Houston Marathon......?

[razoraggie]

Well, here we are again in a grey area of a "Professional Sporting Event".
Yes, the Marathon is considered to be a professional event, but it is held in a public, outside area on public streets that are only closed off if you are participating in the event...still open to public use if you are only spectating. So, in the Sr's opinions...OK to carry or no?

[seamusTX]

IMHO, it should not be possible (legally) to create a mobile no-weapons zone. The same problem exists with school-sponsored events, and whether school groups using Memorial Park make the whole place off-limits (Memorial Park is about five miles long).

IOW, the law should not prevent carrying in the vicinity of an event like the marathon.

However, if you somehow come to the attention of the cops, and they know this part of the law, you're gonna be busted, and the good Mr. Rosenthal is going to have his way with you.

- Jim

[razoraggie]

Well, the one thing I would have working in my favor will be the layers of clothing I would be wearing while the event is taking place.
BTW:
Are we expecting "Chuck" to go out with a bang or something :-)

[seamusTX]

Are we expecting "Chuck" to go out with a bang or something :-)

I think it will be a whimper.

- Jim

[NcongruNt]

I wouldn't consider an event like this a professional sporting event. I would call it closer to amateur; it's open to anyone to participate without prior qualification from a governing body. On a federal level, whether or not a sport is considered "professional" is determined by the governing body of the sport. Even then, amateur sports still have governance and eligibility requirements for participation, something that an event like the Houston Marathon does not fully meet, as far as I know. Quoting an article I read on Wikipedia yesterday when researching this same kind of subject:

In the United States, under the provisions of the Ted Stevens Olympic and Amateur Sports Act, the definition of an amateur athlete is up to the national governing body for each sport.

The text of the Act can be found here:

http://www.olympic-usa.org/12699_12720.htm

There is an "elite" division of the Marathon which is invitation only. It appears governed by USATF and IAAF rules. Both of these organizations are amateur athletic organizations, with the former being heavily affiliated with the Olympic Games.

I am not a lawyer, but I would personally feel comfortable that I am within the guidelines of the law while carrying as a spectator at the event.

[seamusTX]

... it can surely not be the intention of the legislature to make a 5 mile long park off-limits due to a field trip to the pond.

Without having looked up the debate when the current version of PC 46.03 was enacted (at least 30 years ago), I'm sure it wasn't. I think it is meant to make school sports games off-limits, probably on the assumption that the spectators tend to act stupid.

I nominate it as one of the 10 worst-written sections of the penal code.

- Jim

[Kalrog]

The Austin marathon is similar. I have run in that one and I considered it an amateur event. I sure didn't get paid for running it. And I did carry.

[razoraggie]

The Austin marathon is similar. I have run in that one and I considered it an amateur event. I sure didn't get paid for running it. And I did carry.

You ran a marathon while carrying?....Most people despise their fuel belt (water bottles) by mile 10 becasue they feel like they're about to get a blister the size of a water balloon, I can't imagine a hunk of metal next to thin shorts for 26 miles. Good show!

[Kalrog]

The Austin marathon is similar. I have run in that one and I considered it an amateur event. I sure didn't get paid for running it. And I did carry.

You ran a marathon while carrying?....Most people despise their fuel belt (water bottles) by mile 10 becasue they feel like they're about to get a blister the size of a water balloon, I can't imagine a hunk of metal next to thin shorts for 26 miles. Good show!

It was in my camelbak. Same as it was for the 50k and 12.5 hour runs.