Stupid things people have said

I think the majority of comments I hear when I am out running are well meant and are people either offering encouragement or just being friendly and passing the day. Nonrunners you meet in your work environment will never "get" you and can only really talk about running at their level of understanding or misunderstanding.
I suspect that women suffer more stupid, condescending, offensive things said to them than men do though. This is apparent through things I have read on this forum and personally witnessed when taking part in club runs or races with women runners and this is an issue and must be very intimidating for them :thunbdown:

Pah! Women runners should just man up Alf! :)

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Originally Posted by Mrs Stagger

I was once chatting to the checkout lady at Asda when she asked me what I was doing at the weekend, I said I was doing a 9 mile fell race called Noon Stone. She asked if I was doing it for charity to which I replied 'no'. I explained that fell races are something I do on a fairly regular basis and I couldn't possibly collect money every time to which she replied that if she ever ran 9 mile it would have to be for charity!!

I was telling my elderly neighbour about my BG attempt last year and explained that it had to be done within 24 hours otherwise it wouldn't count. She asked if I would be going home to sleep through the night section!! Great idea but that's not really how it works!!

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Linda I think this is the single most annoying thing; people always assuming that you're only running as training for a charity event:angry:. As for the Bob Graham, well, to be fair, I don't think that anyone not into hill running would ever comprehend that

What got me most when I still ran were the comments about running for charity. As if the only reason for running is to raise money for charity???? I run because I love it, I run because I can...

The other one is: you are as thin as a rake, why on earth are you running? As if one would only run to loose weight? I have never been bothered with my weight, it is always the same, if I run or not!

The what is fell running, did you fall running etc etc gets at me too...

Now that I predominantly cycle, I get the same thing, but bike and cycling related :rolleyes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-berkshire-17580252

News item about someone who died after completing the Reading half-marathon at the weekend - a shocking tragedy and sadly more fuel for those daft comments.

Just this morning I was talking to a chap at work who's actually a fairly keen runner, but only on road thus far, about my next race - the Teenager with Altitude. I said how the checkpoints in fell races tend to be the tops of fells, to which he then asked how they get all the bottles of water up there - do they use a helicopter?

I proceeded to explain that no they don't use helicopters, and that although you may sometimes get a kindly soul lugging a few litres to the top of Grasmoor for general consumption, on the whole you have to look after yourself. He also asked if you got medals for finishing fell races; I was going to say something about not being bothered about that since my age is in double figures, but I thought better of it!

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Originally Posted by Hanneke

What got me most when I still ran were the comments about running for charity. As if the only reason for running is to raise money for charity???? I run because I love it, I run because I can...

The other one is: you are as thin as a rake, why on earth are you running? As if one would only run to loose weight? I have never been bothered with my weight, it is always the same, if I run or not!

The what is fell running, did you fall running etc etc gets at me too...

Now that I predominantly cycle, I get the same thing, but bike and cycling related :rolleyes:

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I once went for a spray tan and the lady said I couldn't run for a couple of days as the sweat makes you go green......apparently. Then proceeded to say that I didn't need to run anyway as I was thin enough!!

Last year I went to the doctors with a sore knee, he booked me in for an x-ray but said if they couldn't sort it out, I would have to forget about running and take up something like swimming instead!!! Don't they understand? Swimming is nothing like running. Luckily the condition sorted itself out and I didn't have any more problems.

My friends road running husband doesn't think that fell running is proper running cos people walk!! Don't know about you but I don't know many people who can run up Causey Pike!

Suprisingly, even colleagues who supposedly do "run" only ever take part in large road events, and see running as some sort of cross to bare in order to raise money for charity rather than anything enjoyable. I'm not knocking them but to them, fell or xc running is some kind unfathomable, masochistic torture.
I have long since given up trying to explain any form of running (let alone fell) to any of the uninitiated.These days I largely prescribe to "If I have to explain, then you probably won't understand" school or thought........that way I don't get too many stupid comments back!

My favourite line, that never fails to amuse my simple little mind, is telling the kindly gent / lady / marshall who is holding a gate open during a race that they can close it now. Always gets a laugh which is why I keep on using it.

I'm new to this running thing, spent years marshalling and the like but only got off my backside last June. I am looking for sponsorship but over the year where I've set myself a 1000 mile challenge - have a look at my blog for more background.
In chatting to many colleagues, mostly those based in London to be fair, they immediately ask if I'm training for the London marathon. When I say no but I am thinking ofdoing the Yorkshireman as I don't really like road running a few have said
"Well the London is really the hardest marathon so not surprised you dont want to."

Ahhh, yeah, sore knee...

The stupidiest comment I have ever had was from an orthopaedic consultant whom I visited on the NHS due to torn anterior talofibular ligaments... Torn clean off during OMM 2008... ok, you can walk, you can drive a car, you can do your job and you can sleep because you have no pain, so we don't see the need to operate and stitch it back together, as you can function FULLY... errrr.... NO, I can't function fully, I can't run! I can't go fell running any more, or race... However, in my books, saying I function FULLY while clearly I can't run is the biggest running related b*ll*cks I have ever heard, from a doctor no less :w00t: