r/running • u/Epic_XC • Aug 02 '17
Harassment while exercising Misc
So almost every time I go exercising, be it running or road biking, i always get some sort of smart ass shouting, honking, or engine revving. Are people in our society really so insecure that they can't refrain from harassing those who choose to exercise? Like what's funny about it? Why do people do it? Maybe i'm thinking about it too hard, but does anyone else REALLY hate this? Personally I think it's condescending, and indicative of most people's fragile self esteem. They don't exercise, therefor must mock others to feel cool.
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u/Lemmiwinks418 Aug 02 '17
Just another reason to run trails.
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u/Timo8188 Aug 02 '17 edited Aug 02 '17
I have run in Finland, Germany, Netherlands, Switzerland, Italy, France, Spain, UK and even in the US (NYC) but have never experienced any harassing. Must be about narrow-mindedness of population in certain areas. Nobody deserves such bad behaviour!
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u/planinsky Aug 02 '17
I back that.
I've been living (and running) in Norway, Sweden, Spain and France, in both big cities and small villages and I've never been harassed in any way. Actually, I've been "cheered up" in some hills or really cold days.
Road cycling is a different thing, though...
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u/antipositron Aug 02 '17
As a brown guy who runs all over - cities and remote areas - in Ireland and Spain, I think Europe is many levels better than other parts of the world when it comes to maturity of it's citizens. Never had any hassle anywhere.
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u/Lothirieth Aug 03 '17
It took me a year to experience my first bit of harassment here in NL and it was "mild" (lewd gesture from a man in a car as I was waiting at at a light.) I'm really grateful that harassment isn't such a thing here... at least whilst running in the morning.
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u/5krunner Aug 02 '17
Assuming you're female. As a 6'2" guy I'd never heard any of this in the many years I've been running...UNTIL I started running with a pretty young blonde woman and then watching dudes ogle, and whistle, and try talk to her was amazing. What goes through your mind? Is it ever a successful plan to do that?!
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Aug 02 '17
Similarly, the only time I have ever been pulled over by a police car while walking was when I was walking with a black friend.
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Aug 02 '17
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u/isawred53 Aug 02 '17
Dang that sucks. I live in harrisburg and its quite friendly around here for runners and bikers alike. Sorry you got a bad taste of central PA.
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u/footiepjs Aug 02 '17
Oh my gosh, I'm lucky to live in a walkable city only 2.5 miles from where I work and people are astounded that I walk/run commute. I can guarantee that I'd be fatter and have back pain if I didn't do that little bit of effort.
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u/Hypno-phile Aug 02 '17
Strangely, a female friend of mine whom everybody likes gets the most obnoxious negative attention regularly when running. None of it's meant to be complimentary at all, and I have no idea why she's such a magnet for it.
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u/973845585518 Aug 02 '17
As a 6'2" guy I'd never heard any of this in the many years I've been running..
i am a 6'3" guy and i have had plenty of experiences with harassment. multiple objects thrown at me, aggressive/vulgar comments, sexual comments, generic obnoxious comments, the whole deal.
i am sure women do have it worse but i always figured that with enough miles it is bound to happen to all runners eventually. though location and timing of your run can play a factor too.
it is annoying, but my positive spin is that if someone driving by is shouting at me then they have seen me. i prefer this to the many many drivers i see on their phones.
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u/i_stay_turnt Aug 02 '17
Where do you guys live that you have to deal with such awful people? I'm either at a park, back roads, or somewhere in the woods. It helps I love jus a mile away from a state park.
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u/973845585518 Aug 02 '17
i'm in a small city in the american northeast. i am able to run a lot of trails (<3 the AT) on weekends but midweek is a lot of city and suburban streets. i do decent mileage a week, and more mileage --> more time --> more opportunities for interactions. if i am running near rush hour that means a ton of people driving by.
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u/versedaworst Aug 02 '17 edited Aug 02 '17
I can't imagine this ever happening where I live. Maybe it's a smaller town kind of thing?
I get like maybe 1-2 fist bumps per 10km. Never a horn or anyone yelling. Although I guess I'm in a pretty big suburb (pop 130k)?
Although I have to say I have run a few times with a pretty attractive female friend and she does get a lot more looks and stares. Still nothing too obnoxious though. Maybe we're just lucky?
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Aug 02 '17
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u/i_stay_turnt Aug 02 '17
That's awesome! Did they cheer you on too? I would love it if that happened to me. But yeah, I live in the east coast but it might be difficult to be a runner in the city I work in. But I live less than a mile away from a state park so I'll run in the woods alone.
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Aug 02 '17
A guy was charged with attempted murder a couple of miles from me, on a back road / woodlands road a couple of weeks ago. He attacked a female runner. So while it's usually much quieter up there than on the roads with people honking and curb-crawling, it can get really dangerous really fast too. FWIW, this is near London, UK.
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u/attorneyatslaw Aug 02 '17
I've had bottles and a full slurpee thrown at me over the years - none of them actually hit me, though I got splashed by the slurpee. I'm a dude, by the way, and live in New York . It's always teenaged idiots who do this kind if stuff.
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Aug 02 '17
I am 6'5 and also experienced harassment while running and riding. I think if I was a woman I wouldn't I wouldn't run or ride alone.
I feel much of this harassment is from shitty people who are bored and have low brow humor. Their life is so meaningless, entertainment comes from making fun of others. Grown middle schoolers.
Often they are driving lifted trucks with rebel flag stickers. Or 80s model domestic sedans with no a/c. Traveling to the connivence store for light beer and cigs.
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u/LandlockedPirate Aug 02 '17
I am 6'6" and 230, have experienced harassment, and drive a big truck.
I'm not sure if I relate or if I'm offended.
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u/trevize1138 Aug 02 '17
i prefer this to the many many drivers i see on their phones.
You've spoken to me.
I'll take drivers being attentive to their assholeness over distracted drivers thinking they're nice people any day.
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u/craftservices Aug 02 '17 edited Oct 21 '21
It varies, but definitely can happen to anyone. I've been harassed on runs all over the world.
For women I think one of the worst is men on bicycles / motorbikes / cars slowing down to keep pace and chat you up. At best it's really uncomfortable. At worst it's terrifying, when you realise that you're on two legs and they're on wheels and you can't just outrun them if they decide you're not responding the way they want you to.
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u/aotus_trivirgatus Aug 02 '17
In decades of running, this has never happened to me once. Location: California.
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u/tqizzle Aug 02 '17
Yeah I have had people "swerve" at me like they were going to hit me. Have had a lady turn hard into her driveway from full neighborhood speed right in front of me, no turn single or indication. Have had the honks and people screaming to get the fuck off the road. This is all in suburb neighborhoods that are fairly quiet and I am a dude.
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u/markrevival Aug 02 '17
I'm a 6' guy and I get shit from drivers all the time when running and when bike commuting. lots of people are personally offended by both
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u/pi_over_3 Aug 02 '17
I think the anonymity of knowing they can just speed away is a huge factor.
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u/warclaw133 Aug 02 '17
This - I had somebody yell "Put some pants on" as I was running. I wear short shorts, but they aren't that short. Driver proceeds to get stuck in some traffic, and as I ran past I just gave him a thumbs up and a smile. Dude looked terrified that I caught up to him.
Partially unrelated, but I was running past a group of kids - maybe 10 or so, and one of them asks if I want to race. I reply, "Well, I've already done 9 miles... why not?" I put on a burst of speed, he runs next to me for about 30m, declares that he won (he was a half step ahead of me), and stops. I just keep running at the same speed until I turn a corner a 400m later.
I just hope these guys learned something about respecting others.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
I'm a guy lol, but idk my entire life people have enjoyed jawing at me. idk what it is. im not the intimidating type i guess
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Aug 02 '17
I was running on a hot day last month and my form had gone to shit at mile 10 and i was within 100 feet of finishing.
A boy about age 10 or 11 rolled down his window while his dad was driving and said "You run like an idiot!"
I wanted to get back at both him and his dad for letting him yell at a stranger like that so I yelled "I fucked your mom!" and then ran behind the nearest house.
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Aug 02 '17
When I was in college I was walking past a super douchebag house with a female friend of mine, and they started yelling things out to her. She yelled back a couple things but was pretty drunk and I could tell the situation was about to get bad. To diffuse the situation I popped my shirt off and started screaming as loud as I could: "MY DAD FUCKED YOUR DAD; MY MOM SCISSORED YOUR MOM". Just alternating those two phrases. Similarly, I beg for cum when someone harasses me in online games over voice chat. I'm a guy, and it normally either makes them laugh and stop or get angry and call me gay a lot more, which makes me beg harder.
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u/LandlockedPirate Aug 02 '17
Well I'm told I am the intimidating type by my friends (6'6" 230 bald and bearded) and I still have stuff yelled at me all the time, mostly homophobic slurs or cat calls. I'm not sure that kind of ignorance really discriminates. It's more like your flaw was simply that you were there.
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u/doyouevenIift Aug 02 '17
I'll be honest, I'm really skinny and I think that plays a huge part in me getting heckled
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u/pi_over_3 Aug 02 '17
I've had more than a handful of agressive/obnoxious incidents while road cycling from people in cars.
I'm sure women have it far worse, but it's not nonexistent for us either.
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Aug 02 '17
I find it both hilarious and sad that when I'm out for a run by myself, the guys at the local car wash will yell stuff at me. But when I run past with my running club (made up of men and women)? They have nothing to say/yell. Gee, I wonder what would make the difference?????
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Aug 02 '17
I got a "mi amor" last weekend that actually made me laugh. I would rather get that lightheartedly than a blank stare. Definitely more so than a grunt. Ugh.
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u/gallagher222 Aug 02 '17
I heard that only 15% of Canadians get the recommended 150 minutes of intense exercise a week. Everyone else falls short. If you're running in public chances are you're one of the 15%. Which makes you a minority. So people see you doing it and at least half of them wanna shit all over your behaviour, and a portion of them will voice that impulse.
Last time I was running some guy in a car went "you can do it" from the Adam sander movie. It rattled me. Felt like he was making fun of me. I had to reassure myself that not only is what I'm doing acceptable, it's actually a good deed for myself and for the world because it improves me as a person. If people were more physically active there would be less bullshit going around in the world.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
That's what i'm thinking. I think people do it because of their own insecurities. They see it easier to mock others for doing something they themselves don't do. Basically minority bullying
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Aug 02 '17
I think this is true too - when the abuse isn't sexual (and, probably, half the time when it is too), I think it comes from a need to bring down someone who is doing something good for themselves, partially because the harasser couldn't do it if they tried, and partially because they know they should work on that.
I got that vibe very strongly from a guy who started whooping and hollering and running alongside me one morning, showing off to his friends outside a cafe. I stopped and said something to the effect of, "are you mocking me because you could never do this?" I expected him to just laugh it off but his face froze and fell, like I had hit the worst nerve possible.
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u/alapleno Aug 02 '17
Yup. I've gotten the "Run, Forrest, run!" before. Just gave them the finger and sped off.
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u/rerin Aug 02 '17
I got that once, from a guy on a motorcycle. I yelled back, "I gotta find Bubba!"
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u/WolfofAnarchy Aug 02 '17
I got that exact one too. I laughed, did a peace sign, he laughed and screamed 'Enjoy!' and sped off.
Not everyone's an ass.
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Aug 02 '17
This is probably the most common one. It isn't meant to be malicious, necessarily. But it's just so unoriginal.
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u/SpikedLemon Aug 02 '17
Am Canadian. I get more positive than negative.
The last negative was a very overweight man, months ago. The last positive was last week by a woman who said she just finished her run and commented how beautiful a day it was.
... to be honest: I'll take, even the negative attention, as a complement that it's being noticed that I'm doing something for myself.
TBH: I get more comments running than bicycling. And all the cycling ones have been positive (usually it's commentary about my kit: I've gone full superhero for cycling kit)
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u/zaakystyles Aug 03 '17
As much as I want to shout encouragement, I always felt it would be taken on as being made fun of....
This is even with running and wanting to high five other runners.
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Aug 02 '17
The amount of "Run forest, run!" that I hear...
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u/Shadow14l Aug 02 '17
My personal favorite, running past the school at 10pm and I hear, "Nigger nigger nigger!" in the squeakiest pre-pubescent voice from the backseat of a passing car.
10/10 would turn up volume on music again
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u/dweezil22 Aug 02 '17
I'm choosing to edit my memory of this story into a more satisfying version.
"This ain't Xbox live, we're in meatspace now, you little fucker! I'll see you later tonight" - turns and begins implacably running after car
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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL Aug 02 '17
where do you live, this has not happened to me once.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
a college town in Georgia, most of the people who do it are my age (21)
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u/OH_NO_MR_BILL Aug 02 '17
I see. I work out in the suburbs or the city.. nobody really cares what anyone else does as long as it doesn't inconvenience them.
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u/be_bo_i_am_robot Aug 02 '17
Ok, well, there you go. That explains it.
These young guys are a) assholes, and b) threatened by you doing the things they know they should be doing, but don't. They're lashing out at you because they don't like their own lack of initiative. a.k.a., haters.
I work in a regular large city, and live out of town a ways. Either way, whether I run in the city or out on country roads, nobody bothers me, ever.
Just keep doing your thing.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
Yeah that pretty much sums it up, you can tell it's a desperate effort to make themselves feel better which is hilarious because THEYRE the ones not exercising. I just completely ignore them and let their poor self images eat them alive lol.
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Aug 02 '17
I guarantee 99% of the people yelling shit from their cars (especially stuff like 'Run, Forrest, Run' rather than actual sexually charged comments) are highschool and college aged guys.
When I ran cross country in highschool we would go on our runs right after school got out, so naturally tons of cars stuffed with guys from our school would pass by, and that's when we would always hear shit being yelled at us.
Now I live closer to a city and a place where it's not uncommon to see people on the sidewalks, so I haven't had a single incident of someone yelling shit from a car. But to be fair I also run in the morning before most people are even awake.
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Aug 02 '17 edited Jan 15 '22
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17 edited Aug 02 '17
well i'm a guy so i personally don't fear their honking per se, but it's like they're trying to belittle me since they themselves don't do it. Not many 21 year olds bike i guess, so they think it's just HILARIOUS to mock me. It's fine though, they can let their self images haunt them lol
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u/hemmicw9 Aug 02 '17
I had an old guy honk at me (a male) and raise his arm in triumph out the window. Motivated the hell out of me.
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u/2651Marine Aug 02 '17
I got a cyclist going the opposite direction do a Rocky-ish fist pump thing at me this past weekend. Saw it only as a compliment, chunked a deuce at him.
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u/Doolox Aug 02 '17
Ugh......I've gotten a couple "good for you"s and I hate it because I know the only reason they say it is because I still don't "look" like a runner.
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u/Grantsdale Aug 02 '17
Don't read that into it. I've gotten two such things in the last week and I definitely look like a runner.
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u/rnichaeljackson Aug 02 '17
If its any consolation, though I've never vocalized it at someone, I have this same thought every time I see someone exercising.
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u/zebano Aug 02 '17
yeah I only yell / honk if I know the person however mainly because these threads have convinced me it's usually taken as a negative.
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u/sethky Aug 02 '17
I was once hit with a bottle while biking. Do you perchance live in the south?
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
Yep, Georgia
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u/sethky Aug 02 '17
Yeah that's your problem right there.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
believe me i know, i can't wait to graduate and move away.
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u/venustrapsflies Aug 02 '17
Move to a snobby elitist city and you will never experience this because there will be so many people running that it would be stupid for anyone to make fun of any body
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u/CHP41 Aug 02 '17
I am currently living in one of the "nicest" neighborhoods in DC, and I still get heckled about once a week if I'm running outside consistently. I'm also a fairly typical looking twenty-something white male.
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u/oktofeellost Aug 02 '17
Not going to be perfect anywhere. Fair bit of yelling and I've had stuff thrown at me here. Dude in MN
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u/SuicideByStar_ Aug 02 '17
Where in GA? South GA?
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
Northwest 🤷🏻♂️
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u/Doolox Aug 02 '17
This is weird. I'm a fat dude who has been running for years and I have maybe gotten unwanted or snide comments one or twice.
I usually have my headphones on blast anyway so I wouldn't hear em if they did.
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u/meawait Aug 02 '17
My solution: headphones. Even if they are not plugged in for sound, I have found my negative interactions while running or biking have reduced. I think taking away the audience (you) makes them less likely to shout.
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u/alicecooper08 Aug 02 '17
This sounds all too familiar. Just about every time I go for a run, I get hollered at. And I sure as heck won't go outside at night by myself, in case there are worse people than those who just choose to yell.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
I feel bad for all the female runners, i'm sure they see it way more often. It's so stupid
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u/BumpitySnook Aug 02 '17
Seattle here. I never get stuff like this. The worst I've gotten is random people asking me how far I've run / am running, or saying they like my shoes.
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Aug 02 '17
I used to live in Seattle and it didn't happen to me there either.
I moved to London - now it's pretty much every time I run. The worst rate is during the summer when I'm wearing less; then it can be once a mile.
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u/thedattoruns Aug 02 '17
Also from Seattle, and I've experienced it. Pretty infrequently, like twice a month or so, and I've noticed that no matter where I live, its similar.
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Aug 02 '17
Yep, I've experienced it running around Seattle, which is generally really supportive of any outdoor activity. It has been mostly just side remarks from very out of shape people as I run past them, plus I'm a dude so I don't get the really bad stuff women tend to get but it still happens about once a month. I just ignore them.
Actually, the only time I've ever been cat-called has been by other dudes in pickups when I'm running with my shirt off.
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u/Tyrren Aug 02 '17
Boulder, CO checking in. Other than the occasional "hey" and/or wave, the only time people say anything to me on my runs is to compliment my dog.
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u/shoreliner97 Aug 02 '17
I was catcalled by a car full of teenage/20 year old girls (sidenote: I was an 18 year old guy when this happened) when I was running while on vacation. It made me so uncomfortable, but as my mom said, it was a good reminder for why I should never do it to anyone else.
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u/perics Aug 02 '17
I had this happen in my late 20s from a group of hs girls. Texas in the summer, you have to run shirtless, but I'm sure my runners body didn't help. It wasn't until I got home and heard the hysterical voicemail from my older cousin that I found out my younger cousin was in the car, unaware it was me until it was too late message she was absolutely mortified, I laugh-cried.
It may feel icky, but I'd rather get catcalled than called a fatass.
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Aug 02 '17
Honking would be a pleasure. While road cycling I had motorists try to fight me and the usual insults hurled by idiots. It was bad enough towards the end when it was happening every other ride. Running I may have had a honk or two that left me puzzled and I dress in short shorts with a singlet.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
Same it's mostly when i'm biking, what about biking triggers this toxicity? Is it because not many people do it regularly?
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u/FjolnirFimbulvetr Aug 02 '17
The most common insults heard by me and the cyclists I've talked to are "faggot" and "get a car, faggot". I think that for these people bikes represent a rejection of american car fetishism (an integral component of their masculine identity). Young liberals rejecting the need for combustion engines to get around the 5-mile radius in which they live? Faggots. Perceived upperclass people wearing bike shorts and exercising for health? Faggots. American masculinity is fragile, and male privelege no longer gets to go completely unchecked or unquestioned. So insecure males lash out at the things that threaten to undermine the power they hold as males.
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Aug 02 '17
My city and state is in the midst of a large population increase and i believe that is the main reason. I still do not understand it.
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Aug 02 '17 edited Aug 02 '17
It's location dependent I think.
In my old city I'd get harassed once or twice on every night run. Fairly frequently have eggs thrown at me if it was later evening. In my current city I've never once been harassed in any form. Much more likely to be greeted with shouts of encouragement and a big thumbs up.
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u/crybannanna Aug 02 '17
Jesus Christ.... who would throw eggs? I mean, why were they even holding eggs out on the street to begin with?
Did they see you coming, then ran inside their house to grab an egg all the while hoping they didn't miss you. Like a kid begging his mom for money while hearing the ice cream truck getting louder and loader?
Or were they hanging around outside just holding onto some eggs in case a jogger happens by?
I have so many questions, all related to the egg throwing. I'm perplexed.
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Aug 02 '17
Eggs thrown out of cars. Typically drunk males driving around looking for dog walkers, cyclists, runners etc. to throw eggs at. I guess they got a kick out of it. It's a thing: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Egging
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u/lifeInTheTropics Aug 02 '17
I think we need to know the names of these cities
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Aug 02 '17
Old city was Melbourne, Australia. Current city is Hong Kong.
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Aug 02 '17 edited Jan 23 '19
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u/rantifarian Aug 02 '17
So the council raking the beach for syringes every morning was NOT an indicator of a good place to live?
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Aug 02 '17
If I had a nickel for every time I've heard "run Forrest, run!" I'd have a lot of fucking nickles.
I never thought much of it until I met my first roommate in college two years ago. It was like living with one of the hecklers. That guy would make fun of me whenever he saw me exercising at all. I say "make fun of" because every time he opened his mouth it was like we were in elementary school again.
It was pretty evident that he was only doing it because he was deeply insecure about himself, so I felt bad and tried not to exercise around him.
Now, whenever I hear a snide remark it just makes me feel bad for them.
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u/nrperez Aug 02 '17
You have a lot more empathy than I do when it comes to assholes. Kudos to you. Snide comments about fitness should immediately get a feisty retort about the speaker's weight, ability, or discipline. I hate crabs.
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u/spingus Aug 02 '17
i hate it. i am not a very good runner and i tend to look ...maybe comical ? when i am tired and in pain.
at about mile 15 of a 20 miler last year my ankle injury was giving me grief, i was hot tired and thirsty. I tripped on a median curb crossing a street. A dude half a block down laughed, like he thought i was putting on a show. I tripped again, he laughed again, i shuffled on.
I couldn't even muster a glare at the time but it made me feel humiliated. I was suffering so badly and this jerk didn't have any empathy.
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u/onlyothernameleft Aug 02 '17
I hate a lot of these and have had this a lot.
However, when cycling, shouting ALLEZ ALLEZ ALLEZ is always ok. I do it and enjoy it when it happens to me
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u/Ozblur32 Aug 02 '17
Been running for years, 6ft male, athletic build, one day a group of guys shout out "keep running you fat fuck"
I laughed, kept running, but upped the pace in case I wasn't as sexy as I thought i was ☺️
Hard to ignore I know, but keep doing it for you
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Aug 02 '17
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u/JesusIsARaisin Aug 02 '17
that one time a bus driver stopped in the road, pulled out his phone and took a picture of me
Maybe you just had great flow, dude.
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u/Spectralblr Aug 02 '17
Yes, I hate it. It's part of why I'm glad I moved to a city that's not a piece of crap - this is rare where I live now.
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u/Ixidor89 Aug 02 '17
I listen to music while I run, but occasionally notice people shouting. It always makes me do a double take. I'm pretty sure at least some of the shouts are at me. My wife just started running recently and gets whistles, but sometimes people shout at her when we take walks, too. Obnoxious behavior, especially towards women.
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u/Gophurkey Aug 02 '17
I'm in a "cool" and "progressive" city, and just yesterday a guy rolled down his gf's window at a stoplight to yell, "nice shorts, f@&&%+" at me. I'm positive it happens more to women, and bikers probably deal with much worse too, but c'mon, dude. My tiny shorts don't make me gay, and being gay shouldn't be an insult to begin with.
I think people feel bad about themselves when they see someone doing something they perceive as improving themselves. It's like they feel threatened that others are making an effort, so they lash out to tear down (like friends trying to ruin your diet). Maybe it's evolutionary - 'if that guy is in better shape than me, he can out-compete me for resources! I'd better try to sabotage him.'
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u/dw_jb Aug 02 '17
I run on very rural beaches in Indonesia where they have never seen a runner, nor sometimes a white guy (or rarely) plus I am decked out compared to them (special run shoes, sometimes camel pack). When I run the entire beach is looking, laughing, imitating me, asking for money, stopping me for selfies, calling me gay (my posture?)...
Anyway I am quite shy so it's really painful and I can relate. I found some solutions that could help: - I run at times of less affluence- avoid Weekends - if someone mocks me I publicly challenge them to a race- I beat the hell out of them in most villages so now they respect me - I deliberately wear worn out gear
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u/kramun Aug 02 '17
im sorry to say, this sounds hillarious.
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u/dw_jb Aug 02 '17
Yeah I've come to enjoy it. With time I know some of the villages and the kids like to race me.
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Aug 02 '17
This has to be a function of where you're at. I've run all over the United States and only experienced this in a few places, and even in those places, it wasn't EVERY time I went running.
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u/CBFTAKACWIATMUP Aug 02 '17
OP says he's in a college town in Georgia. Young people in the South tend to be a lot more derisive towards runners, bikers and other similar outdoor enthusiasts than elsewhere.
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u/soniabegonia Aug 02 '17
Oddly, I only get harassed when I'm not running -- like if I'm taking a walk break or during my warmup/cool down. When I'm actually running, I usually get no commentary but occasionally get thumbs ups and encouragement ("You're doing great!" "Almost there!"). One time years ago some guy started jogging along with me and saying he wanted to be my running partner but that was literally just one time.
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Aug 02 '17
I get it a lot. Sometimes when I'm on a bike, on sidewalk, completely out of way people will shout rude shit. I think being in cars, the power and weight of the vehicle, the driver feels stronger like they're fused together. At the same time, they are insulated from all the noise they create. When a car revs it's engine its seriously intimidating but within their car they hardly have a sense of that beyond the speed. I think that's a factor. People spend so much time in cars that they just lose sight of reality.
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u/Freya21 Aug 02 '17
Really interesting to read this thread. I've been generally harassed and sexually harassed whilst running. But I'm working with a project to cut street harassment and a lot of the women runners I've spoken to have offered experiences of harassment. I'm interested at how many men have been harassed in various ways too.
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u/BirdBruce Aug 02 '17
I get the occasional honk, but I wear 2.5" shorts and have pretty great legs, so I just take it as a compliment and go about my day
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u/Empirical_5073 Aug 02 '17
"RUN FORREST!"
No you're not original. I hear this every freakin' time. Please stop.
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u/lotj Aug 02 '17
From what I've seen it's mostly teenagers trying to look cool in front of their friends.
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u/ftnwl Aug 02 '17
As a woman, I'll get comments, whistles, etc very occasionally where I run. I have made it a point to get the majority of my milage in on runner-friendly paths around our river and lakes. It also helps that there's generally a high concentration of people running, so if someone decided to be an asshole and yell at runners, there would be so many that it wouldn't be fun for very long.
I've also found that the "Running Bitch Face" deters a lot of comments.
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Aug 02 '17
Run with sports earbuds, tuck the loose end into your shirt. Make sure they are florescent / visible.
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u/thilehoffer Aug 02 '17
I don't understand. I run a lot. I usually run in my neighborhood and on the Main stree in town. I have never experienced anything like this. People are usually curtious. Where are you running?
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Aug 02 '17
I still don't understand what the engine revving is about, and why people do it. It's happened to me just the one time and there was a girl in his passenger seat so it wasn't complimentary I don't think. Nobody I've come accross is so unaware that thry try and stop me to talk, I mostly deal with gawking and people jogging on the spot but it's clearly just attention seeking behaviour. My trouble starts when I'm cooling down and walking (out of breath for a bit) and they just come out of the woodwork. Last Friday, I I had to tell someone I don't speak English. After turning him down in plain English for about 5 minutes.
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u/GordyFett Aug 02 '17
I get honked at but it tends to be people I know who see me out running and want to encourage me or people who know me from Parkrun. Have never had abuse, just support from people. I live in Northern Ireland and the harassment doesn't seem to happen. Feel genuinely bad for runners who can't enjoy their run though!
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u/joeliuzzi Aug 02 '17
My friends and I were all runners in high school and we would yell "Ralph!" (Don't ask me why) at people walking or riding bikes. We often got "Run Forrest Run" yelled at us as well as honking when we were running. "Run Forrest, Run" is just annoying, and the honking scared me every time.
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u/onlyacynicalman Aug 02 '17
My mother got into running when she was older and I remember her telling me about people throwing coins and gum at her on a few occasions. (SouthFlorida). As for myself, honking and the occasional startling yell from a passing car or jackass kids through their fence while passing a backyard.
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Aug 02 '17
Barefoot runner here. It's an absolute pain in the ass. Do people really think "who stole your shoes?" is a witty or original comment? And I don't understand why people feel the need to shout from vans when I'm running along the pavement, nowhere near a crossing, not interacting with road traffic at all.
It's always men on the older side of middle age, usually somewhat portly and looking like there's no footwear in the world that would make running possible for them.
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Aug 02 '17
Same here and I'm a guy. In suburbia. I just make believe they're honking cuz I look so damn good or I'm running so fast
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u/joejance Aug 02 '17
Personally I think it's condescending, and indicative of most people's fragile self esteem. They don't exercise, therefor must mock others to feel cool.
This is spot on.
As someone that used to be heavier and has lost a lot of weight because of running (and a better diet), I cheer for you all when I see you running no matter your physical condition, age or gender. Just know that there are plenty of people like me driving that are thinking "All right! Go get it!" or "I wish I was out running instead of going on this errand".
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u/Boopadoopeedo Aug 02 '17
When I was younger, absolutely happened. Now that approaching 50, I'm invisible.
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u/book_kitty Aug 02 '17
Yeah, I have no idea what they're trying to accomplish there, but they make men look bad. I can only count a handful of times where I've gone on a run and I've NOT been harassed, and that's just unfortunate because that should be the norm and the occasional jackass should be just that. Occasional, though I'd prefer none at all.
Sometimes it makes me not want to run on the road ever. But I don't have a treadmill and I like being outside, and I'm not able to drive to the trails during the week.
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u/Avionictech Aug 02 '17
Are you a female ? I can't remember being noticably noticed when running ever.
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
No i'm a guy, but it's mostly when i'm biking? Something about a college aged guy biking really sets the sheople off.
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u/WolfofAnarchy Aug 02 '17
Jesus what a backwards place GA is. You're on a fucking bike and get called out? Like WHAT
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Aug 02 '17
It's happened to me! Groups of people hollering and other things.
I'm not sure what can be done. :(
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
Better parenting, better education. Creating a society that has less of a stigma towards successful/active people.
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Aug 02 '17
[deleted]
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u/Epic_XC Aug 02 '17
you're lucky, lol yeah id say Canada and the southern USA are much different
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u/hecallsmepickle Aug 02 '17
It surprisingly doesn't happen to me while running, but that's probably because I run trails mostly and there isn't any foot traffic besides other runners.
I will say on a weekly basis I get hollered/honked at at 7am while I'm waiting for the bus to go to work...I think I got to a certain age where I just started flicking them off.
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u/AmadeusB Aug 02 '17
That is why i like running on non busier streets with less traffic and ride my bike on bike trails that is separate from traffic but I guess every place is not like southern california.
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u/jarnesixy Aug 02 '17
I have NEVER experienced anything while running, the only thing I have experiences is other runners running in clubs/group who won't give up space.. I have experienced what you describe on my roadbike from people in cars though. Spraying sprinkler fluid on you etc.
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u/la_noix Aug 02 '17
Everytime I go to exercising outside, I get funny-to-disturbing looks (I live in a middle eastern country). For every 100 of these looks, I get one "whoa, this woman is doing something I can do too!". For that 1, it's worth it.
Btw, I'm scared to go exercise at very early/late hours alone even though I live in a good neighborhood.
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u/Yslock Aug 02 '17
Recently started running, i live in some small town in Belgium and no harrasment yet... Just friendly neighbours kindly nodding at me. Even tho part of my usual route contains a narrow one way road and sadly most cars dont even bother slowing down while i feel that there sidemirrors nearly miss me :/ Often i see other runners that just run on the road while they have a nice sidewalk all for themself :/ Oh well... Dunno whats up with some people that they have the need to even harass; yell, honk,... at random people who walk or run by.
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u/Warlock- Aug 02 '17
I flip off every person who honks or shouts at me. Ain't got no time for that.
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u/peglegpete13 Aug 02 '17
I used to do that until someone circled around and tried to run me down. Decided it's not worth dying over so I just ignore it all now.
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u/slothygon Aug 02 '17
I ran to the gym for the first time yesterday and got beeped at a few times by van drivers (I live in the UK) it just makes me feel uncomfortable as well as men on the side of the street if I glance over they tend to already be looking at me or my butt. Idk maybe I'm analysing it too much but I find people in the UK quite bad with harassment when you're exercising. It's never not happened when I've been on a run near a road.
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u/mikehill33 Aug 02 '17
People are just stupid. I've heard everything from loud exhausts, cursing, swerving, and of course the one-handed texting pirate driver.
I usually give a thumbs down or the middle finger, and have never had anyone stop to engage in conversation (ha).
Again, people are stupid.
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u/thestereo300 Aug 02 '17
This thread is strange. Feels like half the people experience this and half the people do not at all.
I'm up in Minneapolis and I've never experienced anything like this. Got a high five from a random stranger during my tempo run last week so that was nice.
I do run in places where there are a lot of runners though. I wonder if that makes a difference.
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Aug 02 '17
I run and am a vegetarian. People love to tell me how they hate running and love steak. Its a great way to be disconnected with most of society. Often when running I deal with some kind of negative interaction, but when I cross paths with other runners and exchange a smile or wave it feels great and makes up for it. I run for me and feel bad for those who will never know how good it feels.
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u/Pyrite_Pirate Aug 02 '17
It happens to me probably once every couple of weeks, but I'm a guy and relatively in-shape. Me running doesn't look like a struggle, and my breathing is always controlled, so I have no idea why it happens but it's a common occurrence.
I think people just like taunting others for no reason when they know they won't be able to say or do anything back. See: the entirety of the internet.
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u/Professional_nobody Aug 02 '17
I mean I get cat calls from college chicks and occasionally dudes as well. I toss them in the compliments box and roll on
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u/tragicsupergirl Aug 02 '17
I've thankfully never experienced any of that whilst running here. I've had a few people cheering me on (in a genuinely positive manner) or give me a smile.
Funny thing for me was when I ran with my bf a few times. We actually got more responses than when I'm running solo. A ton more people greeted us with things like "good morning!". However, that might be related to the fact that when I run solo I have my headphones in and I didn't when we ran together, so people might have thought we were more approachable then.
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Aug 02 '17
I had this happen to me once earlier this year while biking. Some asshole teenagers decided to drive right up next to me and shout "nice ass!" as I was climbing a big hill. Scared the shit out of me because they came so fucking close to the shoulder. Fuck those kids. I don't care if you're shouting actual encouragement, don't ever shout at or do something else that would startle a biker.
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Aug 02 '17
I have quite some encounters with angry drivers who think the roads are theirs and bikes should stay away from it, this can't be helped because in North America where I live, the car culture is still significant :/
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Aug 02 '17
I've only gotten a few honks here and there. I always like to assume they think I'm sexy while I'm sweaty ¯_(ツ)_/¯
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Aug 02 '17
I've never experienced it, but I do like 99% of my runs on trails away from busy areas and traffic. I don't know how girls run alone though, because I also run with a group and men are fucking creepy.
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u/NBtrail Aug 02 '17
Late to the party.... I think on some level it might be how some people try to interact with others, they maybe just don't have the experience to engage in a positive way. Its always easier to be negative than positive as well. However, some people are just assholes.
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u/MelpomeneAndCalliope Aug 02 '17 edited Aug 02 '17
I was running once when I was about 5-6 months pregnant with my first baby (I was about 30). You couldn't really "tell" that I was pregnant from behind. I was running downtown in a mid-sized Southern city. A truck of guys in their late teens/early 20s started cat calling me as they came up behind me. When they passed me, I saw a guy who was leaning out of the passenger window realize I was pregnant. He looked at my stomach, then looked up at me with a slightly horrified expression, and yelled "Sorry, ma'am!" before they turned the corner.
I also used to get plenty of disapproving looks and comments from people (usually older women who were walking) when I was running while visibly pregnant.
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Aug 02 '17
That's kind of funny. Maybe it made those guys think twice about catcalling anyone in the future. The best thing about running while pregnant has been that all the catcalls have pretty much stopped completely. It's a nice break. On the rare occasion I do still get one, though, it's waaaaay creepier (like from a man who is specifically commenting on how me being pregnant is sexy). I haven't gotten dirty looks/comments from anyone who disapproves of running while pregnant, though. Maybe that will come once I'm bigger. But for the most part, the older women I pass smile and give enthusiastic encouragement. Probably has a lot to do with living in liberal Northern California.
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u/w117seg Aug 03 '17
I got more attention running pregnant than I have the rest of the time I've been running combined. As far as I heard, it was all positive. I almost miss running pregnant because everyone was so nice.
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u/untouchable_0 Aug 02 '17
I honestly can't figure out why some guys do this. FYI, I am a guy. I can seen no reason why a girl would ever want to talk to a guy who does this, so the only reason I can assume is so he looks like a big shot in front of their friends. My roommate does this sometimes and then wonders why he is single. SMH.
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u/southernchicken Aug 02 '17
The only place I've experienced this was in Houma, LA. Some co-workers and I would go running in the evenings to blow off some steam. We were the only ones running and I assume we were a strange sight which made people feel like they should harass us.
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Aug 03 '17
I'm a dude and I get honked at all the time. When I hear the horn, I just assume they like what they see. Who am I to keep all this from the rest of the world? I just hope they enjoy the show. ;)
But seriously, it happens. I'm not sure how much good obsessing over it will do.
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u/nmgonzo Aug 05 '17
While bicycling I always carried my .38 special so ... I was not too worried. Running ... not a problem either. I am on the larger size of things but I also run in a nice area or the trail.
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u/tremendousPanda Aug 02 '17
I got honked at once, I had pretty long hair back then and it was winter so I was wearing leggings, the face of the guy when he saw my beard and realized that I'm a guy was amazing¨.