all do that.

Some road races do ban them for safety reasons and also i run a lot in the country with blind bends and the amount of fools listening to music running with no notion of cars coming around corners is just astounding.

Not to mention my own pet hate, fools/idiots/clowns/knobends wearing headphones when cycling:mad:

BTH

tunney wrote: »

Think about straight running races is that, assuming everyone paces sounding, you're not going to be over taken by someone moving drastically faster than you. Imagine in a tri a very slow swimmer, who is an okay biker but a 32 minute 10ker - coming past a 45 minute waddler at quite a difference in speed.

Or multi wave races where there are faster people in later waves overtaking slower people in earlier waves. Or races where the run route shares the road with the bike course.

RayCun

tunney wrote: »

Think about straight running races is that, assuming everyone paces sounding, you're not going to be over taken by someone moving drastically faster than you.

There are multi-lap courses, and events where multiple races are run simultaneously - 10k/half-marathon/marathon/relay etc - wher you'll get fast runners trying to overtake slow runners. And in Dublin marathon, you have wheelchair competitors who are slower on the uphills but much faster on the downhills.
Even if the difference in speeds is not huge, it's a pain in the arse trying to overtake someone in front of you who is wearing headphones and doesn't know you're there. And everyone thinks they have the volume low enough to know what's going on around them, but surprise, surprise, most of them are wrong.

boucher

tunney wrote: »

Think about straight running races is that, assuming everyone paces sounding, you're not going to be over taken by someone moving drastically faster than you. Imagine in a tri a very slow swimmer, who is an okay biker but a 32 minute 10ker - coming past a 45 minute waddler at quite a difference in speed.

I'm sorry but I don't get your point here.

Daz1214

elvis jones wrote: »

Not to mention my own pet hate, fools/idiots/clowns/knobends wearing headphones when cycling:mad:

again it depends on the volume settings

tunney

boucher wrote: »

I'm sorry but I don't get your point here.

*Assuming single lap event*
Running race starts. Everyone goes off. After 5-10 minutes everything settles down and if someone is getting passed the difference in pace is somewhere around 5-10 seconds per km. Collisions would be slight and low impact

On the run leg a bad swimmer comes off at the back of the field but they happen to be a 30 minute ten km running. They'd be passing the 45 minute 10kms 1:30 per km faster. Going to end in tears if the slower runner doesn't/can't hear "on your left" or "coming through".

(Peter I just made this numbers off so off you go and eat some bratwurst )

gosuckonalemon

tunney wrote: »

*Assuming single lap event*
Running race starts. Everyone goes off. After 5-10 minutes everything settles down and if someone is getting passed the difference in pace is somewhere around 5-10 seconds per km. Collisions would be slight and low impact

On the run leg a bad swimmer comes off at the back of the field but they happen to be a 30 minute ten km running. They'd be passing the 45 minute 10kms 1:30 per km faster. Going to end in tears if the slower runner doesn't/can't hear "on your left" or "coming through".

(Peter I just made this numbers off so off you go and eat some bratwurst )

Why not just run around the runner instead of asking them to move out of your way?

RayCun

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

Why not just run around the runner instead of asking them to move out of your way?

It's not "telling them to move out of your way", it's "letting them know you're about to pass".
So they don't choose that moment to weave to one side, or spit, or wave at someone on the sidelines...

BTH

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

Why not just run around the runner instead of asking them to move out of your way?

Have you ever done Athy? Or Athlone? Or DCT? Valentia? Narrow roads/paths with runners going in both directions. Or a small narrow section of road marked off with bikes flying past beside you. All it takes is one oblivious clown listening to Snow Patrol or some such nonsense to cause an accident.

nerraw1111

The sound of fast approaching feet is a much better way to give you that extra boost at the end of race instead of Eye of the Tiger.

Of course, people with headphones never actually race

Oryx

Or you could be in tri Athy where passing out is tricky at the best of times. I passed a girl running there with headphones so loud I could hear the music. She hadn't a hope of hearing anything around her.

The simple fact is that running with headphones is more problematic than running without. Races usually ban them. Rather than moaning about that being unfair, people need to learn to run without music.

tunney

BetterThanHoyte wrote: »

Have you ever done Athy? Or Athlone? Or DCT? Valentia? Narrow roads/paths with runners going in both directions. Or a small narrow section of road marked off with bikes flying past beside you. All it takes is one oblivious clown listening to Snow Patrol or some such nonsense to cause an accident.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITrkEN6OQc

What you are potentially dealing with when a runner doesn't hear instructions.

(Yes I know in this particular case earphones were not involved, just trying to highlight the dangers)

ThisRegard

What was going on there ? Cyclists allowed to cycle go through transition at all, never mind at a speed like that ? If it wasn't the runner it could have been the person unracking their bike you can see parked there.

That's not the norm for tri's is it ?

longshank

elvis jones wrote: »

Not at all.

Not to mention my own pet hate, fools/idiots/clowns/knobends wearing headphones when cycling:mad:

your pet hate makes no sense....at about 20mph on a bike the wind noise is louder than any headphones

BTH

tunney wrote: »

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3ITrkEN6OQc

What you are potentially dealing with when a runner doesn't hear instructions.

(Yes I know in this particular case earphones were not involved, just trying to highlight the dangers)

Thats not the same at all. Sure it wasn't even Snow Patrol :rolleyes:

tunney

ThisRegard wrote: »

What was going on there ? Cyclists allowed to cycle go through transition at all, never mind at a speed like that ? If it wasn't the runner it could have been the person unracking their bike you can see parked there.

That's not the norm for tri's is it ?

ITU rules said that the guy in transition should have been removed from the race as he had been lapped.

BTH

ThisRegard wrote: »

What was going on there ? Cyclists allowed to cycle go through transition at all, never mind at a speed like that ? If it wasn't the runner it could have been the person unracking their bike you can see parked there.

That's not the norm for tri's is it ?

ITU Draft legal races usually involve multi-lap bike and runs where they race through transition like that. Makes it all more spectator friendly. As Tunney says, if you're lapped you should be pulled out.

peter kern

how did it work out when Roth did allow them around 2010?( not sure if they still do )

gosuckonalemon

What about using just one of the earphones, leaving the other free.

All I need is some kind of beat to help me along the way (live techno dj sets etc.)

I do agree thou that they should never be used on a bike.

Hanley

gosuckonalemon wrote: »

What about using just one of the earphones, leaving the other free.

All I need is some kind of beat to help me along the way (live techno dj sets etc.)

I do agree thou that they should never be used on a bike.

gosuckonalemon

Hanley wrote: »

That's exactly what I'm talking about!

RacoonQueen

RayCun wrote: »

There are multi-lap courses, and events where multiple races are run simultaneously - 10k/half-marathon/marathon/relay etc - wher you'll get fast runners trying to overtake slow runners. And in Dublin marathon, you have wheelchair competitors who are slower on the uphills but much faster on the downhills.
Even if the difference in speeds is not huge, it's a pain in the arse trying to overtake someone in front of you who is wearing headphones and doesn't know you're there. And everyone thinks they have the volume low enough to know what's going on around them, but surprise, surprise, most of them are wrong.

Oh come on. There are seriously gross exaggerations on here about how 'dangerous' wearing headphones is in races. On open roads, fair enough but for races on closed roads I have never had a headphone wearer cause me any issues definitely no more so than a non-headphone wearer.

I don't see what difference someone wearing headphones -v- someone not wearing headphones is when trying to overtake someone. Always seems like a bit of an 'elitist' jibe on here to be honest that headphone wearers aren't as good as non-headphone wearers.

I wear headphones a lot when training and wear them on the bike when in the city and even at full blast can hear the traffic etc around me. The issue with people who cause problems isn't the headphones it's that that person is ignorant anyway, they'd be the same with or without them. Plenty of non-headphone wearers in races are arseholes too.

lway

I'll just leave this here

elvis jones

Daz1214 wrote: »

again it depends on the volume settings

Sorry can't agree with that at all.