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Lead Stories: Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Weather Looking Up for Tomorrow’s Grandma’s Marathon

Posted June 20th, 2008 at 12:07 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons

After two years of unusually high heat and humidity, it appears as if the weather gods may smile on the 32nd running of Grandma’s Marathon and the Garry Bjorklund Half-Marathon here tomorrow.

Of course in Duluth, where it’s jokingly said bad weathermen are sent for punishment, anything can happen, depending on how the wind shifts off of Lake Superior, along whose shores both races are run. Last year, for instance, race day dawned with high temperatures and humidity that dashed many runners’ hopes for Boston or Olympic Trials qualifiers; the next day, the weather changed radically, with temperatures in the upper 50’s (F) and a strong tailwind.
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USATF Delegates Debate Headphones Ban

Posted November 29th, 2007 at 11:00 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Running & Training, Injury & Rehab, Motivation, Music

Delegates to the USATF convention who attended the open session of the Long Distance Running Division chaired by Fred Finke were anxious to debate the ban on headphones in road races which was imposed by USATF at last year’s convention.

“We realize this issue has caused a great deal of angst,” said Finke, who has received hundreds of e-mails on the subject. “It seems to be a hot button issue.”

USATF enacted the ban in accordance with a rule put in place by the IAAF which banned the use of headphones in championship events. The IAAF ban was intended to prevent athletes from receiving information via radio about the whereabouts of their rivals, a practice which is permitted in the big bicycle tours, like the Tour de France.

But in practical application, it has meant that recreational runners are not allowed to wear MP3 players, like Apple’s iPod, and listen to music during road races. Only a handful of U.S. races have actively enforced the ban.
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