Breaking the rules

This is the first sentence from the "Course Information" page of the Twin Cities Marathon website:

For your safety and for the safety of others, absolutely no automobiles, pacers, bicycles, strollers, headsets, in-line skates, hand cycles, hand-cranked wheelchairs or pets are allowed on the course.

Because of this rule, I left my iPod at home. Yet when the race started, I was surprised how many people were wearing headphones and, frankly, I was a bit resentful of those who decided that they didn't need to follow the rules. Thus, I lost a little respect for our governor this morning when I read this:

In the governor's mind, the marathon is about mental toughness, not physical prowess; his trick is his iPod, with an eclectic cache that includes Johnny Cash, AC/DC, Sonny and Cher and Pink. But he said he queued up his most energizing tunes for the final 5 miles of the marathon. Among them: Bruce Springsteen's "The Rising," Aerosmith's "Walk This Way," John Mellencamp's "When the Walls Came Tumbling Down" and Grand Funk Railroad's "Some Kind of Wonderful."

The governor was one of those people who decided that he didn't need to follow an "absolute" rule that was in place for his "safety and the safety of others." For a guy who is supposed to lead by example, I am disappointed.