Woman Stripped Of Marathon Win For Using iPod

I spend some time at the gym everyday (mostly everyday) and I certainly understand the need to listen to some music while you are running. Running is boring after all without something to take your mind off the fact that you are exercising. A woman in Milwaukee won the state's 26.2-mile Lakefront marathon and was then stripped of the title for use of a performance-enhancing device.

The device in this case wasn't a dose of MLB steroids; it was the woman's iPod. The rules for U.S. Track and Field official competitions say that no electronic devices can be used. According to one commenter at Gizmodo, this is to prevent runners from getting tips on increasing or decreasing pace during a long race.

Apparently, the rule only pertains to "elite athletes" everyone else can use electronics. I guess the long and short of it is if you think you might win the race, leave the iPod at home. The iPod lady wasn't the first winner of the same marathon to be stripped of the title; the original winner drank from a friend's water bottle rather than an official water station. Who knew running had so many rules, I only thought there was one major rule for outdoor running — don't step in dog poo.