Rude Words and Ruder People

Being heckled by non-runners is nothing new. How to deal with hecklers–among other annoyances on the run?

Well being taunted by people is something new for me. I'd almost never had any experience with it in the USA (with the exception of one horrid episode). I come to Madrid, and it is a near daily occurrence.

Partly I think it's Spain's physical laziness. You don't have a long history of daily activity here, as you do in the States. People don't have the experience of being an athlete nor... even the life long experience of encountering athletes in their daily life.

So a dedicated and enthusiastic runner, someone willing to run in morning dark or in searing heat, is beyond them. Their response takes the form of being unable to share the pavement, or stunned to need to drive carefully, or to random rude comment.

Those Spanish responses to finding a runner among them can take varied forms. I've been heckled by teenagers and adults for: sweating, the clothes I wear, the speed I run at, even the fact that I AM running.

Many times it's drunk kids in the morning congregating around Madrid in the wee hours of the morning waiting for the metro to open or simply stumbling home after a long night out with their friends.

I've had remarks made at me that range from silly to insulting to dangerous. Remarks such as, "Run, boy, run" or "Why are you running?" or "Watch where you are going?" Some of the remarks are truly silly but they give you pause and make you wonder at more sinister possibilities. Now this IS Europe so try sinister is not going to be American-level badness. But you never know. I've lost a lot of my urban radar living here but known of my imagination. So I keep my ears open when I run from 5.30 am to 9am. Until I pass their usual area of my route, I can't fully relax and concentrate on my training.

I've also things thrown at me. I've had cigarettes, bottles, and assorted bags of trash thrown at me. I've even had a person spit on me as i went by them. I've had to dodge all of these and the occasional unmoving group of kids. I've had to stay clear of sleeping bums on the benches, as I've read of knifings of people who stray to close to them and startle them. I've, as the weather has gotten warm, had to steeple jump bums sleeping in the middle of the pavement. Sometimes, in groups of threes and fours. At times this can be amusing but most times it is just annoying.

But what about dealing with it? What can a runner do to deal with these unnecessary distractions? How do we combat the rude words of people in our path? How do we respond to harder insults of things thrown at us?

I've heard of people responding to rude drivers by throwing a stone at the offending car. Or taunting back. Or flipping them off. I've seldom, if ever, responded to taunts and rude actions in this way. Though I must admit to a violent response to a snow ball that landed me in court in front of judge (who found in my favor). My typical response is simply to keep running.

Ignore and run.

Following the logic of my animal entry, it is best to copy the actions of the animal world. If you hurl insults at a running animal, he or she will simply keep running on.

So, ignore and run.





So, tell us, have you heard any good taunts lately?



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