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Leave the Headphones at Home
The CTC Board of Directors has unanimously voted to enforce our existing ban of the use of headphones from its Category I & II races & training programs. It is the safety of the runner that is of utmost concern with the ban. Others may note that the spirit of the race is “lost” when a runner “checks out” of the race experience by plugging in headphones. Although many runners who choose to wear headphones may claim, “I keep the volume low,” or, “I only wear the earbuds in one ear,” the reality is, listening to personal music devices distracts the runner from their fellow harriers, race officials, and vehicles on the course. During the Labor Day weekend, high heat and humidity affected the events of the Charlottesville Women’s Four Miler. There were numerous safety vehicles on the course that day for medical use and race officials were concerned about runners’ ability to stay alert while listening to music. More recently, during this Thanksgiving’s Turkey Trot, many race officials complained about the difficulty in getting earphone-wearing runners’ attention at the starting line as well as in the finish chute. Nationally, you may have noticed the enforcement of a headphones ban and disqualification of runners from the race directors of Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon and the Grandma’s Marathon. Both the RRCA and USATF (Rule 144.3 (b)) ban the use of headphones in sanctioned road races. The RRCA, incidentally, provides liability insurance for the CTC. For further information/ongoing updates, please visit the CTC web site.
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“The Road Runners Club of America recommends against the wearing of headphones in races. The RRCA also urges extreme caution in the use of headphones in training or running, particularly in isolated areas. Headphones can prevent a runner from hearing approaching vehicles. Headphones, particularly on a woman runner, may aid a potential attacker intent on assaulting a runner due to the inability of the runner to hear. The RRCA regards headphones as a safety hazard in a running event and recommends that RRCA sanctioned race prohibit the wearing of headphones.”