PC

I'm pretty sure this is a PC rule of some sort....maybe they think that it's an advantage of rich runners...in which case I would think a limit on which shoe you could use would be more to the point.  I'd feel more sorry for the 'victim" in this case if she hadn't won because the person who did win was disqualified for getting a drink of water from a non-authorized spectator (hey...after 15 miles or so she should have been paying more attention to the clothes being worn by spectators..you know..to pick out the right ones from the wrong ones).  Maybe the organizers should lose their license to run this race for not controlling the audience better?  Seems to me they are at least as responsible for un-authorized persons being on the course as the runner is for accepting liquid from them...

http://news.cnet.com/8301-17852_3-10372586-71.html?tag=rtcol;pop