Folks, I received the following note from Ann Leonard (@artisan), who is one of the main people behind the Friends of Hammond Hill, who maintain the trails up there for everyone to use. She and her husband Charlie, who runs many of our races with their son and granddaughters, also own the Hammond Hill-ton warming shack that we rely on for our Super Frosty Loomis snowshoe race and the land surrounding it that serves as the Thom B finish area. They’re our people!
Anyway, she had two troubling interactions with on the Hammond Hill trails recently, and I wanted to share them as a reminder of why trail etiquette is so important. Besides it being just good manners, not surprising walkers—and especially horses!—improves safety for everyone. Always announce yourself when coming up on people, and give horses a wide berth! I sincerely hope that the offenders were not among the FLRC running community, but regardless, let’s all try to spread the word about watching out for others on the trails. Stay safe out there!
Ann wrote:
In the past two days we have had two deeply unsettling, negative interactions with two 20 to 30 year old-ish white male runners.
The first man ran up behind me while I was walking, so close our arms brushed. I did not hear him coming and he did not announce himself AT ALL. It startled me, to say the least, and had I moved even slightly to the right, he would have run me over. When politely confronted about announcing oneself being common courtesy and a safety issue, he insisted it was my fault for not “paying attention to my surroundings” and he basically word vomited hate all over me and Charlie for asking for basic courtesy. He flatly refused to accept personal responsibility.
The second guy ran toward us while my grand-daughter and I were riding horses. He was running with ear buds, that, when it was obvious I was saying something, he had to remove to hear me request that he WALK by the pony behind me with my ten year old granddaughter on top. This also is common courtesy and also a safety issue. It doesn’t often happen, but that pony has been known to kick sideways at things moving past her at speed. So far she only only kicked a dog and another horse, but it is not beyond possibility that she might feel threatened and protect herself from a runner dashing by. Thank the gods she didn’t this time as he continued to run by instead of slowing down, and instead spewed nonsense about cleaning up my pony poop (which I do every time I am walking on trails. I don’t get off while riding because my fake knee is handicapped enough it requires a mounting block to get on AND OFF. )
So this might just be dreadful luck to have two nasty incidents in two days, but when it is young runner men mouthing off to senior citizens, I have to wonder what the hell made them into such absolute donkey backsides.
I will say, the mountain bikers who bike Hammond Hill are incredibly polite, respectful and downright kind to me and my horses. And Ernie, fee free to share that with your list serve. What is it with the runners all of a sudden?! Adam, I doubt they are FLRC members, but if you agree, a general announcement to the club might raise awareness of this issue.