The STRANGEST thing you've seen on a run?

The word "surreal" is extremely overused and misused, but I think this thread is it. And I mean that in a good way.

Bad Wigins wrote:

on a trail I startled a guy out hunting or target shooting with an air pistol, he swerved and pointed it at me briefly.

Don't point your air pistol at someone just because he is charging toward you on a remote trail in the woods! Unless it is a bear.

Dam, this is why I wear safety orange when I trail run.

Pro runner running about 7:00-8:00min/mile pace with an altitude mask. Dressed in his sponsor's gear. This was later in the same day same runner ran a half marathon and won it.

The Guy Who Says wrote:

The word "surreal" is extremely overused and misused, but I think this thread is it. And I mean that in a good way.

surreal: running on singlet track. deer jumps in front of me and nearly hits me.

bad luck: descending another trail and saw a cougar sitting there stalking some critter. double backed. nearly had a heart attack.

bad luck: runner who runs same route claims topless sunbathers were seen.

strange: can't think of any.

Ran up on a couple having sex in the woods. Thought it was a guy just standing in the woods with his pants down around his ankles peeing into a tree stump, until I looked down and saw the tree stump looking back up at me...continued running and saw a like 7-8 year old kid riding his bike down the trail, and told him to turn around because there were snakes.

Saw lightning strike a telephone pole not 30 feet from me...continued my run.

Had to take shelter under a overpass because my team was out running when Hurricane Elvis hit Memphis. HS Team started singing "Cum-Bi-Ya" as trees were falling down around us. One of the slower kids got pelted by pine cones and had huge welts all over his body. The storm had straight line winds up to 120 mph and knocked power out to parts of the city for a week.

During easy run one day, my team and I came upon a coyote in middle of trail. The coyote proceeded to take off running down the trail. Each time we came around a corner, we saw the coyote standing still; when he saw us, he proceeded to start running again. We proceeded unintentionally chasing the coyote for 3 miles before it finally got smart enough to leave the trail

I saw a snapping turtle nearly the size of a garbage can lid. Freak show huge! (It was on the side of the trail, not in the water. I just stared at this thing for about 5 minutes.)

On two different occasions, I saw trees fall down for no reason. (I'm sure there's some joke about a tree falling in the woods & making a sound.)

I saw a Sasquatch *bigfoot* on a trail run. It ran along side me for a while, but it was roughly 30 meters inside the woods whereas I was on the trail. I got scared and picked up the pace to my 5k race pace , which at the time was like 5:30 per mile. It easily kept up with me. Then as I approached a crossing in the path, it veered away, not wanting to become overtly exposed. I still do not understand how it was able to go so fast running through fairly heavy brush and uneven terrain.

in search of wrote:

I saw a Sasquatch *bigfoot* on a trail run. It ran along side me for a while, but it was roughly 30 meters inside the woods whereas I was on the trail. I got scared and picked up the pace to my 5k race pace , which at the time was like 5:30 per mile. It easily kept up with me. Then as I approached a crossing in the path, it veered away, not wanting to become overtly exposed. I still do not understand how it was able to go so fast running through fairly heavy brush and uneven terrain.

Are you sure it wasn't Chewbacca?

All of these happened with my college teammates:

During the very first workout of my college career, I saw a guy getting arrested at the park that we ran through quite a bit.

Saw someone literally hugging a tree.

Was on a long run and encountered a deer. There was also a group of girls running the opposite direction as us. This was in area where you basically run across a lower land bridge that goes across a reservoir. When the deer realized it couldn't run anywhere, it panicked and dove into the water and started swimming. We looked back about 5 minutes later and it was still swimming across (probably swam at least 1/4 of a mile by that point).

Tried inventing a new route and wound up in someone's backyard. They had a sign that said, "Get caught, get shot"

Was on a 9 miler with a handful of teammates running through a residential area. As we were approaching a 4-way intersection with stop signs, a car was doing a California stop, just rolling through the crosswalk we were heading toward. When she saw us coming, she stopped, smack in the middle of the crosswalk. Without breaking stride, one of my teammates sprang up onto her hood, ran across it and off the other side, while the rest of us veered around the front of her car.

1. My crew and I were on a trail run near an abandoned beach. Stumbled across a homoerotic scene involving bondage, leather chaps, and a yacht. I couldn't make it up.

2. Ran into a hungover, naked (except shoes and socks) frat boy, who was carried into the middle of a woodsy city park, stripped and abandoned by his brothers the previous night.

3. Literally pissed my pants when jumped by "The Bushman" in San Francisco (to the delight of the crowd that had gathered to watch on the Wharf circa 1994ish).

I am constantly seeing diapers on the side of the road. Apparently people just ride down the road and throw out 10-20 dirty diapers at a time.

Pieces of shit (the parents)

1. An Elephant in a field next to a tow path (Circus was in town and they had him in a field about a mile away).

2. Was out running late it was getting dark and I ran round a corner straight into a cow (nearly shit myself!)

3. I guy was running with really needed a shit but we were in a built up area so he jumped into someone's garden. Was just finishing up when the owner came out and chased us off with a broom.

4. Was out running on holiday in Gran Canaria and was running over some sand dunes down to the beach. Got to the beach and ran right through a nudist beach. All old men, old women and gay dudes. Was not a pretty sight.

Dang scary story with the moose... I saw one once running on vacation around 10,500' in CO in some trees. Scared the crap out of me but I guess I scared him too as he took off before I could get a better look at him