On Friday, RW ran an interview with Kim Jones who offered her thoughts about the controversy. People may not understand, but missing water can make a big difference in a marathon. I was basically dehydrated from the halfway point. So when a guy cuts in front of you to get water and hands it to another woman in the race, you notice it more. Strictly speaking, accepting any help from anyone not a race official may indeed qualify as illegal assistance.
All athletes deserve rules they can understand and follow, rules that can be enforced.
It's not a lot to ask. With a new feature at Runner's World, the weekly poll , you can add your two cents to the debate. It's just a theory, but if Jones was the only one to see any illegal assistance on that cold, drizzly day, perhaps it was because spectators' eyeglasses were fogging up in the cold weather. A discussion thread on rec.running last week offered tips on keeping your eyeglasses defogged while you're on the run. Seems the answer is soap.