This is Oregon op. You never know if a stranger will stab you, or poison you with a bad batch of fentaynal. People in Oregon (and seattle area) know better than to engage with randoms. Especially because if you call the cops here they take like an hour to respond (if they even respond at all). Post kate brown Oregon is not the place to engage with strangers.
I'll make an addendum. Lived in Eugene late 70's to early 80's. I was good but not great, did workouts with a good 1500 meter dude. Used to see Salazar, Chapa, Centrowitz, Martin, etc doing their usual stuff but I would never have thought there would be an acknowledgement just because I was out there too ,cuz they were doing their thing and were focused.
It's very simple. Any mae running anything longer than 400 in D1 is probably a social retard.
Non-sprint running is not a sport that gets normal, well adjusted men at the sharp end of the stick. The normal males that run do it as a hobby while pursuing other proemfessions and passions.
I run almost daily at the Princeton Univ track and turf fields and enjoy engaging with the athletes, male and female, when the opportunity arises. They are very gracious. I ask about their workouts and upcoming meets, their academic interests, and more. It’s a wonderful treat in the community of runners. I even get a laugh out of the guys when I show up with a “spike bag” that is from Whole Foods.
Surprised at the response here. OP isn’t saying this is the worst thing the program could do. It’s just another domino of UofO being bad for the sport with high ticket prices and not embracing a local ‘TrackTownUSA’ community that is a major appealing thing for these athletes attending Oregon.
I can’t find ticket prices for Oregon Twilight, but OSAA meet is $19 plus fees for this weekend. For a high school state meet that’s easily the most expensive in the country when it’s just parents. They couldn’t fill out the stands for Worlds and prices were then insane. Local fans should feel annoyed about the direction the track programs went in the last 5 years. College runners embrace local track or youth clubs and stuff all the time. A wave isn’t asking for much, so frustration from everything else that’s changed make sense to me.
Having USAs at Hayward used to be a huge part of the Trials. Now US pros ask for other places to be considered and don’t enjoy going there for championships. It’s different
The Villanova guys always acknowledge when I say hello to them on their runs. Very nice group of young men Marcus has over there.
I feel like this is a PNW thing, though. My brother lives in Washington state, in Olympia, and people are never friendly. Everyone is always nose down and afraid to make eye contact. No one holds doors and no one says hello back.
The current batch of collegiate athletes were in HS during COVID. Their social skills are way below par compared to people a little bit older and younger than them.
Side-note: it is disarming in a good way when a man runs by and normally smiles, waves or nods. I find it creepy when a man doesn’t and either stares straight ahead or down. Like you’re a non person because you’re female… not normal.
Sadly, men have been conditioned by the dominant culture to severely minimize contact with females they are not related to by blood or marriage. I think this is probably an overreaction, but it’s hard to blame them. I mean, women have all the power in such an interaction. Men have none.
You’re not going to be metoo’ed or canceled for saying hi to another runner as you pass. Don’t be a coward.