Rules Don’t Apply

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In the 13 years that I operated Race Timing Unlimited, I had a standing joke.

When we set up pylons with caution tape strung between them, it meant people were to “crawl under.” When we used fencing instead of caution tape, “climb over.”

We set those demarcation lines out for safety and to hold back spectators from impeding with runners. Sometimes, we set the tape to keep people away from equipment and tie-down ropes.

Another joke was that we should string piano wire. But I’d be the first one to run into it.

The genesis of this blog entry came during one of my mornings runs across the Chatham Bridge. VDOT put a “no left turn” restriction from River Road onto Route 3 East. That intersection has had many past accidents.

VDOT tried to make it challenging to make that left turn by placing orange construction barrels down the centerline on the eastern part of the bridge. The norm is to see at least one driver pull around the barrels to go east on Route 3. I guess the “Rules Don’t Apply to Them.”

Even though the police deny the existence of quotas, sitting on Route 3 East would help them meet that number.

I’ve noticed more of the offenders have vanity plates than not. I’m not sure if there is a correlation as I have vanity plates on one of my cars. “TooDarnHot” must have been talking about the weather.

VDOT placed another restriction in the area with no left turns from Butler Road onto Colonial Avenue, and Carter Street from 7 am to 7 pm. They even put big orange flags on the signs.

This workaround was a gridlocked issue rather than a safety issue. Cars waiting to make that left turn could back up traffic into the Falmouth intersection, causing a chain of events back to I-95. Yet, I’ve been through there more than once when the “Rules Don’t Apply to Them.”

This blog is about running, So, I’d better write about my pet peeves about runners breaking the rules. Rules in races exist for three reasons; safety, fairness, and capacity.

The significant three issues in road races are headphones, strollers, and dogs. All three are safety issues in larger races. I’ve heard the rationale that “I always do my training runs with X. I know how to be safe.”

I don’t do my training runs next to people with headphones, strollers, and dogs. You irritate me and probably others, too.

If you can’t hear me, I can’t warn you about a danger that might hurt me. If you don’t care about me, should I care about you?

For the past decades, JFK has banned headphones as they wanted runners to be alert to the sounds around them on the trafficked trails.

USAT has a strict ban on headphones of any type, immediately removing violators from the event.

Aftershokz headphones are open ears, and rather than using sound, they use bone conduction to transmit audio media. Since the ears are not plugged, typical sounds will not be blocked. While the technology provides a safer solution, officials may have difficulty distinguishing Aftershokz from regular earbuds.

So, if a race says no headphones, leave them in your car.

When your stroller turns over, the baby gets hurt, and so might I. I haven’t seen a stroller tip over. I had my heel clipped, going downhill at a 6:10 pace. It wasn’t pleasant.

ADA compliant chairs pushed by groups like Ainsley Angel’s are typically started separately from the general field. The chairs are specially designed for stability and durability.

When you’re passing somebody on their left and your dog decides to pass on the right, oops—seen it.

Most ultras have rules about crews, pacers, and mules. Shorter races typically use USATF rules about assistance to forbid crews, pacers, and mules.

Crew access is usually limited to specific locations on a course. Crews can provide unlimited aid at these locations. Parking space is the resource that restricts crews. If a race does not have sufficient space to park one car for each participant, they will not allow crews at that trail access point.

Pacers clog the trail. Suppose every runner has a pacer that doubles the size of a pack going down a single-track trail. For safety, most ultras allow pacers on a part of the course. If the race indicates “no pacers,” tell your friends to go away. Even if they were just out for a run unless the “Rules Don’t Apply to You.”

In the west, the miners used pack mules to carry their stuff into the mountains. It was easier to strap food and water onto an animal than carrying it. The act of muling in a race is a similar concept. One runner carries a water bottle and passes it to another runner for a brief moment to consume.

Muling is forbidden in races of any length. I have usually seen this when a man runs with a water belt and passes it to his lady friend to drink. I’ve seen it when a nonregistered man rides a bike next to the course. Unless the “Rules Don’t Apply to Her,” she is capable and strong to finish without outside assistance.

What kind of a mess would it be in a 3000 participant marathon to have 3000 bikes accompanying the runners?

But, “I’m not fast. It won’t hurt anyone”. It’s still a logistical nightmare for organizers.

Litter after aid station could be a rule breaker. In road races, there is an assumption that runners can discard water cups on the streets. It would be nice to deposit a cup in a trash box to reduce the amount of bending required of volunteers.

Trail races should have a trash receptacle a little distance from the aid station, as with road races. Any trash that you have past that last box you need to carry with you to the following aid location.

Gu/Gel pack tops are a pain to scrape off the roads. Volunteers will not find packets dropped well after the aid station. You probably are expecting your mother to pick up after you, because the “rules …”.

With larger race fields and COVID restrictions, wave starts are becoming common. Race organizers would like to start runners with a similar pace in a wave. Usually, the waves are sequenced by the fastest to slowest expected finish time. This procedure reduces the likelihood of overlapping waves on the course. Organizers may have other reasons for wave placements.

Wave jumpers are those runners who start in a wave other than their assignment. This infraction can cause two issues: waves can become unbalanced, and organizers do not know what start time to assign to those with a start misread. Of course, if the “rules don’t apply to you,” you won’t be concerned when you screw up the awards from an invalid personal time.

I am going back to drivers with habits that irritate me or are not safe.

I deliver food four nights per week. If you are behind me at a light and I don’t move for a few seconds when the light turns green, I’ve seen more drivers running red lights to keep me in place for those few seconds. My favorite muttering is “anybody else?”

While I’m sitting behind somebody at a stoplight and they don’t move, even for the extra seconds, when the light turns green, I assume the driver is looking at their cell phone. I’d like to have a horn, when pressed, says, “shut up and drive.”

When I drive the fast lane of I-95, I’ll come up behind another car, maintaining an appropriate following distance. My vehicle will automatically decelerate to match that car’s speed. I can’t go any faster. From behind, a vehicle will approach to tailgating distance and flash its lights. Really? OK, I’ll get out of your way so you can get that extra 120 feet forward.

Living close to I-95, there are many times I’m driving the interstate where issues will cause long backups. Now retired, I try to avoid high traffic times. The breakdown lane is empty. Then, a “rule doesn’t apply to me” driver comes down that lane. I guess their life is more important than ours.

The City of Fredericksburg has a no parking restriction from 5 to 8 am in sections of downtown. On Charlotte Street, near the courthouse, court employees fill these spots well before 8 am. So, the rules don’t apply to the organization that enforces the rules.

I’ve always practiced running on the side of the road facing traffic. I want to be able to see a car before it hits me. Many times, I can see bowed heads looking at cell phones. Worse yet, are those drivers inputting data into their cell phones.

Like the runners with dogs, strollers, and headphones, these drivers feel they are capable of safe operations until they are not. Hopefully, I’m not the one around them when they fail.

So for next year’s Turkey Trot, please keep your dogs and strollers at home. I’ve had a good rant, so I don’t have to yell at the neighborhood kids to “get off my lawn.”