Were the runners or the resident being unreasonable?

[AdventureBe]

I was at a very large running event yesterday. It's been going for 20 years and has raised £100,000s for charity.

Generally well organised, but there aren't enough toilets - as there often aren't at running events.

The main carpark was a field with a 20m wooded area along one edge. On the other side of the wooded bit there is a 6 ft fence which is the boundary for gardens.

Many runners, male and female, were going into the woods for a last minute wee. Some residents were stood on steps to look over their fences and shout at people relieving themselves. They were going in the woods, not against the fence.

Opinion was very split. Most runners thinking really, what's the harm of having a wee in the woods, residents obviously feeling differently about lots of people weeing quite close to their gardens.

Runners are used to some pretty awful facilities at races and to having to make do with what's available, so may have warped ideas of what's Ok

What do you think?

[MrsNextDoor]

It probably stinks!

I wouldn't like it. I expect their children play there! The issue should be raised with some seriousness with the organisers.

[contractor6]

Pretty gross esp if lots of runners, and warm weather will end up very smelly in the area.

[TarkaTheOtter]

It's not really a "wood" though is it. It's a strip of trees between a car park and there gardens. It sounds like there were lots of people doing it to avoid queueing for toilets. I think one person doing it in an emergency is fine - lots of people using it as a toilet is a bit grim and I can understand why they were pissed off when there were other facilities available.

This event probably has negative implications for people who live nearby and it would be nice if people showed some courtesy.

[MidniteScribbler]

It's disgusting and if I lived there I would want reassurance from the organisers that there are appropriate facilities next year. Why should people have to stand in their backyard and watch people pissing all over the place because they are too lazy or impatient to stand in a queue?

[BikeRunSki]

I'm a runner. And a cyclist, and I work on building sites. I am probably more familiar with portaloos than most!
I sometimes wee on the wild in hillwalking type situations.
I don't think it's acceptable to do so close to houses. Presumably those residents walk their dogs and children there? Think of the stink in warm weather! And I suspect that the residents may have had some (possibly legitimate) concerns that it may not have been just wee.
Just queue for the manky portaloos.

[JohnnyDeppsfuturewife]

I wouldn't like it and would be standing at my fence with a camera (as a deterrent to stop people weeing - before anyone accuses me I am not the wee troll!)

It's one of those things where you might think 'one afternoon won't hurt' but these residents might get people sitting behind their houses day after day weeing, hanging out, being noisy, having sex and it might just be the straw that broke the camels back.

If you give us your address perhaps we can wee behind your house en masse and you can see how feel.

[AnyoneForTennis]

The wee would probably be so weak due to excess water consumed prior to the race. So wouldn't smell

Why were they all stood ready to shout at the runners? Is this a long standing issue which has never been addressed?

How much was the race fee? Adequate toilets should be provided

[SoldierBear]

Sounds very badly organised.
They need more loos and to fence off the wooded area next time - if the council don't get so many complaints from the residents that permission is refused for future events.
That area must stink right now, with the warm weather, probably attracting loads of flies.
The runners could have been more considerate - the residents were NBU.

[chemenger]

It is revolting and if I were a resident I would be furious. What right does running in a race give people to contaminate a local amenity with human waste? How could anyone think this was acceptable behaviour? Raising money does not give carte blanche to literally behave en masse like animals (I don't think I have used that much French since my school exams!). I'm not averse to an al fresco (Italian now, I am quite the linguist) pee when in the middle of nowhere, but not just outside someone's house (maison, casa).

[VanitasVanitatum]

Urine can kill plants in excess so that's probably not very nice, it will also stink for quite a long time. Definitely not U of the neighbours to object, and definitely U of the runners to piss all over a small area.

I wouldn't have shouted at the runners though, I would have left my garden and gone and found marshals to stop them.

[Hullygully]

how very odd of everyone

[DragonWithAGirlTattoo]

i'd be pretty annoyed too if you were pissing behind my house!

[AuntieStella]

The organisers need to provide more loos.

The runners were in the wrong. Even if dilute, urine from a crowd will stink, and will continue to stink for hours if not days. It's not like the normal level of animal urine or occasional person caught short. It's a nuisance.

If the residents were there and complaining, it suggests this is not the first time they've had to out up with this amount of piss.

And it may mean the end of the race at that venue.

[kali110]

ThAts horrible.

[AnyoneForTennis]

It's very much a runner issue. Especially with men! They were going openly in the pens (at the side) at London marathon, we had literally started slowly running towards the start line and men were veering off to wee! I'm a runner and don't do this!

Also, after about ten miles of your insides jiggling around your body tends to send the message you need to poo.... Now.... For this reason I have Imodium instants! Running can be a horrible sport for bodily functions

[WeAllHaveWings]

How can anyone think it is ok to go enmass and piss (and potentially poo, as ive discovered on mn threads runners sometimes also do outdoors) in a residential area. Would you mind if a coach load of men on the way to a football match pulled their bus over and pissed just outside your garden? Think not.

Its obviously been an ongoing problem with the event and is causing the residents distress. I would have set up my garden hose and soaked them all!

[Ihavegottheclap]

Eugh, how grim. Dirty lazy bastards should have just waited for portaloos.

I'd have made sure I was creosoting my fence, especially the top bit, that day. Although I can be terribly clumsy. I sure hope I wouldn't have accidentally flung creosote all over some runner taking a piss behind my fence. Or even worse, accidentally knocked the whole tin off where it was precariously resting on the top of my fence. That would be a real shame.

[Klayden]

The event organisers were BVU. There's no excuse for not having enough toilets if it's such a big event.

[CMOTDibbler]

I run/cycle (and was at a huge cycling event yesterday), and think that its unacceptable to do this. You should get there on time to queue up and have a wee at the start, and as a resident I'd be annoyed that this always happened at the event.

[AdventureBe]

Yes, AnyoneForTennis, London is particularly horrible for it and most race organisers include instructions about not going in people's front gardens.

It is a problem. Trouble is portaloos cost money, so the more they provide the less the charity gets and most runners do use them when they first arrive, but everyone needs a last minute wee and the queues are such that if you join them you'll miss the start. It's not unusual for me to go three times in the 40 minutes between arrival and starting. It's that last 10 mins that's the problem.

And I have, more than once, been in the loo when the whistle went! I love the way people here always assume the worst of the OP. I'm more than happy to wee in a bush when properly remote, but I was one of the few voices agreeing with the residents that it wasn't on in this situation.

[MidniteScribbler]

Trouble is portaloos cost money

Tough. If they want to run an event, then they need to provide appropriate facilities for the attendees. Charity or no charity. The behaviour of the runners mean it is very likely that they will not get to run it again unless they commit to extra facilities, as a resident I would be petitioning against it being held. We had a cycle race around here until a few years ago when the behaviour of the crews was so bad that the residents had enough and put a stop to it.

[ImNotChangingMyUsernameAgain]

Unfortunately charity does not trump the need for consideration of the neighbours and social decency. The event organisers should be providing toilets for participants rather than expecting the neighbours to suck it up. If this was happening on my door step I'd be having the event shut down if the organisers did not put a stop to it.

[Superexcited]

I'm sure loads of dogs pee on that strip of land everyday. Is human wee that much worse than animal wee?

[AdventureBe]

At an event for say 5000 people, how do you provide enough toilets for everyone to go in the last 10 mins? Genuine question, I'd love to be the one to solve this problem for next year.

I know for myself and my club mates, that you can go 30 mins before the start, you always need to go again just before the start.

[ShadowFire]

That's pretty grim, and unhygenic, especially so close to people's gardens. This has presumably happened there before it the residents are there and ready to shout at the runners.

The runners are the unreasonable one. There's a big difference between a one off all-fresco wee if you're caught short with no toilet for miles, and lots and lots of people using the area as a toilet for an event because they don't want to wait for a port-a-loo.

Agree that the organisers should make better provision though. I'd definitely be complaining to the council about this if this mass weeing was going on next to my house.