understand how safety could be an issue. I mean, it'll be different if you were running alone, on the side of the road...then, I could understand. In that event, you won't be able to hear traffic, honking, or an ambulance. But when it's a race kind of situation, the streets are closed! Makes no sense. Personally, I think its to "prevent runners from having a competetive edge"; which is total bullshit, if you ask me!

I thought this made more sense than the other things.

Jill Geer, spokeswoman for USA Track & Field, said the ban was "basically an insurance issue," because rates rise substantially if headphones are allowed. Each sanctioned race receives liability insurance from USA Track & Field, and it would be up to each race director to enforce the ban. If the ban were ignored, the races would be liable in the event of an accident caused by someone using headphones, Geer said.

I also liked in the article how somebody said he hit the wall 20 mi into a marathon and someone on the street leaned out a window and played the "Rocky" theme and it gave him the energy to go on.