Members Of The Public Yelling At Runners!!!?

I expect this has been mentioned a few times on this site at one time or another but sometimes when I'm out running morons decide to shout things at me. I find it hilarious. Normally the type of people that shout at Runners are knuckle draggers anyway and not the quickest of thought as it is, so when you are approaching them at speed they have to quickly think of something to say and the result is usually either just swearing or just doesn't make any sense! Here are a few of my favourites - A man drove past my running partner and I in his car and roared out of the window in the most angst ridden voice I've possibly ever heard "You F***king C**s!!!" A bloke once shouted "I bet you £50 you CAN win the London Marathon!" Last night a Chav who I must have caught completely unprepared yelled out "Good Sport!".. what does that mean to anybody? I'm a good sport? Running is his sport of choice? (I doubt that based on his general appearance).. Anyone else get this?

only happened to me once, i was crossing a road in slow traffic and a guy in the car that had just crawled past me as i was waiting to cross the lane, rolled his window down and ROARED at me, very loudly, and laughed as it had the presumably desired effect and i 'jumped'. Wished i had something to hand to throw at the back of his car. . . .

Happens to me quite a lot. The village I live in is nice and quiet but our running club meets up and runs through a smallish town nearby, and it's a bit of a rough area. We often get shouted at by old guys standing outside pubs smoking. Usually nothing offensive and often compliments and encouragement. We also get shouted at by young chavs and they tend to be less friendly. A few times we've been targeted by boy racers in silly cars who have driven past us up to a dozen times, leaning out the window and shouting each time they go past. They're usually leering at the younger women wearing shorts. And on the bike paths we often have to run through gangs of lads hanging about drinking Mad Dog and Buckfast. With them I find if you smile and say hi as you go past they're usually friendly, but if you run past with your nose in the air they will often be offensive just for the sake of it. I've never felt threatened or in danger while out running, even on my own in the dark through gangs of half pissed chavs. I'm fairly sure I could outrun them no bother...

i personally find it ironic that 99% of those shouting are usually overweight and wearing sportswear. I've also been known to stop and tell them so.

Doesn't seem to happen where I live in Germany, not sure if that's a comment on society or just the fact that I run 90% of the time on forest trails accompanied by my black German Shepherd Nemo.

(Caveat - when I run that is! Am on enforced ban from running until Christmas due to surgery)

On a related topic, I was once running through my local park on which a game of cricket was taking place. A car sped up, braked heavily and someone shouted through the railings 'fuck off cricket!', then the car drove off. It was actually very funny at the time, though it's hard to say why.

That is pretty funny, like they are actually cursing an entire sport!! To make clear, nothing bad has ever happened to me when I'm out running and I've never felt worried even at night.

Demon Barber wrote (see)

 "You F***king C**s!!!"

Ha!  Apart from those exact words (in the singular) from a bloke on a passing BMX, I generally experience good meaning banter.  The funniest heckle recently was on a bike ride on holiday in Ibiza. I could hear some loud voices coming from an approaching vehicle which turned out to be some sort of beach buggy.  Assuming it would be your typical Brits-on-the-piss, it was actually a couple of Germans, with the driver - big meat-head bodybuilder type - leaning out as he passed, shouting out "WANKER! WANKER! WANKER!"  Bloody hilarious!

i've normally own received compliments but there has been a few comments "come on - keep running". The worst has been "start running you fat b*tch" to which I replied (without thinking) " I may be fat but you're ugly and I can diet"

Haha! I do get a few compliments as well but they are not nearly as funny as the negative stuff. I've had a few wolf whistles - I prefer it if it's from Women!! I usually don't say anything in response although I must have heard "run Forrest, run!!" about 10 times and I tend to reply with "wow, did you think of that all by yourself?"

Emmy, that's almost Churchillian!

i think if you live in a place where lots of people run, then the bystanders are used to it and don't really register. (e.g. I live in London where runners are ten a penny, so comments from others are rare). But I grew up "ooop north" and when I'm visiting friends/family and go out for a run I get lots more attention (good and bad) as it's just less common in my home town to see people out jogging. It's certainly becoming more popular, and I see more runners (and cyclists) that I remember seeing as a child, which I guess is a positive thing (assuming it's not just my own observational bias because I am now a runner myself) but still less common that where I now live.

I seem to be lucky, but do tend to be out at 5:45 am so very few chavs about so I normally just get acknowledgements. To be honest thougfh I run at that time because an evening run would probably result in me being stabbed by the local chavs who aren't up at 5:45!!!

the comment i get most of all is from the elderely .... they always ask me to do a mile or two for them............or state that they wish they could join me...............

a few daft comments.but in the general far more nice friendly ones than heckling ones

No Toes had the best reply to these idiots a few years back :

http://www.runnersworld.co.uk/forum/general-running/pet-pig/60732.html

"At last after years of being verbally abused by “chavs”et. al on street corners, I finally came up with some sort of revenge!

On Friday evening I was a few miles into a decent run that was going well and I was really enjoying it. I was running through Bourne End when on the opposite side of the road this pikey (who was sat on a wall with his girlfriend) launched into the usual “you f*****g w****r, you f*****g queer, you f*****g loser”, his girlfriend clearly giggling with glee.

I shouted back, “I may be a f*****g w****r, a f*****g queer, and a f*****g loser, but I can run faster than you and your pet pig”

At which point the girlfriend stopped giggling and said pikey threw down his cigarette and beer can and proceeded to run after me. I let him follow me for several hundred yards (needless to say with a healthy gap between me and him) and when he stopped looking slightly purple around the gills, so did I. I turned round and said “I may be a f*****g w****r, a f*****g queer and a f*****g loser but I can run faster and further than you. Now get back to your pet pig before she gets lonely”


My wife thinks that I should find another route tonight!"

That's funny. A few years ago I ran past an idiot who started shouting and hollering, I would never lay a hand on anyone but I'm a big old boy and this little Chav was about 8st dripping wet. He was shouting "Oi OI OI!!!" louder and louder, he blatantly wanted some trouble and I just got annoyed with it, slammed on the breaks and started to walk back towards him. When he saw the size difference he changed his ideas - I said "What do you want?" he just went "erm, where's Tesco?"

Nice one UC! didn't think Bourne End contained such people! Used to live in Wooburn which never gave me any problems (apart from running up Whitepit lane!)

My wife gets car drivers beeping at her (I started a thread on this nobody seemed to get too much hassle) but I run with music so generally don't hear any of it..

It happened to me twice today, the only reason i knew this was, my headphones dont completely fit, so i heard someone in a car shout out both times. The second time was a group of girls. I can't say i was bothered. I couldn't hear what they said. Unless you are a runner, it truly is difficult to understand why we do what we do. Maybe they were jealous.