USATF, the governing body for track and field within the US recently passed a controversial measure: the ban of ipods at all USATF sanctioned races. IHT recently published an article which criticises the new policy. I completely agree with the author of the article. The use of ipods should only be prohibited for elite runners trying to win the race. It should not apply to the recreational runner that needs that extra piece of motivation. I myself train myself to run with and without an ipod, so as to not become dependent on it, but have used it during my last two marathons. My last race was the Marine Corps Marathon and there were a number of people with headphones in their years.
What do the rest of you think? Do you think that music offers an unfair advantage? Should they be banned from official races? What role does music play in your training?
