Piers Morgan wants masks worn whilst running...

[Trulyatraditionalman]

AIBU to think this is ridiculous?

@Totallydefeated

*Unless they keep right next to you at your speed for a few minutes, your exposure is really really tiny. And if there is any wind, then it's even less*

That’s interesting. I’ve never seen it quantified or studied. Do you have a link where I could see the data for that Lweji?

Like this? reader.elsevier.com/reader/sd/pii/S0307904X21000950?token=BB45A7553F913AC834A24BABB57F6B709B5D4ED4436E3A74BD6D0DB45951799DDDB0C74A96E36E87C99F1BE3CD63D053

or this
royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/pdf/10.1098/rspa.2020.0584

or
www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7816614/

Piers Morgan is a gormless twat. Don’t take scientific advice (or any advice) from him. He is not an expert in/on ANYTHING in life.

On the off-chance that a runner is infected with COVID, that person running past someone else is not going to transmit enough viral load to infect anyone. Transmission outdoors is negligible for incidental contacts.

Maybe if you were in a gym on treadmills for 20 minutes but outside? Fuck off Piers.

At what speed do we decide it’s a run and not a jog or fast walk and implement the masks?

If both feet are off the ground at some point then you're running/jogging, otherwise it's walking.

Have you been in a London park during lockdown? They are absolutely rammed with people because there is literally nowhere else to go. And the fields are mud so everyone is crammed into the paths. It's not enjoyable, most of us have stopped going.

Literally nowhere else to go? In the whole of London? People are not very resourceful it seems.

I feel quite sad reading this thread. I am an avid runner. I hate to think there is no much hate towards me.

People going out for a run are doing a great thing for their health. Just because you don't like or understand it.
Hear hear.
I admire anyone who gets off their backside and gets out and excercises, whatever their shape, age or ability.
Good on them.

I couldn’t run whilst wearing a mask. I also hate running whilst having to dodge hordes of walkers, cyclists and dogs. So I run at 6am when there are usually only other runners and some dog walkers. I never run close to people and make a point of giving people loads of space or slowing down/stopping if necessary. There are far too many people out and about during the day near where I live as it’s near the beach and they travel by car to get here. I just don’t go out during the day any more as a consequence. So, if I want to run early in the morning on a practically deserted beach without wearing a mask I bloody well will!

I don't think it is reasonable to ask runners to wear masks but perhaps they should attend and pass a runners etiquette course. Slightly joking.

I do think it is the runners who are new to running that don't leave distance when overtaking people. When you see a fit runner they are really good at keeping distance. Those who are not as experienced get way too close..

When I see any evidence Piers Morgan can run at all, then he can tell me what to wear whilst doing so.

He’s an arrogant arse. I don’t know why they keep him on that show it’s just 3 hours of him shouting at people and not listening.

I use one while running 🤷🏻‍♀️

@likeamillpond

People going out for a run are doing a great thing for their health. Just because you don't like or understand it. Hear hear. I admire anyone who gets off their backside and gets out and excercises, whatever their shape, age or ability. Good on them.

And I admire, even more, those who have some consideration for others whilst they're doing it.

What would be so terrible about runners stopping to wait their turn occasionally

It's not occasionally, it's every time. And as I said above, walkers just don't go single file or keep left. It does worry me that some of these people may drive a car, because they clearly have no spatial awareness whatsoever.

As for the "dance", this would not happen if people would keep left.

@oil0W0lio

Christ on a bike I should be rewarded for keeping healthy, I will not accept criticism from that wheezing blob of jelly

Absolutely. God forbid people should try and stay healthy! And to people saying excercise indoors instead. It is not and will never be as good as exercising outdoors in the fresh air. There's no comparison.

Literally nowhere else to go? In the whole of London? People are not very resourceful it seems.

I think you know what I mean. Virtually everything is closed and legally we are not supposed to leave our local areas in London. So for most people, the closest park is the only place to go other than wandering the local streets. I personally prefer wandering the streets as they are so empty but most people seem to feel otherwise, including runners.

I’m on the fence really. There are no parks where I live so the runners barge into you on the pavements and certainly don’t pass with a 2m distance between us unless I’m dragging myself and the kids into the road.

Pre-covid and a requirement for masks, I knew people in London wearing masks when running to protect them from the pollution. If they can do it to protect their lungs from city pollution, why can’t other runners do it to protect the population from a potentially lethal virus?

@alpenguin

I’m on the fence really. There are no parks where I live so the runners barge into you on the pavements and certainly don’t pass with a 2m distance between us unless I’m dragging myself and the kids into the road.

Pre-covid and a requirement for masks, I knew people in London wearing masks when running to protect them from the pollution. If they can do it to protect their lungs from city pollution, why can’t other runners do it to protect the population from a potentially lethal virus?

There is no excuse for runners not being considerate, giving people space etc.

But there is no reason for us/them to wear masks to prevent the spread of COVID. You are not going to recieve a significant viral load from an infected runner going past you.

This pandemic = people criticising other people and thinking they can tell them what to do. Often whilst having absolutely no awareness of their own behaviour.

See = people who complain on social media about how busy the park is whilst THEY'RE AT THE PARK.

What I think = as long as you ain't breaking the law then every fucker else can wind their necks in.

The law says nowt about face masks outside.

And if you can't cope with other people going about their day completely within the law, without criticising them or telling them what to do, you should stay at home.

@Elbels

Oh good another thread where runners / anyone who exercises outdoors are ripped apart by Mumsnet for no apparent reason apart from what I assume is an underlying resentment that they are proactively looking after themselves.

I run a lot around the streets and parks of London. I purposefully choose to go out mainly late at night after work when it's quieter. However at the weekend it's nice to have daylight. Every single run I jump into the road multiple times to avoid families / groups of friends who are walking four abreast on pavements, or because a dog walker is on one side of the path and their dog is on the other so the lead is stretched across like a string hurdle.

As soon as I see someone walking towards me, and assuming there's no traffic, I go into the road to give them space. I see plenty of other runners doing the same. I'm sorry to those of you who have felt like someone is breathing down your neck, that's not enjoyable. But most of us are trying our very best to keep ourselves and everyone else safe!

@Elbels this exactly! People who absolutely must walk 3 abreast, or with their dog on the opposite side of the pavement and their extendable (invisible) lead stretched all the way across, or stop and chat to someone and can only social distance across the pavement, not one behind the other so there's no room for anyone else to pass, runner or walker.

I'm not sure what to make of the poster who doesn't like people saying 'thank you' after you move over. Some people would hate you for not thanking them! Also there's never a need to leap into a ditch.

Hmm. Well I run and I won't be wearing a mask. Very bad for you!

*Frankly I wish joggers could all go and run in big stadiums (stadia?!) or up and down airport runways.

It’s not just the puffing, it’s the arrogant pavement hogging and single-minded pounding so everyone else has to scatter, because their fitness is absolutely paramount*

Funny you should say that, because I have the same view of dog walkers and walkers in general who walk 3 in a row and take up the whole pavement so that when I am out running, to keep healthy, to reduce my chances of catching COVID and passing it on to to others and/or take up NHS resources, I have to run into the road or stop and ask them to move.

Walkers who I have never seen pre-covid, yet I have been running the same routes for 10 years.

The problem is that if that rule were put in place, it would have to exclude people, such as asthmatics. Because not everybody is expected to wear one, those who are #£%@#s wouldn’t and those who are courteous would.

The courteous people don’t need to, as they don’t plough passed, huffing after bulldozing a path though other path users.

@dreamingbohemian

You clearly just hate runners generally because you've met a few rude ones and have decided you're now annoyed at all of them (spoiler alert: there are rude runners and rude walkers, and rude dog walkers, rude pram pushers etc etc). I assume you would make way for an old lady because she has a physical disadvantage and finds it harder to get past, or generally wouldn't step out onto a zebra crossing right in front of a bike coming up a really steep hill when there is no other traffic and it would literally only delay you by a few seconds- its just polite. The person that it is the less inconvenience to makes way/waits. Sometimes its the runner, sometimes its the walker. Noone is saying it is always the runner. But in some circumstances it is.

Lol no. Why would I hate runners?? I am annoyed with the rude ones and where I live there seem to be an awful lot of them (and I agree with a PP, it does seem mostly to be men...)

I lived in big cities my whole life, where sharing pavements is always necessary. I don't think 'less inconvenient' is the determining factor. Like @RonObvious I think whoever is faster yields to the slower. I walk extremely fast, I don't expect people to get out of my way -- I go around them or accept that I walk more slowly where it's crowded.

Comparing runners to disabled people who need more time and space is not on.

I'm not saying I would never move for a runner but I was replying to a post that said if a runner is coming at me I should move because it's too much trouble for runners to have to deviate their path. Another poster complained that walkers don't notice runners coming up behind them, are we supposed to walk backwards?

I lived in big cities my whole life, where sharing pavements is always necessary. I don't think 'less inconvenient' is the determining factor. Like @RonObvious I think whoever is faster yields to the slower. I walk extremely fast, I don't expect people to get out of my way -- I go around them or accept that I walk more slowly where it's crowded.

Well I disagree. Sometimes the slowest person is stationary. Are you saying if someone was standing in the middle of the street everyone should go out of their way stepping off the pavement to go round them? Your point about being a fast walker proves exactly why speed is not the determining factor in politeness (no, you shouldn't expect people to move out of your way if you are walking fast- again, its courtesy and no bother for you to go round them compared to the bother it is for them to move for you. inconvenience point. Not speed.)

Comparing runners to disabled people who need more time and space is not on.

Think you're really twisting words there. I gave more than one example of where you would yield to someone else due to it being less bother for you. The point is about understanding your relationship with the other road user, not about comparing runners to disabled people. Stop trying to be offended as a way of shutting down.

I'm not saying I would never move for a runner but I was replying to a post that said if a runner is coming at me I should move because it's too much trouble for runners to have to deviate their path. Another poster complained that walkers don't notice runners coming up behind them, are we supposed to walk backwards?

Well yes, then you are saying you wouldn't move for a runner because if they are comign directly towards you it is probably the only time when moving for them might be appropriate rather than the other way round. If a runner is coming towards you, you can see them coming, and it is a narrow path, it is better for you to step aside slightly than it is for them (its not just 'too much trouble', it can also lead to twisted ankles etc). That is a circumstance in which you should give way to the runner. If the runner is coming up behind you and there isn't enough space to pass then they should slow down and jog slower behind you at a distance until it is safe to pass (because of course, it is not feasible for you to see behind yourself and it can be scary and dangerous to have someone come up behind you and overtake suddenly and close). A circumstance in which the runner should give way to you. You give and take and everyone is considerate of others and their relationship in the encounter. And its not based on speed.

FFS

Can I make a post about the inconsiderate walkers who had never thought of walking around where I live until a year ago.

I run and run long distances, been marathon training every winter for the last 3 years, meaning lovely long runs on the local back roads. I'd normally set off as soon as it's light on a Sunday morning (come rain, wind, snow or freak Feb heatwave) and not see another soul on a 3hr run.
April last year the roads were so full of walkers at the same time of day that I decided to run on trail. And those walkers had no idea how to walk on those roads, let alone run. They're windy single track roads where you need to keep your wits about you, you absolutely need to know if a car/tractor/horse/cycle or even runner is behind you. You can't amble along 3/4/5 abreast, chatting and not looking behind you every now and again. But no-one appeared to notice the cyclists, runners, cars etc behind them so they could move over to the verge as soon as possible. Believe me I always know when a car is behind me and move over as soon as there is somewhere I can.

Anyway I moved over to the trails, which was fine when everything was open and these new walkers had something to occupy them, but as soon as the lastest lockdown started they not only once more took over the backroads (until they flooded anyway), but also took over the footpaths. Only unlike those of us that were regularly running the trails, once more the hoards of walkers have shown no respect for the terrain they are walking. From not respecting the rights of way, meaning footpaths have been widened from 1ft across to 6ft of more, to leaving gates open, to letting their dogs mess everywhere and worry sheep, to refusing to pause for a few minutes to allow the person who is already half way across a field get through, to at least acknowledging said runner is now standing in the middle of a field, ankle deep in mud to allow them to amble past with their million dogs, or has detoured into a knee deep puddle because they've refused to go single file. I could go on and on and on....

what piers morgan who fucked off on holiday over xmas then rants about people not caring about a pandemic?

yeah ok

Runners are not a different species. I am a runner, some other runners piss me off when I’m out running. I expect those people are equally as inconsiderate when they are walking.