I saw a recent blog post about runners' pet peeves. The ones mentioned mostly dealt with runners following too close to another runner, run/walkers who repeatedly pass the same person then walk and dogs not under control.
I can relate -- those are annoying! But walkers have other issues and here are a few of mine:
- Run/walkers who register for races as walkers. (I'm sorry, even if you run a little bit, you are a runner.)
- People who come to a water stop and literally stop. Seriously, water "stop" does not mean you have to stop. Move off to the side and keep moving!
- Runners who run into walkers who are off to the side of the road.
- Walkers who use the reasoning "I paid the same amount as a runner" as an excuse to be inconsiderate to other athletes. They usually start way up front with the elite runners then walk several across blocking faster athletes from passing.
- Walkers who sign up for a race knowing they cannot finish in the time allowed. (They give all of us a bad name.)
So, what are your walking pet peeves?
5 comments:
I have to agree with you...people who enter as a walker but run/walk when they think no one is looking. People sneaking Ipods when the rules say you cant have them. Paying the same entry fee as runners....but walkers not getting any prizes or recognition. Abuse from slow runners (they don't like being passed by a walker) but one of my biggest peeves.....in a track race....a walker that walks so close behind you that they constantly catch your heel with their toes and nearly pull your shoe off. There is nothing you can do to shake them off.
Its so refreshing to see that others also feel the same way.
All of the above including:
*Strollers and Dogs in races.
*Rude people.
*Headphones on ANYONE in races up so high that I can hear it.
*Dogs in races - I love my dog, I leave her home.
*Strollers in races ... or stopping to let the kids out to walk around because "who cares nobody is racing here in the back."
*Races/Race Directors who forget that the people toward the end are racing just as hard, if not harder, as the front runners.
*Not enough water/race support for the folks in the back.
*You already mentioned it but people who jog/walk and register as a walker because they're walking.
*People who obviously cannot read the brochure for the race OR think the rules don't apply to them (strollers, dogs, headphones).
I think that covers it ... I could be wrong!
Oh ... I don't mind passing joggers and having them play catch up saying "It's that d#$m walker!" ... because it gives me a target to pass!
Cheers - L.
Mainly the run walkers who pass you and their little alarm goes off and they slow to a crawl RIGHT IN FRONT of you... when they could have easily stayed out of your way...
At the Big Sur Marathon there was a huge group of people who did the run/walk thing, and it was like being attacked by locusts! We could hear them coming for a long way! Everyone around us tried to keep ahead of the group. Unfortunately, we were too slow to stay ahead of them. We ended up slowing down to let them get away from us. There was one woman from the group who couldn't keep up, and we did the back and forth passing for about 8 miles. VERY annoying!
At the New Albany Walking Classic last year, there were tons of walkers who had never entered a race before. Not only were 20-min per mile walkers at the front of the group, but when we got to the first water stop, everything came to a complete and total stop! We couldn't even get around them there were so many stopped in the middle of the street. It seemed like they all went to the first person handing out water and waited in line. Most people didn't notice there were about 15 other people further down the table handing out water.
It's one of the reasons I won't do that race again this year.
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