Annoying or Guilt Provoking?

Diego Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:53 pm

I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Admin Fri Oct 14, 2011 3:59 pm

Eh, there can always be too much of anything... I suppose. I like to thank whomever I takes fluids from at the aid stations. I often (but not always) thank the police or whomever is managing the intersections. I'll thank any female who flashes her boobs at me. I make it a point to thank any EMT or other emergency personnel who might be attempting to save my life. However, I will NOT thank anyone wearing gold lame.

Jerry Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:07 pm

Diego wrote:

I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

That's why 10+ years in US, I haven't adapted the culture to say hi to joggers, giving where I came from. lol!

Tim C Fri Oct 14, 2011 4:48 pm

Diego wrote:I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Too funny. When I started running a few years back, I'd always acknowledge people I passed. 'Morning', 'How you doing?', etc. There are not a lot of people on the road / trail where I run. One day my wife suggests we go run along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. We take off and I start doing what comes natural. After about 2 minutes my wife tells me to shut up and I ask why. She tells me that we're going to pass one or two thousand people over the course of the next hour or 2 and she doesn't want to hear me say good morning to every one of them. Shocked

Michael Enright Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:28 pm

Thanks for your post, Diego!

John Kilpatrick Fri Oct 14, 2011 5:47 pm

People genuinely trying to be nice never bother me.... I usually try to give a finger wave or a smile to some people, but, for me, it would be exhausting to try to thank everyone. Most of the time during a race, I'm just in the zone and stay in my own world. When I volunteer for a race, I certainly don't expect people to thank me though....

JohnP Fri Oct 14, 2011 9:45 pm

Jim, I'm surprised that at the speed you run, that you see this. I have seen just a few people do it but they tend to be loud about it, almost wanting to be sure that others hear them.

Diego Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:30 am

JohnP wrote:Jim, I'm surprised that at the speed you run, that you see this. I have seen just a few people do it but they tend to be loud about it, almost wanting to be sure that others hear them.

If you run in Huntsville/Nashville, you'd be surprised how fast most folks are, especially the ladies. I'm pretty slow.

Gobbles Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:40 pm

I thank most volunteers, and almost all when I not racing hard.
I think it is a nice gesture, volunteers make races possible.

carleenp Sat Oct 15, 2011 2:50 pm

I randomly thank volunteers. I like to be nice, and I appreciate that they came out to help. Also, in a hard long race, sometimes that act of thanking people gets my mind off things and is a nice distraction. But I couldn't imagine thanking everyone! That would probably get tedious!

When I volunteered at Chicago, a couple of people thanked me. It made me smile, mostly because I was amused at being on the other side of things.

dot520 Sun Oct 16, 2011 8:45 am

I thank randomly and specifically. If it's obvious that the policeman held up traffic for me at an intersection (usually when there is this awkward gap between me and the folks in front) I thank specifically. At the water stops, I thank randomly. If there is a particularly zealous spectator, I usually give them a thumbs up or acknowlege them with a smile and eye contact.

Just as Diego mentioned thanking continuously, I have the same problem with people talking through an entire half. Yesterday there was a gal who picked a conversation with anyone that was next to her, just blah, blah, blah...made me faster to get away from her but I suffered for 2-3 miles as her voice carried. Sheesh, cut the talk and save the energy.

Bob Sun Oct 16, 2011 12:39 pm

I would think the worst part would be that everyone of them were verbal. That would drive me nuts after a while, too.

I'll do something similar I'll do on the bike path when I run. A simple wave, nod, wink, a point, or if I'm feeling really cool, I'll even do the "pistol shot". (You know, extended index finger, thumb at 90 degrees, then fire down the thumb at them.) People dig that.

Mike MacLellan Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:09 pm

Tim C wrote:
Diego wrote:I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Too funny. When I started running a few years back, I'd always acknowledge people I passed. 'Morning', 'How you doing?', etc. There are not a lot of people on the road / trail where I run. One day my wife suggests we go run along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. We take off and I start doing what comes natural. After about 2 minutes my wife tells me to shut up and I ask why. She tells me that we're going to pass one or two thousand people over the course of the next hour or 2 and she doesn't want to hear me say good morning to every one of them.

You've... RUN that path?! It was hell enough just walking it the few times I went up to HB this summer.

Julie Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:54 pm

Yeah I don't say thank you non-stop but I thank people who hand me a cup of water or a police officer or something.

I could think of a lot more annoying things for people to do than just say thank you. Like the people who use curse words up every hill. That is something I could go without hearing.

Tim C Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:11 pm

Mike MacLellan wrote:
Tim C wrote:
Diego wrote:I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Too funny. When I started running a few years back, I'd always acknowledge people I passed. 'Morning', 'How you doing?', etc. There are not a lot of people on the road / trail where I run. One day my wife suggests we go run along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. We take off and I start doing what comes natural. After about 2 minutes my wife tells me to shut up and I ask why. She tells me that we're going to pass one or two thousand people over the course of the next hour or 2 and she doesn't want to hear me say good morning to every one of them.

You've... RUN that path?! It was hell enough just walking it the few times I went up to HB this summer.

Actually, several times. I'll admit it's crowded south of the pier on a busy weekend. But you can get a great long run in going north and back. And you can't beat the spectating, er, scenery....

Worst part is on the run back you pass all the motorhomes parked next to the path. They have bacon and pancakes going, which never really smells that great at mile 15....

Mike MacLellan Mon Oct 17, 2011 2:41 pm

Tim C wrote:
Mike MacLellan wrote:
Tim C wrote:
Diego wrote:I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Too funny. When I started running a few years back, I'd always acknowledge people I passed. 'Morning', 'How you doing?', etc. There are not a lot of people on the road / trail where I run. One day my wife suggests we go run along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. We take off and I start doing what comes natural. After about 2 minutes my wife tells me to shut up and I ask why. She tells me that we're going to pass one or two thousand people over the course of the next hour or 2 and she doesn't want to hear me say good morning to every one of them.

You've... RUN that path?! It was hell enough just walking it the few times I went up to HB this summer.

Actually, several times. I'll admit it's crowded south of the pier on a busy weekend. But you can get a great long run in going north and back. And you can't beat the spectating, er, scenery....

Worst part is on the run back you pass all the motorhomes parked next to the path. They have bacon and pancakes going, which never really smells that great at mile 15....

Funny you should mention breakfast - one of my favorite things about Sunday morning runs back home was going past all the neighborhoods about 4 miles from home and smelling their bacon and pancakes. By the time I got home a half hour later, I was ready for a nice big meal Very Happy

ounce Wed Oct 19, 2011 1:39 pm

I, too, try to thank the volunteers as a group and to the cops, if they seem interested in the runners or the race.

If a cop seems particularly outgoing, I'll tell him, "Hey, the sergeant a couple of blocks past said you were supposed to take over for me." "Uh, uh." they usually say.

healdgator Wed Oct 19, 2011 2:23 pm

Tim C wrote:
Diego wrote:I have run in a few marathons recently where runners along side me have thanked every single volunteer on the course for at least 10 miles...the policemen, the fluid station folks, the fans cheering, the starter, etc.

At what point do such good manners become a nuisance? or do they?

At the Rocket City Marathon one young lady must have thanked 150 folks in 2 miles!(yes, that's 10 per minute)! I can't imagine what she would have done at a race like Chicago!

I'll step aside and give my thoughts later.

Too funny. When I started running a few years back, I'd always acknowledge people I passed. 'Morning', 'How you doing?', etc. There are not a lot of people on the road / trail where I run. One day my wife suggests we go run along the boardwalk in Huntington Beach. We take off and I start doing what comes natural. After about 2 minutes my wife tells me to shut up and I ask why. She tells me that we're going to pass one or two thousand people over the course of the next hour or 2 and she doesn't want to hear me say good morning to every one of them.

Nick Morris Wed Oct 19, 2011 4:32 pm

I'll give the occasional thank you to volunteers or policeman, but I think that saying thank you to every single person is a bit much. Normally I am more focused on taking nutrition/hydration, form, and pace...

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