Why are so many runner and joggers so smug and douchey?

How do joggers affect your safety?

OP types fat

OP, to hell with them. I just want the Red Sox to win tonight.

I used to jog in 30 F weather...in just sweatshirt and sweatpants

OP, I’m a longtime runner and your criticism is definitely valid. I’d like to think I’m on the nicer end of the douchey runner spectrum, but there is definitely a toxic element within the hobby (note: running is not a job or a lifestyle unless you’re a Kenyan or an Olympian). I do get a smug sense of superiority from being in better shape than most people…and I’m similar to a lot of other runners in that I assume I’m agile enough to avoid getting hit by cars, so I tend to take whatever risks are necessary to maintain my pace. I’m also similar to a lot of runners on that I can be fat phobic and unsympathetic toward those I view as lazy in terms of fitness.

One of my best friends is a textbook runner who occasionally invites me to join him on runs with douchebros from a running group he belongs to. One thing I’ve noticed is that he and the guys in his running group aren’t what you call well-rounded. My friend is in a bad marriage and his job situation has been precarious the 2 decades I’ve known him. But he’s a great runner, and running is the one area or his life where he doesn’t have try too hard in order to excel. I’m an okay runner and don’t have the commitment needed to get much better…therefore, I do things like read books and stay on top of the news. I can’t join in on the conversations about which marathons I’m doing this month or my VO2 max, but at least I can discuss current events.

The bikers are the worst. The ones on the ten speeds. With the Lycra shorts and perpetual scowl. They want you to put your tire 1|32 of an inch into the bike lane so they can pound on their handlebars and scream at you.

Why do they have to run 1 inch past you when there is a entire sidewalk? It is very disconcerting. Joggers and cyclists are the smuggiest and douchiest people on earth!

R5, I wish you lived near me. I’d totally be your running buddy. Or, maybe your bicycling-behind-you buddy. ;-)

R7, often it’s a matter of principle. The sidewalk is supposed to be shared, but often walkers…especially when there are 2 or more…think they can show a complete lack of regard for anyone who might want to pass. As a result, I often find myself playing a game of chicken with other people on the sidewalk. Sometimes I’ll buzz past them, but often if there’s not traffic I’ll hop off the curb. It just depends on my mood.

Runners age terribly.

No it isn't often a matter of principle, R9. It happens to me several times a week when it is just me and the jogger on a 6 feet wide sidewalk and I am on the right. Joggers are arrogant douche bags.

I've never met a runner who didn't have some huge self-esteem issue. I've had 2 major relationships with runners and had some lovely, but fucked up friends who ran. They don't feel good enough, they feel less then and that's their motivation for running... and judging. Judging makes them feel better. I guess maybe they really are running from something.

They DO get too close when passing on the sidewalk. Fuck them. It’s creepy and brands them as needy frustrated twats.

Runners don’t seem to get that they are moving at a much faster pace than walkers and have different goals in using the sidewalk (speed and efficiency). If you’re walking down the sidewalk, you aren’t necessarily trying to get somewhere quickly, you might be old or in bad shape or just thinking about the errands you’re about to do. Runners coming up on walkers (especially from behind) is often startling and the walker doesn’t always have time to notice and move away. A sidewalk is not a track, and while runners certainly have the same right to the sidewalk as walkers, they don’t have a right to a sidewalk free of other people so they can maintain a certain pace.

Idk who is more detestable: cyclists or joggers.

Swimmers > runners

So are cyclists, spinners, gym fiends

This could all be solved if so much of public space wasn’t given over to cars. It’s crazy how much space is allowed to (mostly private) vehicular traffic, not to mention the noise and air pollution.

R18, I am often in a park that allows no cars, the roads are used by joggers, cyclists and walkers. The cyclists who think they are in the Tour de France really make it a dangerous and unpleasant experience. They think the road is theirs. They go at top speeds and ignore traffic lights. People have been injured by them.

What is the rule if you are waking? Do you stay to the left or right?

I agree with OP. All the heavy runners I know are shallow and self-absorbed, which they pass on to their kids. They think that running is some sort of gift, and all the rest of us are less than...well, them. The worst is when a president or CEO of a company is into this shit, and it becomes the culture. If you're not a runner, you're not "in." I've seen it happen a lot. Ridiculous.

Most can’t stop running, because that’s what defines them. While they appear smug, they’re really just addicted. If they don’t run, then they are nobody. My boss runs daily. He ended up with bi-lateral stress fractures in his feet. After they healed, he still runs 7 miles a day. He’s 47 and said will likely need knee replacements by 50.

R9 in my area the walkers are fine. It is the cyclists who whiz by on the sidewalk or paved path and sometimes don't announce their approach. One wrong move and either the dog or I could be terminally injured.

I should start jogging, I'm not fat, but have a small belly. I don't think there is other way to rid of it.

Liz Lemon made fun of joggers on 30 Rock. "Duh, I'm gonna run around in a circle so I can live longer!"

R23 that’s a bit dramatic.

R19 cyclists are still much safer than cars for pedestrians.

I'd take joggers over cyclists any day. Cyclists are definitely a hazard.

They are all endorphin addicts and they act like typical addicts.

It’s fun to extend your fist was watch them run into it and knock themselves out.

OP jerks to bear porn.

"They don’t give two fucks about your safety. "

I'd agree that some are smug and douchey, but how are runners and joggers infringing your safety?

[quote] The bikers are the worst. The ones on the ten speeds.

I have no real issues with runners or cyclists. It's the recent proliferation of electric bike riders who irk me. Within the last 18 months there's now a crush of them on the recreational trails I use. Many with the extra fat tires, going 5 to 10 mph faster than anyone else, usually ridden by novice or newbie riders. It's not going to work out well.

Oh OP our bodies were made for movement and have not changed much over the span of thousands of years, all though our society has. I don’t run to feel superior to you, or to show off, or to look better, or to be healthier. I run because it feels good. Running in the woods for hours is one of my favorite things to do.

I could show you research about how running has wonderful effects on your brain, how it is better than medication to combat (low-grade) depression, how it improves focus and concentration- but those things are not the reason I run. Breath and movements in harmony, feeling my body is strong and can keep going, thoughts flowing freely, that gives me pleasure.

All these running-gadgets are not for me, they would be disturbing and ruin my joy. I see guys having much fun with these toys though, good for them. I don’t understand the things they talk about and leave them to it.

Some people are just smug and like to show off, regardless of wether they are runners or not.

I notice men who jog like to come from behind and very close to women KNOWING they are scaring them as they pass an inch from their bodies. They enjoy seeing the women get that shock of fright. I notice most joggers give men lots more room when they pass them. Who doesn’t like to give women rapey jolts! AMIRIGHT.

It’s the cyclists who are a menace . Some of them are really nasty and dangerous. Remember that cyclist that killed a woman in Central Park a few years back. He screamed at her to get out of his way and killed her . They say he was devastated and I believe he didn’t go to jail. Totally agree with what r34. I have a mother and sisters and it’s nasty out there if you are a female.

Completely agree with the people asking why runners have to pass within an inch of you when there is an entire trail or sidewalk and I am on the far side of it. In the warmer months there is also the breathing on your shoulder or arm as they pass. Gross.

At the beginning of the pandemic there was a woman jogger in the building across the street who would veer close to people in the crosswalk and huff in their faces. Totally sociopathic, but then I live in the City of Sociopaths.

R31, runners and joggers interfere with everyone’s safety when they don’t follow the rules of the road. A driver must swerve to avoid them causing peril to the driver and any person, thing, or animal that is in the now out-of-control path of the motor vehicle.

I’ve been a cyclist who bicycled to work when I had a job within 4 miles of my home, but I agree many cyclists are aggressive, arrogant douchebags.

My foot has been run over twice in a crosswalk by cyclists (both women.)

I was never athletic, but I ran cross country in high school and the first two years of college (Division III). I was awful but it was nice to be on a team and I finished every race.

One experience I had during a college meet encapsulates douchey runners for me. I, naturally, had fallen behind the pack during the race. I was running past the parking lot and passed one of the coaches from another school. He was OP's stereotypical "runner" and dressed for the part.

As I passed him, he looked at me (I was a few pounds overweight -- MAYBE ten -- but not a fat whore yet) and very dramatically shook his head. The look of contempt on his face was palpable. Was my form off? Was he judging my weight? My speed? Who knows. But I'll never forget his expression of smug superiority.

I was clearly struggling and not as fast as the other runners, but for fuck's sake, I was doing the best I could.

That single experience really turned me off to the world of running.

I work with a "runner" who is constanty dressed in runner gear and has all the 5k 10K medals hanging on her cube. I got a new pair of Nikes one day and she looked at them and told me "You really should not buy running shoes if you are not a runner they are designed for runners." I told her I run on the treadmill with them and she laughed. "That is not running." ...now I call her runner police.

Do you live in DC, r36?

What's the difference between running and jogging?

R41, DC-adjacent. I can bike or walk to DC.

And don’t forget the spitting - at the height of the pandemic! Maybe if you live in a sparsely traveled rural area that’s ok but not where everyone is going to step in it and track it around.

It's a sideWALK, people.

It's weird you mention this, I never thought about it, but I've benn acquainted with three runners. one a friend from college and two the husbands of women I know. All three are known as "nice guys" and are not really assholes, but they all have a REALLY sarcastic attitude that drives me crazy. You can just be having a conversation, alone with them or in a group, and they invariably come out with some sarcastic put down that reminds me of junior high school. They usually get their laugh - at others' expense. They're like the type of person you later think "I really have to talk to this guy about this" but you never do because you don't want to start a fight.

I don't run, cycle, or drive but I find it bizarre that so many people complain about runners and cyclists when cars kill and way more than any cyclist does, and cars emit so much disgusting pollution too. From a personal safety point of view I'd much rather take my chances with a bike than a car and I massively appreciate that commuters who cycle or run aren't emitting disgusting fumes for me to breathe in.

[quote]I don't run, cycle, or drive but I find it bizarre that so many people complain about runners and cyclists when cars kill and way more than any cyclist does, and cars emit so much disgusting pollution too. From a personal safety point of view I'd much rather take my chances with a bike than a car and I massively appreciate that commuters who cycle or run aren't emitting disgusting fumes for me to breathe in.

So you want 70 year olds to start riding bikes and jogging to their medical appointments?

I'm driving to visit my aunt today, and take her out to lunch. She lives 40 miles away and you can't get there by bus or train. Maybe I should bicycle, and then we can get to the restaurant by rickshaw.

Dickheads R48 / R49 his point clearly is that the fewer people in cars and the more people on bikes the better. Not that it’s one or the other. Are you unable to see things in a realistic way without jumping to extreme conclusions?

FWIW r48 my dad is 67 and cycles to and from places regularly. Wtf is wrong with the 70 year-olds where you’re from?

r49 you gave me the first real laugh of the day

Thank you OP, I too can’t stand joggers. So self righteous and smug

They are like crossfit people. "Do you even crossfit bro?"

Cyclists are the worst.

Even worse when they’re also vegan.

There is a guy I see jogging all the time in my neighborhood. He looks to be in his 50s and is always shirtless with short shorts on. The weird thing is, he only wears socks. No shoes. I wonder is he's autistic or challenged in some way. That has to be hard on the joints and shins, not to mention dangerous!

It's a thing, r56

I did not know that R57. Running barefoot on the beach I can understand, but on sidewalks and asphalt? That just seems nutty.

I was rambling along on the sidewalk reading this thread and almost got barreled over by a man running with a stroller, screaming “BEHIND YOU.”

I also find many runners are also OCDers. They HAVE TO run in certain areas everyday ONLY. Some even run in the same places multiple times a day. Bizarre.

Runners with children are the worst r59.

They can never move over and go around someone slower, the walkers have to move out of their way, because they are ~*runners*~

[quote]Dickheads [R48] / [R49] his point clearly is that the fewer people in cars and the more people on bikes the better. Not that it’s one or the other. Are you unable to see things in a realistic way without jumping to extreme conclusions? FWIW [R48] my dad is 67 and cycles to and from places regularly. Wtf is wrong with the 70 year-olds where you’re from?

The smug/douchey gene must have skipped a generation in your case.

R59 ya I mean think of it from the other persons perspective. You’re standing there walking 1mph paying no attention to your surroundings with your head in your phone. They’d prob be frustrated with you too.

It’s about sharing the space, you have to pay attention to your surroundings too.

I never move for people who at like assholes like "behind you" wtf? The same goes for dog owners who expect you to step aside for their dog. Fuck that!

r64, that when the runner needs to slow down and walk passed someone who is walking. He has a stroller FFS! Slowing down as he passes IS the right thing to do. Better yet, he needs to find a places to jog properly.

There's a difference between barefoot running and running in your socks (without shoes).

Can someone tell me the difference between runners and joggers?

I see cyclists running red lights and stop signs all the time. Aren't they supposed to follow the rules of the road? I think that a shot of pepper spray on a couple of those guys that invade a female's space while she is jogging would solve the problem quite efficiently.

same basically r68.

R69 They also drive through crosswalk, like they are pedestrians. Expecting the cars to stop and let them pass. I don't know about US but in my country, the crosswalks are only for pedestrians. If a person on s bike wants to cross the road, they need to get off and walk beside the bike

R48 Yes and in heavy traffic.

Cyclists in Washington DC are smug, morally superior assholes - especially the ones endangering their toddlers in the trailers.

I used to run when I lived where there were trails, I won't do it on city streets. Gym treadmills and ergs and a choice between machines and free weights is more my speed now. I suppose I'm more vain than in it for the sport.

R40, simply put, your co-worker is a bitch.

FWIW, this thread has forced me to think long and hard about my own behavior as a runner. We really can be bad about gatekeeping and having little to no regard for other pedestrians. I do have to challenge the spitting thing--I regularly spit in bushes when I don't see others around--but there's no justification for spitting on sidewalks or private driveways.

One thing I've noticed about a lot of runners, to include myself, is that our smugness comes from the fact a lot of people either can't run or don't like to.

R74 I wouldn’t worry about the spitting.

I still can’t understand why everyone focuses so much on cyclists or runners when we all know that car drivers consistently put people at risk of death. And cause death quite often. I see drivers making left turns at every single light after its already gone read, meaning that they cross the crosswalk when it’s already supposed to be used for pedestrian traffic. They park across sidewalks making people walk on the street, park at corners meaning people can’t even cross sometimes, speed around schools and public buildings, change lanes against cyclists without signaling, turn right at stop signs without checking for cyclists coming along the inside (again not signalling) and I see all of these behaviours most days. FWIW I drive and hate both cycling and running but I can see the wood for the trees.

R74 I don’t get the last part. I’m a big swimmer and it makes me feel bad for people who can’t swim, or can’t do the strokes well enough to swim laps. It wasn’t in my control—my parents taught me as a little kid and it works well for my body. It’s nothing really that makes me feel smug, just lucky.

You're a cyclist r75. You want YOUR WAY all the time as all cyclists do. Whenever anyone speaks to a cyclists it is ALWAYS about them and their needs and wants no matter what subject you are talking about. Everything is directed back to them and cycling. It's fucking insane!

My husband’s sister likes to justify her vile diet of garbage with “I ran five miles this morning”.

But you will spit on peoples plants r74? Really?

That is ZERO medical facts on why people need to spit. Excuses are always given but fact is there's no reason to behave that way.

I’ve never spit outside, but it seems like a plant would be a nice place to spit, as long as you’re not doing it in anyone’s view.

A shit ton of runners have eating disorders, r78

R80 Medical, shmedical. I don't run any more, but when I did, I always had to spit. Obvisouly you get a lot of slaiva or post nasal drip in your gullet and you have to get rid of it. If people didn't have to do it, they wouldn't be doing it.

*saliva

If nothing else, living in China taught me that spitting is one of the grossest human behaviors.

Then you had other issues going on that you didn't take care of but again there's not medical reason to spit. I'm just saying this because people who do spit always have a bullshit reason why they do it.

R77 can’t you read? I said I don’t cycle. It wouldn’t make sense for me to cycle in the city I live in currently - its not well designed for it. But I’ve lived in cities before where cycling was more prevalent and I can see the societal benefits to cycling. Better organized public space, less noise, cleaner air, fewer accidents.

Nobody is EVER looking at runners wistfully wishing they could jog. Stop with that fantasy.

Sure hon/r87.

[quote]Then you had other issues going on that you didn't take care of but again there's not medical reason to spit. I'm just saying this because people who do spit always have a bullshit reason why they do it.

Why do they need a reason? You're aware there used to be spittoons in barroms, right? People must have needed to spit. Who the fuck knows why. People are always hacking up something. Do you live on the planet earth?

[Quote] You're aware there used to be spittoons in barroms, right?

Are you kidding with this bullshit reason? Look up why those were around that then? Not for medical reason but for bad habits.

R90, that's because they were chewing tobacco.

Spittoons are for people who dip tobacco.

I used to jog daily (and to me the difference is, speed - I could jog from anywhere to 5-13 miles but I wasn't that fast) and had to quit around mid 30s due to knee problems. I loved it and miss the endorphin rush, you don't get the same from an elliptical or walking. Runners and joggers aren't smug or douchey unless that is their trait in life. I just wanted to be left alone and given my space and did the same for others.

Those who speed zoom up on you as other joggers/runners are dicks. Cyclists who have a clear bike path and use the running track are dicks. If it's a public sidewalk runners/joggers need to heed the safety of pedestrians. It's that simple. I use to use all of these- specified running paths, combined bike/running/walking, and sidewalks. Know your course and plan accordingly.

True story of a co-worker, an older woman. She'd been married to a mover and shaker in New Orleans and he got her into marathon running, mainly because he wanted her bone thin. Total control issue and she also developed an eating disorder. She collapsed running one day, massive heart attack. She just had a bad heart and required a transplant. While in the hospital, hubs left her calling her weak and defective. He also said this to their son when he broke his leg. This guy always captured the epic douchiness of runners to me.

R95, He sounds like an epic douche, but doubt running is to blame.

R92 It was a joke. Because you're being a twat about it.

"Many runners develop excessive saliva or mucus while jogging. This causes them to spit much more during their training than they normally would. A jogger might feel like spitting more during a workout for any of several reasons. Because a body in motion is under a variety of stresses, more saliva or mucus will be produced and, therefore, will need to be expectorated."

"When running outside in cooler temperatures, your nose must warm and humidify the air you breathe before it reaches your lungs. This action produces mucus in your nose and throat, and the mucus acts as a humidifier to condition the air before it reaches your lungs. The buildup of saliva and mucus will cause you to spit more often."

Okay?

You're projecting cunt @ r97. Thanks for the bullshit opinion piece. What a pretentious douche cunt you are.

I hate running (and runners) so it gives me great satisfaction when they hit the wall at age 40 and look ragged, sinewy and gristly. Almost all of them need knee replacements young. I would argue my lifestyle of being skinny fat, eating moderately and going out for strolls now and then produces a better outcome.

Girls!!

[Quote] It was a joke.

No it wasn't, r92/r90. You're just dumb and low informed. You probably voted for Trump twice, cunt.

They piss me off so much I'm about to go Deathrace 2000 on their ass

R1 They run on crowded sidewalks in NY and never think of stopping so best to get out of the way or risk get knocked over and when they are running behind you unless you have eyes in the back of your head. . . maybe they should run in the park.

Peloton pod-people are also massive cunts.

R101, those are not the same commenters, following the fucking thread you twat. If you're the idiot who wrote "You're aware there used to be spittoons in barroms, right? People must have needed to spit." (R90) then you - or someone - typed something absolutely stupid and hence received several answers in reply: namely R91, R92, and R93.

Go abort yourself.

The hangry runner energy has infected this post !

r105, it was for r97/r90, calm down micro meat Mavis!

Correct me if I'm wrong but I believe humans are designed to WALK several miles a day not jog and cycle. This is in reference to the poster several posts back ^^

Darfur orphan

Such free-floating spite and anger are not good for your health. You don't have to run or judge the runner. Just be kind whenever you can.

Ugh. Peloton has been the "thing" during the pandemic with the grand poohbahs of my company. They always have to slip it into some infernal zoom call - as if the rest of us worker bees didn't need even more demonstration of their abundance of disposable income. These brain trusts also like to crow about their offsite meetings at the Ritz Carlton when they docked our salary in 2020 due to COVID. I'd take any outside asshole runner, cyclist - what have you - over one of these indoor Peloton freaks.

Peloton removes all the variety of the gym. Blah.

108 I doubt walking sealed the deal for our ancestors out hunting. Better run if you want to catch that meat.

My Boomer mother has taken up running in the last several months, and while I support her enthusiasm for fitness and keeping in shape and mobile, tbh she has become rather boring about it all.

Every morning when we have a phone call or text exchange and every time we grab lunch or she comes over for dinner there has to be a long spiel about her times and miles. The detail can be repetitive and excruciating to say the least. Sometimes she chats for a full half hour at a time about it. Maybe you have to be into running to find it meaningful? I am a walker and a dancer by philosophy and by nature, and I’m sticking to it it, sorry.

And like, I try to be supportive and nice about my mom’s passion, and I get she’s proud and excited to be into something vigorous, but after over half a year of her monopolising convos with it I’m really getting tired of it and have grown uninterested. She doesn’t ever ask about my interests or accomplishments (including exercise—I got into home bellydance classes over lockdown), and if on rare occasion I bring them up myself, I get an “oh that’s good darling” in reply and then steered back to talking runs (or her other interests, which are only ever old tv soaps I don’t watch, baking for her shitty neighbors/colleagues, and her tedious bookkeeping job that she’s had my whole life).

Tactful avoidance or deflections haven’t worked to stop this. Is there anything I can say to just curb her enthusiasm in conversation? I love my mom and she’s done a lot for me, so don’t want to dent her confidence, but I really can’t listen to it anymore. I’ve recently got to the point where I’m deleting her texts and cancelling lunch/coffee meets.

^^^^ I bet she's thrilled you call her your "boomer mother."

[113] what did you two talk about before she started running?

That's called sprinting R112

Spitting is stupid. You swallow saliva all day, so do it when you run. There’s nothing beneficial to expelling excess spit or phlegm, just a gross habit some people get into.

R112 No, better keep still and stalk that meat. Then you can shoot an arrow at it and lesiurely saunter to its carcass. Same with fishing, the more still, the better.

r39 You sound like an early snowflake prototype. One look from a stranger ruined running for you? Get a grip.

(116) you had me wondering, always imagined these hunters chasing on for hours. Found this in Discover magazine:

“Chasing Prey

Paleofantasy: Our ancestors’ lives revolved around sprinting barefoot after prey.

Modern mimic: On his blog, Evolutionary Fitness, Paleo lifestyle coach Arthur De Vany emphasizes exercises that he feels emulate “the activities that were essential to the emergence and evolution of the human species.” He goes on to explain: “High intensity, intermittent and brief training mixed with power walking and play is closer than aerobic exercise, high-volume weight training, or sedentism to how our ancestors lived.”

Science weighs in: De Vany and other Paleos are in direct opposition to a growing number of scientists and athletes who believe that running long distances can be healthy, and that humans may have evolved doing just that.

We are surprisingly good distance runners, with numerous skeletal features that allow us to accommodate a marathon-like pace. Some scientists suggest that our skills evolved in the context of persistence hunting — or running down prey by keeping it moving until it dropped from heat exhaustion. “

r120 pro tip: you can quote other posters by putting a R in from of their post number R 120 (but no space)

[Quote] Spitting is stupid. You swallow saliva all day, so do it when you run. There’s nothing beneficial to expelling excess spit or phlegm, just a gross habit some people get into.

Trashy low IQ trump ass licking dumpster people do it because they believe it's best for the body to expel saliva. If spitting was a necessity then why are gyms not flooded with loogies? These are the same dumpster trash people who believe throwing snot rockets is the healthy thing to do too.

Some runners are smug douchey assholes. Some cyclists are smug douchey assholes. Some car drivers are smug douchey assholes.

Its a people thing - some are smug douchey assholes, whatever the hell they happen to be doing at any particular point in time.

R121 thank you, Hopi it works

Cyclists too. Garbage.

Cyclists are worse. Road hazards and they ride around like there's something up their asses

[quote]Why are so many runner and joggers so smug and douchey?

Lack of testosterone.

R126 look at numbers of people killed by cars v killed by bikes then tell me who the road hazard is.

I saw a middle-aged guy running with no shirt. Blech! Too thin, sunken, saggy tits bouncing. Like I said above, it's horrible on your body and ages one terribly.

When I used to bicycle from Magnolia to Seward Park, Lake Washington Blvd. was open to cyclists on some w/ends. But due to the layout of houses, it was impossible for a car to take any other route until they reached another street. I always kept to the right. There were always these cunts on their ten speeds riding three abreast in the middle of the road when there was a car behind them. The cyclists didn't move. The pig fuckers. Those cunts are the ones who gave cyclists a bad name. It made me angry. Can you tell?

R130 yeah I find that annoying as a cyclist too. Even worse is cyclists that use the road when there is a perfectly good cycle path right next to the road. WTF?

At least with runners that use walking paths they are at least in the right place

Can we talk about the fact that swimmers and rowers have better bodies than either one and are not douchey? Nor do they take up the sidewalks and bike paths?

R132 sorry are you whinging about cyclists using the bike paths?

8 out of 10 runners look like crap and 9 out of 10 cyclist look like fools

Why are so men so smug and douchey?

My uncle who was a marathoner started having severe joint problems in his 60s/70s and is now in a wheelchair.

R133, No. In my city drivers complain about the existence of bike paths because they supposedly take up parking places and I'm tired of everyone sounding douchey on both sides. I'm shallow and I want to look at hot bodies, want to join me?

I'd rather find a parking space.

Swimmers contain their annoying behavior to the lane and are only violent to each other. (Tap my feet to pass me and then you stop cold two seconds later at the end of your lap?! Why?!)

I used to think this about Jim Fixx. Then he died. At 52.

R128 there are a couple of things wrong with that argument. #1 is that there are far more cars on the road than cyclists so the "numbers" are going to be higher. A more accurate question would be what are the rates of death for cars vs bikes. #2 is that unlike cars and their drivers, cyclists are not required to have license plates displayed on their bikes nor any kind of license to ride a bike on the streets so cyclists are pretty impossible to trace if they are in fact causing accidents. All of the benefits of using the road with none of the responsibilities. #3 streets/roads are designed for cars, not grown adults on toys, so cyclists riding in the streets will always be a nuisance to those using the streets/roads for it's intended purpose-driving a car.

Jogging is like other white upper middle class sports, lacrosse, field hockey, rock climbing, water polo, and horse riding. They usually make it apart their identity as well. These sports and activities help bourgeoise whites decorate their empty life. And it's also another way to signal wealth or status to peers without seeming shallow ie. wearing expensive fashion brands. Instead they buy fancy expensive name brand gear at REI or Dick's

Athletes of all sports and all socio-economic levels make it part of their identity. You've heard of Air Jordans, right? You know that not just Michael Jordan wore/wears them, right?

Honestly, if you are going to spit, carry a rag with you and spit into it. Oh wait, that’s gross to carry that thing around with you for the duration of run? Think how people feel when they step in your globs on the sidewalk or trail.

R141 first of all roads are not designed for cars they are designed for any vehicle use (bikes included).

Secondly, glad you asked re some numbers. See link attached. You can read through yourself but you’ll notice pedestrians killed by cars are zero, and proportionally much less than cars or other motor vehicles, you can check the other year reports it pretty much stays the same. Bikes are safer than cars per journey per accident per any other standard you want to apply. Cars are road hazards, bikes not so much sorry.

Who are so many of you responding so smug and douchey?

[Quote] responding so smug and douchey

They are joggers and cyclists in this thread being hyper defensive with their insecure selves.

[quote] Can we talk about the fact that swimmers and rowers have better bodies than either one and are not douchey?

Don’t forget football/soccer players😍🤤

[quote] first of all roads are not designed for cars they are designed for any vehicle use (bikes included).

Hellooooo. What universe are you living in? Roads are designed and built for cars and other motor vehicles first and foremost. They are not designed and built for bicycles.

r149, I think the person your talking to is speaking about roads were first build for wagon trains and everything else including bikes which weren't even around then. You are speaking of now which I agree with you.

R150 I was speaking historically but also contemporaneously. Roads are not designed solely for car use. They’re designed for vehicles that use rubber tyres, that is the purpose of the surface. Bikes / motorbikes etc are all supposed to be using that space. Hasn’t anyone seen specific bike markings at intersections (at the front) or bike filters on traffic lights? Obviously certain types of roads (motorways / freeways etc.) are for an engine of a certain size (that’s why that is displayed on the signage) but city roads are designed for all vehicle use.

*contemporarily

I ride on a recreational bike trail near my house. It's 3.5 miles one way. I cannot tell you how many douchey runners and bicyclists I have to deal with daily. The ones in the marathon clothing are the worst. Biker shorts, some sort of jersey on top. They FLY down this bike trail where families walk with their kids and their dogs, and kids are learning how to ride bikes. I go at a slower pace than the douche bros and I have actually yelled at the Lance Armstrong wannabe's who get right on my ass and then fly past me as if I'm in their way to the finish line. It's a fucking RECREATIONAL trail, not the final lap in your fake race. I hate those guys.

But yes, the joggers are also just as douchey. It's always a large group of men and women , huffing and puffing their way down the trail and they expect other people to pass them instead of moving out of the fucking way. The fucking hairy, disgusting shirtless men with the full long, zz top beards that run past me give me the creeps. If women can't go topless in public, men shouldn't either. It's so gross. And yes, I'm a woman. I always look at the joggers and think, "Well someday your knees and or feet are going to be fucked up from your stupidity of running on pavement." It never looks like fun. They look tortured, most of them.

Agree with R142, and being from Europe I'd add skiing to that list. I work at a University and a lot of professors run and like to break into conversation to compare times and terrains. It's another small way to make the club more exclusive. The running/cycling fashion is a thing too- like a silicon valley bro uniform or something. I've known some professors to even document their running on blogs or in "casual" reports that look like a academic papers. Now I always feel pity for people who do these kinds of things. It seems like a way to fill a big hole in their lives.

A neighbor was removing mountains of trash this evening on a street that narrows where she was working. Rather than interrupt her work, I stepped in the street to walk around her. A jogger running in my direction decided to also run in the street at that precise moment and would have body checked me if I didn't stop short and throw my hands out. Y'all scum. Cyclists too. Scum.

Bikers are the douchiest. The road is for cars, bitch!

R60, have you ever heard of the runner's high? Running creates endorphins, like medication. People who are regular runners go through withdrawal if they have to stop for some reason.

I went to one of those obstacle course workshops to train you to do Tuff Mudder and those types of races. 2/3 attending were people who do these races all the time. So after the training sessions, everyone ran the course and of course it was 80% showboaters and the 20% that were there to learn and get better. We all got ditched. If I’d known it was going to be an athlete circle jerk I would have stayed home.

I think of this thread all the time - because every day there’s another jogger acting like a douche on the sidewalk.

R128 but there are far more cars on any given road so that argument on the surface is meaningless

Cyclists in NYC are not prone to obeying traffic signals, using bike lanes or common sense. Last night on 6th Ave aka Ave of the Amrericas I saw a cyclist in the left lane without a light on his bike, going south on a northbound street and looking down at his phone. WTF!

I once saw a cyclist riding in a busy city street with a toddler sitting on his shoulders and neither one had a helmet. One of my biggest WTF moments.

r157, that has nothing to do with what I said. Good job. Sheeeesh!

(90) and others. Back in the day, spittoons were used by tobacco chewers to ecxpel the tobacco juice - saliva and chewing tobacco. Ewww

r164, we know. R90 is a total moron!

I went out early to grab a coffee and avoid crowds. I hadn't been out for two minutes when someone jogging way the fuck behind me shrieked on your left. I shrieked back that doesn't mean shit to me.

One reason why cyclists can be so douchey and smug is because they are so self righteous about being on bikes rather than cars. They think they are doing good for the environment and fighting climate change so as a result the rules of the road don't apply to them and they can ignore stop signs, red lights, or pedestrians that get in their way.

I find douchey runners to be type A personalities--very driven in their careers and that spills over into their leisure time as they must be doing something healthy, purposeful, and better yet competitive. Which can also make them bores.

Being driven is a positive trait, IMO. Pursuing fitness goals also positive. Someone running you down on a citibike on a fucking sidewalk or jogging directly in your path is behaving as if you shouldn't exist. Not positive. Triggering. Your gains are not worth more than my existence.

As soon as running became a fad in the 1970s it took on the smug.

Old time runners were fine.

[quote]One reason why cyclists can be so douchey and smug

I am reporting you to HR.

As a runner myself, I do feel superiority over most. Not everyone has the athletic ability or dedication I have to go out 4 times a week and knock out 6 miles.

Yesterday an asshole jogger did the jumping around thing at a red light crosswalk. He shoved the elderly man in front of him. Then took off. I hate asshole joggers.

R172 - “I hate asshole joggers.”

Translation: I’m jealous of joggers and can’t admit it.

R173 is a moron.

Narcissists.

R158 I hear you. My local running store offers a weekly group fun run (“all levels!”) on Saturday mornings. I’ve been out of running for 10 years, and because my gym shut down during the pandemic, thought it would be a nice time to pick it up again. I showed up for one “fun run” and quickly realized that “all levels” really meant “don’t even bother if you can’t run 10 miles at a 7-minute mile pace.” I now stick to the occasional jog around the block, ALONE.

[quote] I used to think this about Jim Fixx. Then he died. At 52.

I thought it was hilarious.

You think someone is jealous of your ungainly, spastic ass. so funny.

Keep complaining about "joggers" while I run circles around your lard ass. Jealousy kills.

I bet you don't envy the jogger who was raped in central park a few mornings ago! She was jogging at 720am and a man came from behind, held her in a choke hold until she passed out and raped her. the have since caught the man.

So funny. Spastic mouthbreathers.

Agree with OP on this. They’re rude like bikers thinking they own the road and just cut in front of your car without a moments notice. They aren’t masked and spit on you as they run by. They are never good looking, way too thin and veiny.

I was LOLing at this cunt who was still wearing his nyc marathon medal 3 days after!

Now you know why cunts who jog run up on your heels and body check you while you are walking on a sidewalk, they think they are better than you and "your jessjelous".

R1 they run in the road and everyone has to slow down swing wide to miss them, it as bad as an 35mile an hour grannie on the interstate.

There are ways to solve this problem.

R128 your arguement is ridiculous, the number of cars out weighs the bikes therefore there will be more auto wreaks. You must havw been terrible at mathmatics

Do you remember the episode of Designing Women when Mary Jo (Annie Potts) begged a reluctant Julia (Dixie Carter) to take up running with her? Mary Jo quickly quit. Julia fell in love with it and quickly became insufferable with the outfits, running shoes, warmups, lingo, gadgets etc

R187 But better at spelling.

R187 I’m actually pretty good at maths thanks. If you adjust it to a deaths per trips taken for cars v bikes, you’ll never guess what, but bikes are still much much much safer. Why do you think cyclists don’t need insurance? Hint; it’s because they are not able to do as much damage and thusly don’t require it.

And yes as R189 says your spelling is really, really terrible.

R190 is right. You dont got no protection round you as a cyclist, so you is incentivised to ride safe, cos if you ride dumb you are gonna feel the consequences up close and personal

Idiot on bike is gonna get hurt bad. Idiot in car is gonna hurt somebody else bad

Have their saggy jowls and profiles been mentioned?

I would respectfully suggest that walkers who text/yap on their phones while on these paths, completely oblivious to their surroundings, are part of the problem.

Running can do a number on your face and body, long-timers often look like they’re being tortured while on a run. I prefer walking long distances, and always stay far to the right, check behind me every now and then on the trail or sidewalk.

Always white.

They always look emaciated and much, much older than they are.

R179 And when your joints disintegrate and you won't be able to crawl let alone run we'll all have a good laugh.

I have to admit I take great joy when runners drop dead of a heart attack while running! Especially sweet if they’re in their 40s or early 50s.

They are very neurotic. Did you see at the Boston marathon bombings how even after the explosions some runners jumped over the wounded and limbs and bodies making sure to cross the finish line and not forgetting to stop their watches as they did so? These are not normal people.

I ran cross country in high school and college (I was even nationally ranked!) and I run today. I like running. It helps me deal with stress.

I will say this though: I distrust any amateur runner who spends a lot on gear (except shoes) because they like the idea of running more than they like running. My running clothes are one step up from the trashcan.

The hottest circle of hell is held for those that refuse to take a bathroom break and with all that jostling shit in their shorts allowing all that effluvia to dribble down their legs in front of hundreds if not thousands of people.

It's weird that something so healthy leaves you looking older than you should.

I recall that image r201. Obsessive is too mild a word to describe this.

There's this viral picture comparing a sprinter and a distance runner.

'Cause they have just one job, and they have to do it and they do it very well, OP.

Their obsessiveness was good on at least one occasion - when Paul Ryan tried to lie about his marathon time on the campaign trail. That was the wrong hobby to lie about because runners would never let something like that slide. They caught him out within a day of his statement.

Is long distance running the only athletic event that has never had a sex symbol figure?

Terrible people.

Even funnier about Paul Ryan's lie is, he was exposed to be slower than Sarah Palin.

I went to a marathon to cheer on a friend and was shocked by the appearance of people running across the finish line in decent times. There were quite a few pudgy ones! You’d think it would make you thin to exercise that much.

Lots of pasta to give them energy.

But why is doing literally the healthiest thing in the world age you like that?

Bicyclists are worse than runners. They go out of their to get in the way of cars. Douchebags all.

Cars are so much worse than bikes. Cars are so damaging to urban public space, between the air pollution, the physical space they take up, road deaths, noise pollution, they’re just terrible for cities.

Not nearly as bad as cyclists.

Cyclists are Satan. I can deal with runners. Cyclists are getting run down here in Texas constantly and they still demand to use our streets, highways, and roadways, sometimes at peak traffic times. They pay no fees for using the streets, and cause extreme danger to innocent drivers who accidentally hit them.

And they don’t want to follow the rules of the road either r216. Running lights and stop signs like it’s their fucking job or something.

Cyclists are annoying on the roads, but runners are annoying in every aspects of life. They'll smugly rub their lifestyle in your face and try to make you feel inferior, inadequate and unhealthy.

Get a life OP-

And 218 and others- what the heck is your problem? How about people who walk on the sidewalks- they too annoy you?

The thing is to higher a really hot fit person to run past them, saying "On your left, fattie."

If you have enough cash for that, throw in some more and you can have sex with the hot fit person later.

If there's an endorphin high for runners, why do you NEVER see a runner smiling? They're always scowling, never look like they’re having fun or enjoying themselves. They always look like something's hurting.

How can something so painful be recreational? Is suffering part of the enjoyment, or what?

R222 It's an ego-stroke.