Marathons: Off with their headphones

Grandma's and the Twin Cities Marathon, Minnesota's premierlong-distance races, are taking a hard line against headphone use.

By Rochelle Olson and Pam Louwagie, Star Tribune

Last update: April 4, 2007 - 10:17 PM

Many marathoners are losing a beloved, motivating running companion for the 26.2-mile races: the music in their ears.

Grandma's Marathon in Duluth announced on Wednesday that it will collect headsets from runners at the start of the race June 16 in Two Harbors. Race officials will mail them back to runners at the marathon's expense, said race spokesman Bob Gustafson. If a runner is unwilling to part with the tunes, "they're going to be able to keep it," Gustafson said, but "they'll be disqualified and then their time just won't appear in any race results."

The Twin Cities Marathon also will be taking a hard line for its race on Oct. 7, even though a casual headset ban has been in place since 2002.

USA Track & Field, which sanctions the state's two major marathons, recently prohibited headphones at official long-distance running events, citing runner safety.

Headphones on elite runners at official events have always been rare, but the devices have become common in the middle and back of the marathon-running pack.

"What happens is when the headset is on, you become unaware of your surroundings," said Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of the Twin Cities Marathon. "Runners will be the ones that tell you it's a problem. [Those with headphones] cut people off because they don't know somebody's behind them. ... They may not hear if an ambulance had to come on the course."

Gustafson said, "It's definitely going to increase safety for everyone on our race course. ... A lot of people train with headphones and the suggestion that we have is if you're going to be running one of the events, perhaps try training without it."

It's not just the Grandma's Marathon -- headphones won't be allowed at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon or any other Grandma's-related running events.

Tuning in or out

Some runners find that they can't go without music. Some use running as quiet time and never use headphones. Others are in the middle, tuning in and out.

Ed Whetham, who works at Run N Fun in St. Paul and runs a sub-three-hour marathon, said he'd never use headphones.

"I tried it once and I didn't care for it," he said. "I like to be aware of my surroundings."

Adam Lindahl, who owns TC Running Company in Eden Prairie and runs a three-hour marathon, wouldn't listen to music, either.

"It takes away from the race because you like to be there with the crowd, you like to hear the cheering, it's part of the experience," he said. He thinks everyone should try the run without tunes.

"You're going to appreciate it when you're at mile 20, you're not listening to music and you find out how strong you are," he said.

Lindsey Alexander of Minneapolis has run two Twin Cities marathons without headphones so she can chat with her running-group pals, but she wouldn't take the headphones away from others.

"If you had trained with headphones and were used to them, why shouldn't you be able to use them? There's no traffic," she said. "Whatever gets you through the marathon, I'm all for it."

Then there's Guy Allen of Onalaska, Wis., who has run 11 marathons in the past two years, all with headphones. He doesn't understand why Grandma's is worried about music.

"They have other problems -- their hotels are way too expensive," he said.

When he ran the Las Vegas Marathon, his entire trip, including three nights' hotel and airfare, was cheaper than the required two-night stay at his $200 a night "dump" of a hotel in Duluth, he said.

Minnesota's most political marathoner, Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who is pondering another entry in the 2007 Twin Cities marathon, is a devotee of singing along to "Hunka, Hunka Burning Love" as he fights cramps and tears. To go without his tunes, "that would make him crazy," spokesman Brian McClung said. "He loves his iPod."

raolson@startribune.com • 612-673-1747 plouwagie@startribune.com • 612-673-7102

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