Race annoyances

One of the blogs I read is Miss Zippy which I typically enjoy.  She wrote an article Sorry, Not Sorry which I also read.   I found it basically oh-so-true, with a hint of 'the times, they are a-changing'. 

Coming to a dead stop at water stops: Oh so true.  In every race.  Walking through water stops is totally acceptable.  But coming to a dead stop won't be fun for anyone.  I don't see it that often, so it's not a big pet peeve of mine.

Listening to music on your headphones loud enough you can't hear your surroundings.  Oh so true.  I don't run too many races with music, the last one being Get in Gear.  When I do use music, I tend to leave one ear bud half way out so I can hear what's going on.  This is even more important on courses that are not closed to traffic.

Seeding yourself incorrectly: Both 'oh so true' and 'the times they are a-changing'.  The options I've seen are 'free for all' at the starting line.  This happens most often in 5Ks (TCM 5K and Flying Pig 5K, I'm looking at you), and incorrect seeding is just going to happen because there's no feedback for anyone about where they should be standing.  Next up is the 'no corrals, but pace signs and times posted' and this is my favorite option.  It relies on runners following the honor system and having some understanding of how fast they are going to be moving.  The most stringent solution is obviously the corral system.  It's certainly the most fool proof, but sometimes penalizes runners who know they are faster but don't have a qualifying time so wind up in the back corral with the really slow people. 

Running four or five abreast at a leisurely pace:  Both 'oh so true' and 'the times they are a-changing'.  This is not fun at marathons where people are trying for a Boston Qualifier or whatever.  But I think some races are really designed for this kind of thing.  I'm thinking about the big ones like Race for a Cure, Color Run, and some similar races where the level of competitive running is much lower, and the social aspect of the race is highly marketed.

Taking selfies during the race: Is this a thing? Apparently I'm too far in the back of the pack to be impacted by this.