"Run Forrest Run!"

[TonyM]

...I assume that most of us have heard that before. A drunken hooligan delivered that one a couple of weeks ago when I was running downtown. I gave him the thumbs up as I appreciate him keeping the all-time best runner's heckle alive for yet another year.

...any interesting, amusing, funny things that people have said to you while running?...

[Mike M]

circa 1984 - Respected Colleague, Coach and me - gentleman smoking a cigarette & sitting in a doorway near a downtown Toledo street corner - early Sunday morning - "I hope you have a heart attack!"

We still laugh about it today.

[mlohman]

Actually, as I recall his language was a bit more colorful...but this is a family forum.

[muse07]

How about: When people yell, " You look good" at mile 24 of a marathon when you look and feel like @#$%!!!!!!!!!!!! or when some loser yells don't let that woman beat you (in a marathon) while he stands on the sidewalk ( fifty pounds overweight)!!!!

[Paige]

Last summer while the Olympics were being held, a man stopped his lawnmower as I ran by and shouted, "U - S - A! U - S - A!" I definitely picked up the pace.

The most bizarre thing I've ever heard was from an older man (total stranger, never seen him before) out taking a walk. As I passed him, he practically snarled at me -- "Someday you'll be old and ugly." Creepy!

[Tim D]

Running solo from downtown on a stretch of Dorr near Upton I passed some residents sitting in their lawn chairs right in front of a beauty salon. The gal saw me coming and nudged her friend who nudged her friend and so on. They all stared at my lilly white frame as I approched. The gal broke out a big grin and said "man you are one brave dude". I smiled back and said something like I was just a guy looking for a haircut. They laughed and I continued on my way feeling a bit more comfortable. There was spot near Hawley I got some grief just a few minutes prior so I was a bit on edge until her grin .

[adibob]

A group of us were running in Wildwood and our favorite elderly lady was feeling particularly surly that morning and yelled to us as we ran by, "You're all gonna die someday." Then I replied, "Not before you!"

Another time Darmo was running and her dog came after him and he told her that her dog should be on a leash. Then she quickly retorted, "You should be on a leash!"

I miss that crazy lady!

[S.DEN2]

As i was running in the park with my team a man approached us and asked if we had a lighter so he can smoke a cigarette. Im sorry sir but running and smoking dont really go hand in hand.

[muse07]

A group of us were running in Wildwood and our favorite elderly lady was feeling particularly surly that morning and yelled to us as we ran by, "You're all gonna die someday." Then I replied, "Not before you!"

Another time Darmo was running and her dog came after him and he told her that her dog should be on a leash. Then she quickly retorted, "You should be on a leash!"

I miss that crazy lady!

The lady also told someone she like to paint them nude!!!!!!!!! She did have that sweet 1970's North Carolina blue Mercedes!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[mlohman]

Another time we were downtown warming up for a race when we ran up on an older lady who out of the blue yelled after us the question, "French or Irish"? Someone in the group yelled back "French", to which she immediately responded "Thank you for the Statue of Liberty".

We often wondered what her response would have been if we had said "Irish". Perhaps...."Thank you for the Guinness"?

[jsquire]

My XC team and I run in the mornings at Ottawa Park, where the vast majority of other people exercising are black and over 50. Almost every day we get creative and humorous encouragement.

I was running one morning in Key West a few years back. At 8 AM, you've got the entire island basically to yourself, but going down one side street there were three guys standing on the sidewalk and BSing. They saw me coming, gave me some room, and as I went past one of them watched me and said quietly to his buddies "Oh, yeah."

My initial gut reaction was finally understanding how women often feel, but my second one was "well, I guess someone finds me attractive" and took it as a compliment.

I'm not sure if I've got the details exactly right about this one: Keith Madaras was running his first marathon at Twin Cities in cold half rain/half snow conditions. Late in the race the course went by the Governor's mansion, then occupied by one Jesse "The Body" Ventura. He was standing out on the lawn in shorts and a Hawaiian shirt with a lit cigar and yelled at Keith "Go get 'em buddy, you're the first white guy I've seen!"

[adibob]

Impossible. I was ahead of him and the gov gave me a rousing cheer.

But Tony Fraij was ahead of both of us.

[millertime]

someone asked if we had a cell phone once. (when cell phones were really big)

[AWxc09]

Been yelled at while running at Wildwood for "scaring away the deer" on the trails...

[jsquire]

Impossible. I was ahead of him and the gov gave me a rousing cheer.

But Tony Fraij was ahead of both of us.

Heard it third-hand. The guy who told it is better for entertainment than truth.