How dangerous is it to run when it is lightning out?

Lightning is the only weather I refuse to run in. I've heard too many stories of people, including runners, getting struck and killed by lightning.

Don't mess with it.

drunk runner wrote:

Lightning is the only weather I refuse to run in. I've heard too many stories of people, including runners, getting struck and killed by lightning.

Don't mess with it.

If you can conquer lightning, you will have nothing to fear.

you have about as much chance of getting struck by lightning as you would getting struck by lightning...

and that is slim. go and run you wuss.

ive had my share of run ins with lightening. one was a 14 miler where i had started the run at like 730 because i had been lazy all day. it was an out and back run in the middle of the woods so by the time i got done with the first 7, it was pitch black out. now i had to go back and do the other 7 in the dark on a rocky trail. to make things worse, it started raining and surely enough lightening followed. who whole run was right along the edge of a river so i could see the lightening striking in the distance and getting closer and closer. by the end of the run i was sprinting and screaming shit at the storm because i was trying to get adrenaline pumping so i could push some more.

another was a 10 miler where i had to run across a stream a few times. the lightening was much worse this time and i was running through open fields so i was pretty much surrendering my life for the latter half of the run. luckily i got to our school's indoor track and did the last 30-40 minutes of the run there.

drunk runner wrote:

Lightning is the only weather I refuse to run in. I've heard too many stories of people, including runners, getting struck and killed by lightning.

Don't mess with it.

oh yea, so many stories. All the time, sure. Everyday I hear about so many people getting struck by lightning.

You are looking for an excuse to not run.

People wont give you a guilt trip about skipping your run during lightning so you use that excuse. Fact is, its not gonna happen. To take an extra precaution, dont run on a golf course, stick to the roads... but you should run.

A couple summers ago I went for a run and there was some heavy lightning. It came very close and scared the crap out of me. Won't do that again even though I don't know anybody hit while running, why chance it?

I have met at least 2 people who were struck by lightning, one was hit through a baton during a track meet.

If you're running in a heavily wooded areas, especially off ridgelines, your chances of getting struck (or of a strike in close proximity - also dangerous) is pretty slim. In open areas with some trees, the taller trees are what would likely get hit. In fully open areas, then you are at some risk. The risk level is still pretty small - I think I recently saw that the average death toll in the USA from lightning is 43, with perhaps 20-50x that as injuries. When you look at a population of 250+ million, your chances of getting struck are awfully slim, but not quite nil.

yeah, but that's the wrong stat to look at. Most of those people stay indoors during lightning strikes, and as such have basically 0% chance of being struck. What you should care about is the probability of being struck by lightning conditional on running in a field/forest/on the roads, etc. during a lightning storm.

I think the scariest thing that I have ever experienced during a run was my return from an out and back long run during a thunderstorm. What made it scary was that I was on the walk way of a major city bridge. I could see the thunder striking over the bay and the thunder literally shook my chest. That shit was SO loud and strong up there.

spikes wrote:

drunk runner wrote:

Lightning is the only weather I refuse to run in. I've heard too many stories of people, including runners, getting struck and killed by lightning.

Don't mess with it.

oh yea, so many stories. All the time, sure. Everyday I hear about so many people getting struck by lightning.

You are looking for an excuse to not run.

People wont give you a guilt trip about skipping your run during lightning so you use that excuse. Fact is, its not gonna happen. To take an extra precaution, dont run on a golf course, stick to the roads... but you should run.

I haven't missed a day of running in over 6 months. How about you ass licker?

I saw a guy get hit once -- the lightning glanced off of a structure and hit him in the head. Didn't kill him, but when the smoke curled up from the top of his head it was pretty scary -- I don't think he was normal after that. I'd recommend skipping the run during lightning

While I've never trucked across an open field where I was easily the tallest target for it, lightning has yet to get me on countless runs during thunderstorms.

While you can argue necessity, I'm pretty sure driving your car daily is a lot more dangerous than running in a thunderstorm.

The 1994 European 400mHurdles champion, Oleg Tverdokhleb, was killed by lightning. Not a lotta people know that...

If you have to train in an electric storm, bring a bunch of basketball-playing buddies, so you're the smallest.

I solve this problem by always carrying an umbrella, with a sturdy metal frame.

People get struck by lightning just by sitting in their home, so get out and run you pussy.

Plus your risk of getting hit by a car is about 10000x more likely than getting hit by lightning.

now, what you really have to worry about is getting hit by a car during a lightning storm, cuz then you know you may be struck by lightning when you're in pieces and your guts are all over the windshield.

Go run. Running during a lightning storm is such a rush. You are missing out cuz man that shit is fun.

I just find a big piece of sheet metal to block the rain and hide under the tallest tree I can find.