Running etiquette: When should you say 'Hi" to another runner?

CertifiedEliteMastersHobbyJogger wrote:

It never hurts to say hi, wave, or smile at someone passing by. I add "good job" to anyone riding or running.

My perspective is that everyone is going through something, and that smile or word of encouragement might be a bright spot for their day. You never know. If they don't acknowledge, it's not on you. ~90% acknowledge me.

Of course, it's more of a wave when I'm hammering through a workout! Haha!

Here, here. Smile more, acknowledge others, and help if needed. If you have the time to run, then you have time to be a + influence on others.

Ca$hclay wrote:

CertifiedEliteMastersHobbyJogger wrote:

It never hurts to say hi, wave, or smile at someone passing by. I add "good job" to anyone riding or running.

My perspective is that everyone is going through something, and that smile or word of encouragement might be a bright spot for their day. You never know. If they don't acknowledge, it's not on you. ~90% acknowledge me.

Of course, it's more of a wave when I'm hammering through a workout! Haha!

Here, here. Smile more, acknowledge others, and help if needed. If you have the time to run, then you have time to be a + influence on others.

* hear, hear.

Gnarshralper wrote:

I live in the bold north and the amount of people that say hi is directly correlated to weather. In a blizzard you will get zero acknowledgment but if it's 70 and sunny everyone and there mom will say hi.

I agree that it slides with the weather, but once you get beyond a certain point of poor weather it flips back to friendly again. The few people who are out and about in the middle of a winter storm are typically very friendly/laughing at the absurdity of being out in those conditions.

Everyone and their moms saying hi is especially pronounced on the first few nice days of spring.

Mt Tamalpais has a lot of nice mountain biking and hiking trails. There's a trail that starts at the top of the mountain and goes downhill for a few miles before it flattens out near a lake. There's parking near the lake so a lot of families will drive out to the lake and go for a walk. As you approach the lake coming down the hill on the bike, there's a sign at the bottom of the descent that says something like, "Cyclists slow down, and say hi!"

My favorite is the people that passive aggressively say, “have a nice day,” in a snarky tone when you don’t initially acknowledge them. Like you owe them a conversation or something. You better smile at these people or they will go off like a bomb.

I only say hi to those not wearing a mask these days!

Saying hi, while passing someone running in the same direction has turned into a mini race from time to time

If I'm running and I don't already know you then why the hell would you say 'hi' to me??

lwood wrote:

Great topic. My experience has been that the guys always wave/nod and girls don't even make eye contact. Would love to know the psychology behind that ?

Your general demeanor is that of a sex offender, that's what's behind it.

I say a friendly "Hi" or a least nod and smile to everyone. Unless it's super crowded but I rarely run at packed places like Greenlake in Seattle. I don't always get that hi back (there is a term called the "Seattle Freeze" for a reason) but who cares? Life is short. I'm not going to be reserved just in case someone else could be offended. That would ruin it for the people who are friendly.

I have not noticed a big gender difference. If anything, women seem more friendly and smile. Perhaps it's because I'm older now and not seen as some threat.

I do agree with Rojo that people in the south have been much friendlier. I was in Atlanta for a few weeks back in 96 and everyone down to their dog was super friendly when I was running.

Gnarshralper wrote:

I live in the bold north and the amount of people that say hi is directly correlated to weather. In a blizzard you will get zero acknowledgment but if it's 70 and sunny everyone and there mom will say hi.

Funny, I get more greetings in the winter. I think there is a shared sense of torture and accomplishment when you are out there with wind chills in the single digits or negatives. The "hello" in winter is more like an implied "looking good and keep it up". I even have non-runners yelling words of encouragement simply because they see me out there.

Hi, Runner!

In California, you might get a nod on a remote run, but maybe you won't.

When I lived in Oaxaca, I'd run trails and paths in the woods in the mountains above town. Everyone said hi, unless they were in the monster workout mode. Heck, sometimes you'd stop and talk - what's the rush?

I live in a small city and do my running early in the morning when there aren't a lot of pedestrians of any type around. I acknowledge almost all other pedestrians, at least with a nod and/or wave if not a cheery "good morning". But for me that's usually fewer than 10 people in a run of over an hour. If they were coming by at the rate of several per minute it would get tiring.

I used to say hi all the time or good morning but got fed up of people just blanking me so I thought screw it why bother

lwood wrote:

Great topic. My experience has been that the guys always wave/nod and girls don't even make eye contact. Would love to know the psychology behind that ?

You'd get it if you were sexually harassed and objectified all your life.

I don't ignore everyone, but sadly that has become my default reaction if I don't have time to process what they are actually saying. Of course, I wave or say hi back most of the time, but usually, we've run past each other by then.

If you think this is an overreaction when I was a teenager, an older man on a bicycle said hi, I said hi back, and then he thought that was an invitation to start a conversation and ride alongside me the rest of the run, eventually inviting me to get a smoothie. Okay, fine that's a public place and I like smoothies. After that, he was adamant that I go over to his house next. I didn't, but well, this is only 1 example of 1 female's running experience on 1 day out of her life.

jhij wrote:

I used to say hi all the time or good morning but got fed up of people just blanking me so I thought screw it why bother

A good proportion of people out running, walking, and cycling just want to get away from the hassle of other people and noise, enjoy the peace and quiet of nature (or an entertaining podcast or inspiring playlist) and not have to endure intrusion from insecure people who can't just let others be. Maybe you think your dorky "hi" shouldn't be considered a burden to anyone but it really isn't your intention that matters in the end, it's theirs. It's not like your greeting is a gateway to striking up conversation and meeting a new friend, it's a drive-by bleating. At a race? Sure, that's a genuine social atmosphere where it's expected. Just not out randomly encountering strangers running.

Think about why you're really doing this, you may say that you just want to encourage others and at the same time nobody signed up to agree to have you do that for them. Do you also encourage construction workers you pass while you're running or driving? What about someone mowing their grass, do you shout and gesture your approval for their work? No, when you get down to it and see the truth, it's not at all about you wanting to encourage others, you just want to be acknowledged as a fellow runner. And guess what? It's not any random person's responsibility or duty or even common courtesy to do that for you. You do you, and let everyone else do the same.

When weather conditions are miserable. Extreme cold/heat, hard rain, snowy AF...whatever. if you're as nuts as i am for going out when a more sensible person is staying in, then you get a nod or a hey as we pass, heading in opposite directions.

saying anything (other than on your left or track) while you pass someone is a d*** move.

I used to great every single runner I encountered, regardless of gender, size, shape, costume, age, pace etc... After reading several of the threads on other sites, I will not speak to female runners again. Not worth it. I ...oh well. To each his own. Offending people seems out of control. I don't want to do that, but I don't want to spend my time figuring out who is which or what or whatever. Live your life to the fullest and love everyone around you and things will fall into place.