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Old 05-19-2008, 08:56 PM   #1
Runner Coug
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Default What would you do if you were this runner?

http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2...-hits-car.html

I was hit by a car in a crosswalk a couple of years ago. I started pounding on the hood and screaming like a madman. I was pissed. I'm just generally aggravated by people who ignore crosswalks. I have an unfortunate habit now of giving people the bird when they pull into the crosswalk and cut me off. It's only a matter of time before I flip off someone in my ward.
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Old 05-19-2008, 09:26 PM   #2
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I've always operated on the principle that the damage a 3,000 pound car can do to my 230 pound body, coupled with the stupidity/aggressiveness/blindness of most drivers, trumps any legal rights I have to be in the crosswalk. On general principles, if there is a car in the vicinity, I stop and wait for it to pass before I enter the crosswalk.
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Old 05-19-2008, 09:42 PM   #3
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I took a running class for PE at BYU and the instructor was the coach of the women's CC team. I can't remember his name but he was a very cool guy and made the course a lot of fun. He told us about how little respect he felt runners get from drivers in Utah (I think this is a complaint in most states but he used Utah because he lives there). He said that during one run he was about halfway through a crosswalk when a driver who had already made eye contact with him pulled forward blocking the entire crosswalk. He said it pissed him off so bad that without thinking he just kept running. When he got to the car he leapt up onto the hood, jogged across it and leapt off, never breaking stride.

I have to admit that ever since he told me that story I've wanted to do that as it's happened to me plenty of times.
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Old 05-19-2008, 09:47 PM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SteelBlue View Post
I took a running class for PE at BYU and the instructor was the coach of the women's CC team. I can't remember his name but he was a very cool guy and made the course a lot of fun. He told us about how little respect he felt runners get from drivers in Utah (I think this is a complaint in most states but he used Utah because he lives there). He said that during one run he was about halfway through a crosswalk when a driver who had already made eye contact with him pulled forward blocking the entire crosswalk. He said it pissed him off so bad that without thinking he just kept running. When he got to the car he leapt up onto the hood, jogged across it and leapt off, never breaking stride.

I have to admit that ever since he told me that story I've wanted to do that as it's happened to me plenty of times.
A lesson the driver will remember would be to always carry your 9mm with you and shoot out the tires that are in the crosswalk.
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Old 05-19-2008, 09:53 PM   #5
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Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie View Post
I've always operated on the principle that the damage a 3,000 pound car can do to my 230 pound body, coupled with the stupidity/aggressiveness/blindness of most drivers, trumps any legal rights I have to be in the crosswalk. On general principles, if there is a car in the vicinity, I stop and wait for it to pass before I enter the crosswalk.
When I was at BYU, Doug Padilla was hit while running through a crosswalk in Orem, shattering his tibia and fibula into dozens of pieces, effectively ending one of the greatest LDS athlete long distance running careers. It was really a sad thing to see. He was still in a halo-type external fixator at that time and was fairly optimistic about recovering from it. I was a little less optimistic.

I personally try to avoid roads and intersections at all costs. I've never had any close calls while running, but I just much prefer trail running to roads.
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Old 05-19-2008, 10:01 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by BigFatMeanie View Post
I've always operated on the principle that the damage a 3,000 pound car can do to my 230 pound body, coupled with the stupidity/aggressiveness/blindness of most drivers, trumps any legal rights I have to be in the crosswalk. On general principles, if there is a car in the vicinity, I stop and wait for it to pass before I enter the crosswalk.
I see what you're saying, but what about busy intersections? Of course the best thing would be do avoid them altogether, but that can be tough during a 20 mile run.
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Old 05-19-2008, 10:24 PM   #7
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Originally Posted by Runner Coug View Post
http://dailyviews.runnersworld.com/2...-hits-car.html

I was hit by a car in a crosswalk a couple of years ago. I started pounding on the hood and screaming like a madman. I was pissed. I'm just generally aggravated by people who ignore crosswalks. I have an unfortunate habit now of giving people the bird when they pull into the crosswalk and cut me off. It's only a matter of time before I flip off someone in my ward.
This just reminded me of a stupid little thing that happened to me following a track team practice back in my freshman year of high school.

It was a terribly rainy day and the parking lots and roads around the school campus were full of huge puddles. We're talking Lake Ontario big. As I was heading back to campus after running on the track, I saw a car tearing through the parking lot splashing water from the puddles on everyone that they could. As I got close to campus, all of a sudden they came roaring around a corner headed right for me. They had me right by the side of the road with a monster puddle right next to me. I had a visions of a Hawaii Five-0 type tidal wave crashing over the top of me and my massive 125 pound frame.

As I was already wet and not caring about getting more wet, but moreso not wanting to give them the satisfaction of drenching another victim, I instinctively jumped right into the middle of the one-lane road and also the puddle, which stood about 4 or 5 inches deep. The car had no other choices but to either run me over or stop. It came to a skidding stop less than 2 feet from me.

The car accupants, an upperclassman guy driver and two girl passengers, sat staring at me for several seconds until I took the 2 small hops through the puddle to the sidewalk. With them stopped, having no speed to splash me any longer, all they could do was hang out the windows, float me a few birds and call me every 4 and 5 letter name ever spoken. I matched their one-fingered salute with one of my own and went on my way, chest a little fuller and shoulders a little higher.

And as far as I can recall, that was the day that I went from being a quiet, reserved pimply-faced freshman to a quiet, sarcastic, pimply-faced freshman with a chip on his shoulder and an utter contempt for bullies of all ages and car types.
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