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The sound of gunshots, cannon booms and air horns have long been noted as triggering to combat veterans with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and those with sensory challenges. But the issue has not been discussed in the sports event sector — until now.
World Athletic recently announced changes to its competition rules to allow for start signal sounds other than the those of the traditional pistol, airhorn and cannon.
It’s the result of paying attention to research and development efforts piloted by Start Without a Shot, a global movement that replaces the traditional (and according to movement leaders, often jarring) race start noises with a sound that is almost musical and is scientifically designed to make athletes feel emotionally safe.
“Sound is incredibly powerful,” said Kirkland Alexander Lynch, Global Chairman of Start Without a Shot in news published by Running USA. “For decades, the sport has relied on a sound that can be deeply triggering for veterans, refugees, survivors of gun violence and others. Now, with World Athletics formally allowing alternatives, there is no rule-based reason not to evolve.”
According to this report, the new sound was designed with a mental health-forward focus and was crafted by top sound designers and neurologists from Harvard Medical School and Kyiv Polytechnic Institute.
The Start Without a Shot website notes, “With original ideas drawing inspiration from the trembita, a traditional Ukrainian alpine horn, we crafted a sound that was both culturally significant and universally calming. This new auditory cue, tested rigorously with neuroscientists and PTSD-affected individuals, demonstrated a sevenfold reduction in stress responses compared to traditional starting sounds.”
A video about the development of the new sound can be found at this link; the sound itself begins here. The device also uses a visual cue — a hand-held arrow-shaped object that changes color from red to green when the starting signal sounds. (An image can be found here.)
It has received a positive reception from war veterans and psychologists who treated PTSD sufferers following the 2013 Boston Marathon bombing which killed three and injured hundreds.
“We conducted research to compare the impact of a starting gunshot with the newly created sound,” Elena Plakhova, Reputation Management Director at Nova Post, told AFP. “The increase in stress levels recorded for the gunshot sound was almost seven times higher than for the new signal.”
But World Athletics is actually playing catch-up. Individual race directors have been incorporating Start Without a Shot for some time now. The San Antonio Road Runners, for example, incorporated the technology for their annual Turkey Trot last Thanksgiving.
“We’re proud to make our races more welcoming for everyone,” the San Antonio Road Runners said. “A race should excite, not trigger anxiety.”
The sounds that herald the beginning of races have evolved through the years, from guns that actually fired bullets to those that fired blanks, as well as the use of air horns and other devices.
The quest for a user-friendly sound has been ongoing; however, the sticking point has been trying to find a device able to make a sound that can be heard across a large number of athletes (such as thousands who line up for marathons) without being sharp, unsettling or triggering.
One suggestion for a visual cue, the use of a checkered flag, such as those in motorsports events, has been shot down since in many cases, the mass start of a road race like a marathon can stretch for multiple city blocks, rendering the flag useless to those beyond a certain point.
Start Without a Shot notes that start sounds are not one-size-fits-all, and that its technicians are willing to work with individual event owners to craft a start sound that aligns with their needs:
“Some races choose to root their start sound in cultural relevance by incorporating a native instrument, local musical traditions, or even a regional artist. Others may wish to align the sound with a key brand sponsor. In either case, we tailor the start signal to reflect your event’s unique identity, whether that's cultural pride or cohesive sonic branding.”
Start Without a Shot’s long-term goal is to make inclusive start sounds the global standard ahead of the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games. The acceptance from World Athletics is an essential step in the process
If it is accepted, count on other governing bodies of competitive race-based events such as triathlons, bicycling and more to be looking into the issue.
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