Avocado's Number
Consider this... wrote:
I continued closing in on him, having picked up my pace as well, instinctively feeling the challenge. He proceeded to take a turn onto a lesser-run branch off of the major path, so I figured, what the heck, I'll call his bluff, and turned there as well, probably now within 10 yards of the guy. It was quite dark on this path, but I had run it many times, and knew it quite well. About 100 yards down the path, it made a 90 degree left-hand turn, and when we approached it, the guy proceeded to run straight off the path into the woods, into complete darkness!
I certainly understand how these unspoken competitive situations arise, but I think you crossed the line when he turned onto the "lesser-run branch of the major path," and you decided to continue to stalk him into the dark, wooded area. He wasn't "calling your bluff"; he was trying to get away from you, and whether it was to save face or to avoid a confrontation with a creepy old guy is none of your business. At some point, the conduct of the pursuer is no longer justifiable as an instinctive competitive response; it becomes more like nonconsensual persistence hunting as a sadistic sport.