legal to be handed a water bottle in a marathon

sure.

Just ran 6 miles with a friend in NYC, we helped him grab anything he wanted from stands and such. I think whatever will help you suceed, in terms of water/liquids and the such, you should do.

What about shots of EPO? Is that legal?

I don't think so. It's not fair to the people against whom you're competing.

yeah, but how does one argue fairness of that in a race where the elites get fluid placement?

Illegal.

Elites use the tables.

Everyone else, you have to use fluids supplied by the race or can be DQ'd, but you won't.

Think about all the moron's with I-pods, which are supposedly banned by the USATF.

As long as you pay you can do anything you want.

Thanks for the answers. I don't really care if I won't be caught. If it's not allowed under USATF or other rules, I won't do it.

Just bandit. I always do.

right ,out of zone ravitallment is not in theory not allowed,

but as the organisers don't care anything about anyone who finishes out of the money it's ok to do it.If you look at the

very precise IAAF regulations 75% of the runners could be disqualified for not having the same logo on their socks as either their shoes or their singlet.These regulations do not apply to the masses that's all. How many of you were dope tested to see if you hadn't downed some illegal supplements

unknowingly?.

Here are the USATF Rules of Competition. Read Rule 144 starting on page 58 and you can decide for yourself.

http://www.usatf.org/about/rules/2007/2007USATFRules_Article4.pdf

..

Whether enforced or not, you have to ask how you would feel if you were racing someone and somebody handed her a bottle on the course.

Interesting link. It's not quite as specific a rule as I'd like. I find it interesting as I've had elite fluids at a race before. Is the difference between what's allowed and what's not simply the technical distinction that they are taken from a table instead of from a person's hand?

I see people's instas and race recaps and they were like "so and so gave me a bottle at mile 21" and it's a regular runner (3:17 female) who got aid, so not an elite.

But it'd be hard to track down anyways, there are tons of people spectating and a bottle coming out quickly and being snatched by a runner--nobody would really notice.

It's not against the spirit of the sport.

Don't overthink it. Thousands of runners are handed bottles by friends or family.

It’s Ok according to USATF rules if it’s done within the confines of an aid station and “stand and hand”.

This only pertains to about 2% of the people that are actually racing. Everyone else they could care less about what they are or are not doing.

USATF doesn't even follow their own rules. They are far from arbiters of morality here.