Is it disrespectful to run in cemeteries?

I always wonder this too. I used to live in a place that got a lot of snow in the winter and the one place that was reliably plowed immediately was the loop through the cemetery. I'd alternate between running there while wondering if I was being a jerk or else trying to run on icy regular roads, and I could never decide which was worse.

Yes it is

I run in cemeteries somewhat often and in college we used to work out in one all the time. Never seemed to be an issue.

If I saw a funeral going on I would obviously avoid it. Some cemeteries don't like it and will have signage up, others don't mind at all.

A local cemetery is the only place in my area with both tree cover in the summer and soft dirt and gravel roads to run on. Most other local gravel roads, of which there are few, use a really large rock that is mostly unsuitable for running.

I often run there in odd hours when there aren’t others there besides exercisers like me. I’ve never interrupted anyone noticeably paying their respects, and given that others do it I don’t think it is disrespectful.

You're dead right...it's a grave mistake.

I've had this thought too because there is a great path through one near me. My conclusion was that whether it's disrespectful or not is all a matter of opinion. You can be sure that of the many people with loved ones in that cemetary some will not like it and I can understand that so I figure why bother? There are plenty of other places to run

I think if you're passing through then it's no problem, but if you're trying to do a fair percentage of your run there, then yes it is a no-go.

People are going there to mourn, speak to their deceased family members, pray or bury loved ones. They don't need distracting/the peacefulness being broken by the repeated passing of someone huffing and puffing around them and/or spitting etc etc

There are millions of other places to run, let them have that space (even if you think it's empty, just leave it alone on principle).

Sure there are millions of other places to run, but many people don’t have shaded, low traffic areas to run. As long as you avoid active funerals and aren’t not being disrespectful, it’s not disrespectful to run there. I happen to have a few dead relatives myself so I can attest that I would not find it disrespectful to have people running, biking, or walking on the paths around their graves.

I used to run a loop around a cemetery owned by a Catholic university. They held a 10K race that went through the cemetery so I never had any concerns about running through it. If they didn't care about a couple hundred people running through once a year then nobody should care about one runner doing a lap.

People go to the Evans City Cemetery in Pennsylvania all the time to pose with the headstones that were in the original Night of the Living Dead.

Legend Ed Whitlock on running in cemeteries:

"Where do you train for the marathon?

EW: I train in a cemetery about 100 yards from my house.

Why a cemetery?

EW: There’s a number of reasons. No. 1 is the drivers in there are a lot more of a docile lot than the ones you typically meet on the Milton streets. Also, the footing in the winter is typically better than the sidewalks in Milton. They do a pretty good job of clearing in there, whereas some people clear their sidewalks in Milton and others don’t. The other thing is, in the cold weather if you run around and around in a circle, you don’t have to face the cold wind for too long. And if there are any ice spots, you know where they are. You’re prepared for them. And in the summer, I can run in the shade for most of the time. I guess the primary reason, really, is I don’t count the number of laps I run, and I don’t time the laps I run. That way, I don’t get into competitions with myself. If I run around the town for a set distance, I always say, ‘Oh my goodness, that was a bad run today.’ Or ‘I better pick it up to try and do as well as I did yesterday.’ I don’t want to get into that stuff." - National Post

I've done loads of my runs in graveyards. Steer clear of funerals. Cemeteries were the forerunners of parks. In the 19th Century it was common for families to have picnics and get togethers in them. People walk in them all the time.

Most cemeteries are treated as parks. They're open to the public with posted rules. Just be quiet, respectful, and follow the rules. I can't imagine someone that'd take issue with a jogger in a cemetery, unless the jogger is doing strides across their family plot, hill repeats over their friends gave, or pooping next to a prominent mausoleum.

My buddy is a cop that has to routinely patrol local cemeteries at night. According to him, jogging is definitely not on the list of disrespectful things he's witnessed in at a cemetery.

I have done at least 3 races that ran through cemeteries as part of the race. One was a 10k and we did two loops of the cemetery along the way. As long as we aren’t running over the graves, I don’t think it is disrespectful.

I would say some ghosts would see it as disrespectful and other ghosts would be cheering you on from the grave - I'm sure there are a large number of lifelong runners now buried. As always you can never please everyone (or every ghost) lol

A whole year after I'd begun running loops on the perimeter road of a large local cemetery, a reasonable employee - not at all angry - pointed out the "no running" sign, which I knew about. I decided to take my running elsewhere. Absolutely, some cemetery visitors are there to grieve, contemplate, and reflect upon "things", and a runner can be an unwanted incursion. For the sake of anyone there for such reasons, I'm OK with giving them the benefit of the doubt, and I set up a course nearby, which is also free of exhaust and troubling cars. I can't read thought bubbles to know how everyone feels, so, in this case, because the posted rules call for no running, I'll honor that, willingly.