People's reactions when you run

I was finishing a 10 mile run. It was cold and raining I was wearing shorts and a tee shirt. An elderly couple driving by suddenly stopped and looked at me. I guess they didn't want me in their car because they drove off without offering me a ride.


 
I don't run, but I do hike and take walks barefoot. I'm surprised at the number of people who notice.
I've gotten a few scowls, but no negative comments so far.
Mainly questions (does it hurt? are your feet cold?) or friendly exclamations (oh, barefoot?!).

One time I crossed paths with a group on horseback who asked me to take their photo.
When they noticed I was barefoot, one commented that I must be trying to emulate that "wilderness guy" on TV.
Didn't know what they were talking about, but apparently there is or was a "reality" show where a guy is barefoot during his wilderness treks.

For safety, I almost always bring sandals (and a first aid kit).
I've noticed that if I carry the sandals where people can see them, I get fewer comments than if they are packed in my backpack.
Not sure why. Maybe seeing footwear reassures people I'm not totally nuts?

Anyway, if I was braver, I'd go barefoot more places, but I hate the (unwanted) attention.
 
"That n*ggah barefoot?"


A carload of teenagers, mixed ethnicities, front passenger, African-American, "Look at that n***** run!"

I laugh, smile and wave. (I'm asian) They all laugh.


Lady walking her doggie, "You're gong to get frostbite on your toes."

Me smiling: "Nah, sweating -- FEELS SO GOOD !"

She smiling and nodding: "Okay!"
 
This thread is probably never going to die :)
Today on my lunch break trail run, a woman in her thirties:
"WOoooooW ! Coooool ! You have to show that to my parents !"

Never heard that before :D
 
Thanks for the info about Dual Survival.
Your blog posts about it are interesting as well.

Thank you.

By the way, if you write a blog and really want to get the hits, just write a blog entry that talks about why Dave Canterbury is no longer on the show: Dual Survival: Dave Canterbury Apologizes

Then, whenever Discovery shows reruns of the new episodes with Joe Teti, traffic spikes.

Bare feet? Not so much.
 
I ran loops in the park last evening. On the first couple of them, I would be running by a woman going the same direction and who was talking on her cellphone. On the 4th time around she was just walking and I went gliding by. I then heard a very distressed-sounding voice yell, "Why are you doing that?"

I yelled back, "Because it feels good."

I think she thought I was crazy to be running barefoot on a chilly breezy night.
 
This morning I had an odd experience...my local park has a running track that is becoming glass-littered because of drunken louts partying there at night, so this morning I decided to run in VFFs to just have a carefree run rather than mincing my way through the splinters.

I have very noticeable white and red Bikilas and I got a super enthusiastic thumbs up from a woman running the other way... I felt like a fraud getting a thumbs up for wussing out in minshoes. :D

I'll go by and clean up this weekend, there's 3 bottles broken right now in various stages of pulverization along the 2.7km loop. It's summer here finally and this is a college dorm area, so railing against the "stupid drunk-ass kids" is probably futile...sigh.
 
a few weeks ago we took a test on the arm. one girl drew in the arteries on her arm and i told her she needed to wash it off. she looked at me like i was the umpteenth idiot to tell her and said "i know that." i thought, wow. there i was seeing something so unexpected and saying something so obvious. i guess i can understand now why people say things to us.
 
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This should make your day:

I was running around my pond loop and a dad told his 4-5 year old boy to show me all his fish. He ran happily up the side path toward me, calling out. After I gave him the thumbs up and told him good job, he saw my feet and called back to his dad in amazement, "She's got bare feet!" His dad replied, "Yes, that makes her feet stronger." I was nearly dumbstruck!
 
Was running barefoot at a wet 44°F around our pond loop. I ran past a little boy maybe 2 years old and his father. My husband was catching up after dropping something off at the car and heard the little boy excitedly searching for appropriate vocabulary. "She's walking....! She's walking....!" Then, my husband ran by and the little boy excitedly shouted, "That man is wearing shoes!" :D
 
Everyone in my neighborhood is used to me and waves when I go by, maybe because I always wave at them - I'm just known as "that BF runner" to most. Occasionally I'll stop and chat for a minute or two when I meet one of the regular walkers. Any runners, we'll usually just nod or give a lazy wave to each other as we pass.

Most of the positive comments have come from other (shod) runners. My favorite so far is "You're a rockstar!", although that's somewhat negative because it implies most others can't do it. I've heard "awesome" and "lookin' good!" a few times and when I get "How do you do that?", I just answer "Practice!"

Once as I was approaching the finish line in a 10K I heard a young boy exclaim to his Dad "See, his feet aren't bloody!" Another time, someone commented "What happened - did somebody steal your shoes?" and I said "Yes, and they took my lunch money, too!"

But most people pretend not to see me - like I'm a bit of a nut, maybe even psycho and no one knows what I might do next. Once someone drove by, stopped in the middle of the road, backed up, rolled down the window, and asked if he could take a picture - all this on a hill and a blind curve! - now who's the crazy one??? If they do make a comment, it's usually stating the obvious (Hey, you're barefoot!). On rare occasions, someone will ask about BFR.
 
Descending a dirt road while hiking in the Cleveland National Forest with my uncle, cousin, her daughter, and my daughter, both girls barefoot as well.
Guy in full racing gear ascending on a mountain bike, shouts out while passing:
"That'll toughen up your feet, pretty soon you'll be ready for fire-walking."
My Uncle to me:
"Can you fire-walk?"