I got harassed today by a 9 year-old girl for running without a shirt on!

I always run with a shirt on. I learned my lesson. I'm prepared to get a farmer's tan.

HOWEVER,

I run with 2.5 inch running shorts. I like to show off my legs. I also wear underwear underneath my split shorts for maximum security.

I decided to go for a run at around 3:30 pm and it so happens to be the time that elementary school kids get out. I never get phased or scared even when adults heckle me.

But when a group of school children laugh at me? I was going 7 minute pace and decided to go 4 minute pace. It was because I was wearing a bright red shirt that they saw me running from afar.

If I recall correctly, there were about 7 children huddled in a group outside of Starbucks. One of them pointed their fingers at me. Actually, it may have been 2 or 3.

I felt so embarrassed.

Children of elementary school age. They're still pure and not yet corrupt. However, even they have base line morals and know that a guy wearing short shorts is "something wrong with society."

:(

When I started running, I ran in cargo shorts, so it’s also possible to go too far the other way. Still, I was never openly ridiculed (to my knowledge) due to my attire.

However, in the terms of young children making fools of their elders, I am not unscathed.

In those first few weeks when I began running in my late 30s, I was a pathetic, soft, slow mess. I was running around the local track, chest heaving and sweating profusely in my drooping cargo shorts.

This little chit, probably 8 or 9 years of age runs up alongside me and just hangs for a bit, letting it all sink in. Then the little jack wagon starts doing cartwheels - literally cartwheels - while still keeping up with me. I will never forget the intense shame that I felt at that moment.

Children can be so cruel.

Bigfoot wrote:

Kind of along the same line...

I was in the locker room at the local Y getting ready for my shower. Some chunky 10-11 yr old boy said "you should put some clothes on." I kindly explained that it was a men's locker room adjacent to the showers and that I was changing clothes. He told me, again, "you should put some clothes on." I told him to go talk to his Daddy. No, I wasn't being obscene - I wrapped a towel around me, and didn't yell at the little fvk. He had a local private school sweater on - guess they don't teach Sex Ed in his class.

Anyway, carry on...

I started running in cargo shorts too! They reached down all the way to my calves.

lmao

Since I'm fast now I might start doing cartwheels too to other blokes when I'm on the track.

Actually, doing cartwheels to taunt kinds on a track sounds really fun.

Thank you for the idea :)

Bigfoot wrote:

Kind of along the same line...

I was in the locker room at the local Y getting ready for my shower. Some chunky 10-11 yr old boy said "you should put some clothes on." I kindly explained that it was a men's locker room adjacent to the showers and that I was changing clothes. He told me, again, "you should put some clothes on." I told him to go talk to his Daddy. No, I wasn't being obscene - I wrapped a towel around me, and didn't yell at the little fvk. He had a local private school sweater on - guess they don't teach Sex Ed in his class.

Anyway, carry on...

Seriously, what is the expectation (and legal defense) for nudity in locker rooms?

Before too long it will be illegal to go nude in a locker room. Mark my words. Particularly if kids use same locker room.

Again, mark my words.

Your words have been marked and received in memory. Carry on, LetsRun Citizen.

Running in the vicinity of an elementary school without a shirt is the problem tbh. Doesn't matter how old you are. I avoid running on or near school property if I'm working from home because I don't want to be that guy.

I remember training outside when a few young kids yelled and said I was running like a girl. I proceeded to drop my pace from around 6:30 to 4:45 for the rest of the mile lol, ran around the block and looped back by them movin and they were confused having just passed them from the same direction 2 or 3 minutes prior :p Was like sub 10 degrees F that day, was quite gassed after, I take a challenge when I hear one tho!

A friend and I were doing a track workout (we are in our 50s) adjacent to HS baseball game, so a crowd of mostly adults were watching the game. Some woman jumped on the track at one point and seemed very upset and asked my friend to put his shirt on, "there are kids here" she said. I did not understand the fuss. I see HS guys running all the time shirtless. That had not happened to me since Desert Storm in Saudi Arabia, when the Saudis complained to our unit that running shirtless was offensive to them. Beach, Baryshnikov, track: what is the bid deal?

It was summer time. I was running shirtless. That meant I left my shirt at home.

It was around noon time in the summer heat and I guess I decided to walk past some stores in the town center. I walked proud and slow. I had no shirt, and I was wearing 2" split shorts.

There were two young women who were sitting on a bench and they gave me disgusted looks, and I made eye contact with both of them for more than 3 seconds each. I smirked. I had no upper body muscle whatsoever, and I was training for a marathon that was coming in 3 weeks.

I used to run everywhere shirtless. That was when I was fast and dedicated all my time to running.

Now I am slow.

This literally happened to me last year, accept it was a mixture of boys and girls. I was doing loops around the fields where the school were literally playing there ball games. For the first lap it was just one of them giving me abuse. Then for each lap more joined in until they all did eventually. Some evan chased me. I put the brakes on and one of the girls behind collided into me. I shouted "stay the fukk away from me or you will regret it". I gave her a gentle push and she started crying. The teacher starting coming over and shouting what was going on here. I shouted "your stupid school better stay away from me or I'm coming for you all". The next 5 minutes I ran out of there like Bekele. I never went back to them same fields. The teacher looked dangerous.

Fat, drunk, and stupid is no way to go through life, son.

So we live in a society where porn is everywhere, religious values are mocked, and it's a problem for a MALE to be shirtless while running? Makes no sense.

I've literally looked everywhere for videos of Bekele running without a shirt on. Does anyone know where I can see any? We've all watched his great races millions of times on youtube, but there doesn't seem to be any shirtless runs(training runs not races obviously) with him.

Just wow... wrote:(5ft 10 in, 160 lbs, in decent shape)

ehhh you'd have to have a decent amount of muscle at that weight and height to not jiggle

How do you know she is 9? Did you stop and talk to her? If so, that is way creepier than any other part of this story.

theJeff wrote:

How do you know she is 9? Did you stop and talk to her? If so, that is way creepier than any other part of this story.

Just a guestimate. Could have been a little younger or older. I wasn't running on school grounds but on adjacent public county park fields. I was at least 40 yards away from the nearest kids when closest (which was for seconds) and minding my own business.

minty wrote:

Just wow... wrote:(5ft 10 in, 160 lbs, in decent shape)

ehhh you'd have to have a decent amount of muscle at that weight and height to not jiggle

Yeah decently muscled, not ripped but I'm not carrying jiggle lard.