To ask a man to move at parkrun

[brownbear201]

I am curious as to what you all think of this incident I had whilst running a parkrun this morning. The parkrun I was running was quite a narrow parkrun- it’s an out and back and you run down a track. The track itself is not very wide and faster runners come back towards slower runners on the return if that makes sense. As I was running earlier I was behind a man running with a dog. He was young-ish probably in his early twenties. He wasn’t going super slowly or anything but I wanted to go faster and overtake. However, there were faster runners coming towards me. As he had a dog I couldn’t get past him, if he hadn’t had a dog I would have been able to squeeze past. To be fair he had the dog on a very short fixed lead and was as far left as he could get but because the dog was running at his side I couldn’t get past. I said to him as I was coming up from behind him “Can you move your dog over please?” And he replied “Can you be patient like everyone else?” I ignored him saying this and I was eventually able to overtake him and I heard him muttering about impatient people and just ignored him. A short while later I pulled over to the side to catch my breath- I was out of the way whilst I did this as past the narrow section. He then ran past me again and said “You’ve gotten far considering you were so desperate to get past” I didn’t say anything back to him. Was I right to just ignore him? He wasn’t big or intimidating looking by any means and he didn’t shout but it was the way he looked at me that left me a bit unsettled. AIBU? Was I wrong to ask him to move?

No but you care about your own time - that's the whole point

Overtaking someone in this manner then immediately stopping is pretty embarrassing though.

I don't think they should allow dogs in any case

But he did have a dog, on a short lead as per parkrun rules so yes, OP was being unreasonable.

My dog & I run in our local park several times a week. It’s vast with paths through wooded areas etc. once a week there’s a Parkrun, which we are not part of . We still get yelled at.

It’s a public park; there are old ladies walking shitzus for gods sake.

Really puts me off parkrun.

OP you were a dick and if the person you'd been impatient with hadn't been a young man with a dog (two MN pet hates) but, say, a young mum with a toddler or two older people, it'd be even clearer to see.

You said yourself he was as far over as he could get. That means the path is too narrow to overtake. That means you just have to slow your pace until the path gets wider again. Shouting at someone to move over, especially when they physically can't, is not running etiquette at all.

I get that slowing your pace is annoying, I'm a runner as well. That's why I don't do park run and I don't run on crowded paths. I don't even go near the park on park run days because it's so much more pleasant when there are fewer people around. You chose to do park run and you have to adapt your running style accordingly.

A couple of weeks ago my running path was blocked by what seemed like a primary school day out. Would you have yelled at them to get out of the way? I was mildly put out, yes, but I managed to slow down and then just take a different path.

On top of all of this the fact that you were an impatient dick and then had to stop for breath is pure cringe. When I overtake people (on wider paths where I don't have to shout at them) I try to make sure I've got enough in my lungs and legs to keep on going at a faster pace.

Park run takes place in public areas. There are always plenty of people around, and also dogs, who have nothing to do with park run but just happen to be out and about at the same time.

It's not clear whether the man OP yelled at was even part of park run.

Talk about storm in a tea cup! Yes - you should have been more patient OP.

Yabu. What if it was someone pushing a double buggy, wheelchair ect on the path and also walking their dog or an elderly person with a stick or mobility scooter walking their dog. You don't have the right of way because you are running, it's actually the opposite. I treat runners like cyclists. People who are going fast and could bump into others give way to people who are walking and can't move out the way as fast. It's common courtesy. I bet he wasn't even taking part in park run and it was just a coincidence that he was running at that time so it's not up to you to decide if his dog is annoying because you are doing park run!

@gannett I took it that he was running with his dog on a short lead.....

He then ran past me again and said “You’ve gotten far considering you were so desperate to get past”

well, he sorta had a point, although I doubt he’d have been quite so gobby if OP was a beefy, 6 ft bloke with a skinhead.

Sounds like the oncoming runners were what prevented her making progress, In which case, I’d probably have waited until they were past and a gap opened.

He maybe just doesn’t like being overtaken by someone with XX chromosomes.

Really rude of you

YABU based on the fact that you had to stop shortly after to catch your breath. You were not running at a faster pace and he caused you to slow down, you simply decided to go faster for a short distance. In that case, you should have waited for the path to widen or a gap in the oncoming runners to overtake. Instead, you asked him to move over affecting his pace when you admit he wasn’t doing anything wrong. I’d have been pissed off with you too.

I took it that she only asked him to move over? That’s what faster runners do at mine too. Maybe I misread.

Ugh Parkrun is definitely not a lovely event.

So you made a fuss to get past as you wanted to run faster. And then couldn't maintain the faster pace to the point that you then had to stop to catch your breath?
Just run slower and within your fitness level and you won't have to catch your breath or squeeze past people on a narrow path.

You weren’t being unreasonable to ask him to move but yeah a bit cringe that he overtook you later while you stopped for breath….

its like when someone drives up your arse and dangerously overtakes then stops just in front of you at the lights. Was it worth it mate?

The man was part of the parkrun. The dog was a Westie so hard to see and easy to trip over. When I pulled over it was on a grassy area after the path had widened that the runners don’t go on so I wasn’t in anyone’s way. I was hoping he’d put the dog on his left hand side rather than his right so the dog was tucked out of the way a bit. It was more the very loud comment he made at the end in front of others. He didn’t shout but it was loud enough for other runners to hear quite clearly.

@Operatenate Ours is. So are all the others we've attended. Although there's a lot less audible thanking of the volunteers at the London events we've been to. Maybe a consequence of so many visitors.

The very occasional Parkrunner is a bad apple, but unfortunately they get everywhere.

Ours also does have official priority use of the first 3km of the course, so worth those complaining about the hour once a week checking that the same doesn't apply where they are.

The thing I like least about Parkrun is the early section, where it's really crowded and lots of people find they're among others of the wrong pace, so a lot of passing takes place.

People have to pass and allow for passing. It usually settles down as you go on but awareness of people around you, people approaching from behind and actively allowing others to pass is important. It's part of the community spirit of parkrun.

So for that reason, I think the other runner should have allowed you to pass - if possible. The question in my mind is how possible it was for him to move the dog. Or whether this was more about you expressing irritation that dogs are allowed.

The stopping afterwards undermines you - but is a separate incident. You might have needed to pass and kept going.

What I might do in your shoes is write to the organisers and ask if they'd consider not allowing dogs, given the narrowness of the course.

Sounds like it's a short narrow part, since you soon reached a wider section. Just don't overtake on the narrow parts. You're not a faster runner than him because you had to stop shortly after. He wasn't holding you up. It really does seem like you were trying to make a problem of him. Either because of his dog or his pace. And he embarrassed you by pointing out your ridiculous behaviour.

You say he was part of the parkrun, therefore he and his dog had every right to be there, whether you like it or not.
You still made yourself look and sound ridiculous by pushing past him then having to stop....are you sure parkrun is for you?

Incidentally, there's a lot of people slating the man here, would you say the same if op had overtaken a woman? Gender shouldn't come into it, the dog runner was allowed to be there, and op was rude.

Imagine how this would have gone if it had been "I was doing a lovely parkrun with my dog and a man barged past me only to run out of breath!"

Why? Parkrun doesn’t cordon off areas of the park for its exclusive use, does it?

There will surely be dogs all over the park, being walked by their owners, and at a pace much slower than someone running with a dog?

YABU

There were runners coming towards you and this man.

They were able to get past and so you could have too.

You should have just waited a few more seconds for the other runners to pass and then overtook him or sped up before they got there and overtook him before they passed.