Last Saturday, I ran my first race of the season, a half marathon. I tell myself I shouldn’t be surprised, and yet I’m baffled by the people who sign up for a race then refuse to follow the rules. Here are my favorites:
- No support teams: Despite the rule, one such car was labeled clearly as a support vehicle with large letters on three windows. The car continued to follow along with racers even when it became clear the car was interfering with racers.
- No bikes on the course: Speaking from firsthand experience, there’s a reason why this rule exists. Slowing down to go through a water station, I didn’t realize that a bike was behind me. A shout to look out was my only warning, and I didn’t realize the warning applied to me (no eyes in the back of my head). Luckily, only the handlebars clipped my side.
I’m not a natural rule follower for the sake of appearances. Rules need to make sense. However, few things frustrate me more than people who believe the rules apply to everyone but them.
What happens if everyone takes the same approach? What if we use the little things as a way to segue to bigger rule breaking? Consider what happened to the economy during the last few months. How many of those negative events can be traced to people breaking the rules?
It’s Not About the Rules
Silly rules abound. Senseless rules confine. Rules are not automatically good or always needed. Rules aimed at the individual in an individual setting can often be questioned or challenged with little risk to others. For instance, if you live in a state with a seat belt law, you may challenge that rule by not wearing your seat belt. Not following this rule puts only you at risk.
When rules are related to groups, there’s a problem. While you may choose to not wear your seat belt, if you choose to run a stop sign, you’re risking another’s well being.
The rules of my race, and their necessity, can be debated. However, when we engage in optional activities, I think we’re giving up our right to ignore the rules at will. What if every racer, all 300+ in this instance, had a support car? That’s 300+ cars on the race course. We couldn’t run the race because cars would fill the entire route.
Most of the time, the rules apply to you. You are not the exception. Why is this concept so difficult for people to grasp, to accept?
