Anti-Runner Sentiment?

It's all in your head. The truth is, they don't notice you at all.

Only when I've run fast where it's not appropriate, such as a park path full of children playing and old people walking, a sidewalk outside a busy store or the middle of the road.

In other words, only when I've deserved it.

No, I'll give the OP some credence...

Just this week I was running on a local paved greenway trail (about 5 miles long) and had to run to the left of an older woman wearing headphones. I was probably running 6:30 pace and gave her a lot of room, but I still scared the crap out of her. She yelled at me to "Slow Down."

I decided to stop and engage her, so I stopped my watch and turned back to walk and speak with her. She ended up being really nice, but she said that I shouldn't be running so fast on a walking trail. I told her that I had verbally signaled to her prior to passing ("on your left"), but she said she couldn't hear me b/c she had on her headphones.

I apologized and ran off. I passed her again later that run, but we were facing each other (I was doing an out-and-back). I waved and she waved.

She seemed to like me as a person; she just hated runners.

I ran in an odd distance 2.7 mile "fun run" back in the 80s, a couple years after college. I wanted a race effort, and a couple guys from a local college team (DIII All Americans it turned out) bolted out at 4:40s/mile pace and I was sub 5. There was a lot of yelling from behind.

"HEY YOU IDIOTS THIS IS A FUN RUN!"

In the past 15 years there has been an increasing anti-competitive trend in running clubs. The executive boards are overwhelmingly middle-aged to older, very slow joggers. Races have fewer awards for fast runners (or none at all), no comped entries, 'most inspiriational' awards often go to the slowest, more emphasis on participation (recognition to runners who do all the races at the series, not a few fast ones), etc.

irony fools wrote:

In the past 15 years there has been an increasing anti-competitive trend in running clubs. The executive boards are overwhelmingly middle-aged to older, very slow joggers. Races have fewer awards for fast runners (or none at all), no comped entries, 'most inspiriational' awards often go to the slowest, more emphasis on participation (recognition to runners who do all the races at the series, not a few fast ones), etc.

The opposite is true for our local club. The majority of the e-board members are Boston qualifiers. I've never felt the club is anti-competitive. Overall participation regardless of speed is emphasized, and it's a good thing to build a large and inclusive running community.

There is no "most inspirational" award given to a slowpoke. There is a "member of the year" award that goes to someone who has volunteered a lot of time on behalf of the club and been impactful for whatever reason. We do recognize runners who complete races in a series, but there is an overall grand champion determined in the series based on speed.

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

I was talking to a guy at a park after I'd moved to a new city he invited me to the local running club. I was rehabbing from a long period of injury and wasn't very fit, but when it came out that I usually ran 7:30 pace or so, he more or less rescinded the offer—I was too fast for them!

joho wrote:

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

I've been called a showoff. What I see more is anti- health sentiment.

In my area the hobbie joggers respect the faster runners. It's the unhealthy people who are critical.

On recovery runs I notice people are a lot friendlier on the trails yet I still pass their ass at 5:00/km and I almost want to apologize.

Usually people assume or it just happens, the slower you go the friendlier you are (unless you're huffing and puffing at 6min k's). And conversely the faster the jerkier it gets.

Once a group of big-shots running past when we were 'jogging' the later stages of an easy paced 35km. We asked them who they were, someone quipped "The fast ones", which really got my partners riled. So I gave them a head start, casually ran them down at 3:20 pace (they were running 3:40) as they huffed and puffed and I said to them "is that all?"

I ran with a local running club for what looked like middle aged people. The front runners couldn't have been doing much faster than 8min pace. All I did was just stay with the front group and I heard a few weeks later from my step dad who has a friend in the group that they were saying that some young guy went out there and was pushing the pace. I did no such thing.

joho wrote:

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

Pretty sad how someone can get upset about that.

runn wrote:

I've been called a showoff. What I see more is anti- health sentiment.

In my area the hobbie joggers respect the faster hobbie joggers. It's the unhealthy people who are critical.

^^^^This

Sadman wrote:

joho wrote:

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

Pretty sad how someone can get upset about that.

Who is upset?

joho wrote:

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

I have also been called a "show off" when I run past another runner, but I interpreted it as a complement rather than an insult.

drivel wrote:

I have also been called a "show off" when I run past another runner, but I interpreted it as a complement rather than an insult.

Yeah, I think when most joggers say that they're complementing you and trying to be funny/self-deprecating.

Anthony Famigiletti was nice enough to interrupt his training run to spend several minutes jogging with my running team a few years ago. We were running about 8:45 pace.

On the other hand there's a local "elite" who runs around Central Park yelling "track, track, track" at tourists and local running clubs doing speed workouts 6 abreast in the middle of summer.

As for cyclists....

Maybe those people have read this board, and faster runners' constant vitriol against "hobby joggers." Are you surprised that the feelings are mutual? ;)

joho wrote:

I had a chubby lil jogger call me a 'Show off' once when I ran past her and her friend. I passed them head-on not from behind.

Pretty sad how jealous and pathetic people can get over running.

The same thing happened to me a couple of days ago. I ran past a heavier old woman who was walking and she called me a show off. I guess it was a compliment, but it just seemed out of place since I'm coming back from an injury and was shuffling along at 7 min mile pace.

There are two types of runners these days, as you know. I almost never see post-collegiate people in urban Dallas doing uptempo work. It is as if they are doing a different sport. Their resentment is born of misunderstanding. Be happy to be a stranger in a strange land.