iPods banned for Robie Creek race

BOISE - Plan to run the Race to Robie Creek? Get ready for a nice peaceful jaunt. For the first time, personal music devices -- including the ubiquitous iPod -- will be outlawed.

The 2008 event is set for April 19 - starting near Fort Boise, over Aldape summitt and ending at Robie Creek Park in Boise County.

The event's website notes the change - and puts the blame on USA Track & Field - the orginization that sanctions the race, and provides insurance.

Race organizer Brian Rencher told the Associated Press that the change is a safety issue.

"Race officials don't ban headphones to be mean to runners — it's for their own safety and that of everyone else in the race," says Gerweck, a member of the USATF Long Distance Running sub-comittee studying enforcement of the ban.

In case you're curious - cell phones, TVs, DVD players and computers are also banned on the race course. So don't tote along your computer.

Registration for the race begins Monday. There are 2,431 spots available, which are expected to sell out quickly.