The very rural areas were honestly the worst though. I've gotten charged by bulls in heat, chased by very aggressive farm dogs, threatened at gun-point by aggressive farmers... they just aren't used to white people out there, especially not white people running around in t-shirts and running shorts.
Some rural areas are really scary. In a city, at least most cities, you have some sense that others are there. You can go into a store or bar or whatever. But out in rural areas you have huge dogs off leash in their front yards, no shoulders on the roads, and essentially no speed limits. The trucks just rip past you and make it a bit of a game to see how close they can get with their mirror.
Southern Mindanao Island, Philippines. Went for a run early morning, noticed a few military patrols on the road. When I got back to where we were doing agricultural training, the staff were aghast that I had gone running there. They said there were ongoing skirmishes between the military and the Communist insurgents of the New Peoples Army right where I had just been.
It was once the most polluted city in the world. Afterwards, they removed the mountain, which was blocking the valley, so now the air circulation is better and so is the pollution. When I was there, I could not see more than 10 m in front of me. Each run was probably an equivalent of one pack of cigarettes. Even without the air pollution, it is a hellhole for running (traffic, gazillion of people, zero infrastructure for walkers).
I've run in 4 continents... I've run on a road in Chennai India during rush hour, in Nairobi, in Mexico City... None of those places are anywhere in the top 10 scariest places I have run. No homophobic comments nor any yelling in general. Compared to Dallas, TX even in one of the biggest LGBTQIA neighborhoods in the US I get yelled a homophobic slur about once a month. I'm not even gay just I guy where running shorts. But still felt safer there than many other areas I have run in in Dallas where crime is high... Hear gunshots far more than once a week. Random city in Colorado was getting yelled at at least once a week a homophobic comment and a homeless guy with a tear drop tattoo saying @#$_ that white guy. Ran over about 7 needles on the sidewalk in Vegas... Yeah the US is very very unsafe in major cities and unsafe if it looks like there could be a slight chance you could be gay in the country
Ask a (non-gay) friend their honest opinion if your running shorts are too short!
There should be a running shorts rule something like add an extra inch for every 5 years after age 25.
I bet you are a person who asks what a girl was wearing right before they got raped. Terrible excuse... I don't see people mad at the majority of Olympian's on TV wearing the same shorts and over 30... I'm still in my twenties and most these things happen before 25
I personally find certain country hickish areas to be scary as hell. So western maryland in certain areas creeps the crap out of me.
But keeping with the city theme. Northwest Baltimore, and north capital in dc gets quite sketchy when the sun goes down
I was going to say western Virginia once you get a few miles away from 81.
Previous work had me traveling the Boston/NYC/Philly/Baltimore corridor a lot. You'll get folks who make comments, but for the most part people don't care. I've had a few instances where I've gotten lost and felt some panic set in, but never felt threatened.
But then you get into some more rural areas, with hills and views...and some hillbilly with a gun will stop you in the road and tell you to go back where you came from.
I personally find certain country hickish areas to be scary as hell. So western maryland in certain areas creeps the crap out of me.
But keeping with the city theme. Northwest Baltimore, and north capital in dc gets quite sketchy when the sun goes down
I was going to say western Virginia once you get a few miles away from 81.
Previous work had me traveling the Boston/NYC/Philly/Baltimore corridor a lot. You'll get folks who make comments, but for the most part people don't care. I've had a few instances where I've gotten lost and felt some panic set in, but never felt threatened.
But then you get into some more rural areas, with hills and views...and some hillbilly with a gun will stop you in the road and tell you to go back where you came from.
I went to college in that area, near I81 of course. Common occurrences were random dogs chasing me from unfenced properties, running on shoulders of roads where the speed limit was 55 and traffic was going upwards of 70, checking out random trails and places to run and they ended up sucking. There are some great places to run like the VA Creeper Trail and a few state parks, but you're not likely to find some cool place that wasn't already listed on the internet.
In my experience it really depends on the time of day. For example running down Flatbush in Brooklyn during lunch hour, I've been subject to really aggressive heckling. Running on main roads through deep west or deep south Chicago during the morning, I get the impression that a lot of folks are more scared of me than I am of them. Walking down the street in most neighborhoods of Philly after the sun sets, downright terrifying.
I made a wrong turn in Philly one time and ended up in a pretty scary area. I come from Brooklyn and have run through most of the worst there during the day and never had a problem. This part of Philly was "I've got to get out of here" territory.
As an aside....why were you running down Flatbush Ave? As far as running routes are concerned that wouldn't be my first choice unless it was a couple of blocks just to get to a specific spot.
My neighborhood when I first moved in in 2010. There was a serial arsonist. People were doing drug deals out of the apartment complex up the street from me. I got attacked by two pit bulls on a run and there were constantly stray dogs running around. The police shot and killed my neighbor's boxer/pit mix on night. They were getting into fights with their next door neighbor over her dog barking. She called the police after they sprayed her dog with a hose to get it to stop barking. They would leave their front door open when it was cool out. When the police showed up, the boxer came running to the door and the police shot it dead on the spot. I was eating dinner with my wife and our then six month old kid at the table. I hear screaming and a bunch of gunshots and have to grab our baby and hide in the back of the house.
Then, the neighborhood gentrified with a vengeance. There are no more stray dogs because a dog cannot wander for more than a block before someone takes it in and adopts it. All the old midcentury apartments have been flipped and now charge $1500+ for an efficiency. The house across the street with the dead dog got torn down and replaced with a 2,700 sq ft house that sold three years ago for $1.2 mil. Average home price went from $250k to $737k.
I'd much rather run in a "redneck" area than a ghetto area (for example, West Baltimore or south side Chicago).
Have had way more guns pointed at me in "redneck" areas (4), than in any "ghetto" area (0).
I've had way more scarier incidents in redneck areas than I have in "ghetto" areas.
The ghetto areas mostly leave you alone and if you run thru their area enough they begin to recognize you, and at least in my experience, they'll say what's up, call you crazy and just let you be. They'll look out for you once they know you. I had an incident where I got hurt during a run and had to limp the 3 miles home thru the hood on my normal route. A few of the locals were out and made sure I was okay, asked if I need a ride. Full respect.
The redneck areas a different story man. They don't want you in or around their area. It's almost a "we don't like your kind round here" mentality. I'm talking unchained dogs, jacked up pickup trucks, confederate flags in the windows. I've been followed, threatened for simply running down the public road they lived on, beer cans thrown at me, and of course, numerous dogs have chased after me.
Once it was at night and this drunk guy was following me. He rolled up and asked what i was doing. Eventually he asked where i was from, I told him I lived in x town but started running from my buddy's house who lived off a pretty well known street that wasn't too far away. He kinda pressed a bit further and I said something like "you know where Powells farm is? It's the house literally right across from it" He knew it exactly and who it was and I was good to go.
Maybe 15 minutes later, the same guy pulls up coming towards me. I recognized the truck and he says "If you need anything man,I live at the second house off X Street, just stop. If any other people question you, tell them you know me (his name) and mention my street and they'll know you're good". I just nodded and agreed and we went our separate ways. Still don't know if he was serious or drunk.
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