# Women: would you be uncomfortable running beside a man? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [April 23, 2012, 10:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677 "2012-04-23T10:50:10Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/21 "2012-04-23T19:24:19Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Did I tell you about my lumbago? I don’t think so. Is she hot? ---
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/22 "2012-04-23T19:33:09Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > I don’t think so. Is she hot? Lumbago isn’t a person. It’s a motor home. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/23 "2012-04-23T19:35:04Z")
Oh. Is it hot? ---
**Author:** ![amarinth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/3be4f8/32.png) [@amarinth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/amarinth)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/24 "2012-04-23T19:47:39Z")
> [@blindboyard](#): > > This is about the “Race for Life”, the women-only run staged each year by Cancer Research UK. They’ve just recently succumbed to a campaign run by a woman who wanted her sun to be allowed to run, so now boys up to eleven years of age are allowed to run too. This was first the case last year, but they had planned not to allow boys in again on the grounds that running with boys made women uncomfortable. Is “uncomfortable” the real reason or is it a slightly misguided female empowerment sort of thing, where they want to be able to say “this money was raised by women for women!”, because that seems more understandable. I wouldn’t be uncomfortable. I don’t think I know anyone who would be uncomfortable in a mixed gender 5K run. I have met women who are uncomfortable with mixed gender tris because they think that men might be more aggressive in the swim and are worried about having to deal with that while they’re trying to stay afloat. Having been clobbered by (and having clobbered) members of both genders, their fears are unfounded, but somewhat understandable. ---
**Author:** ![mcgato](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/ac8455/32.png) [@mcgato](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mcgato)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/25 "2012-04-23T19:52:31Z")
I’m a guy, but I have heard of women that are not comfortable running in a mixed sex race. The reasons given include a large size discrepancy and the fact that some running guys are assholes around women. The size issue is usually a short woman concerned about being trampled by much larger men. It can be a bit intimidating for some smaller women. The asshole issue has to do with guys who are offended by women running in front of them, especially near the end of a race, who will do everything that they can to finish in front of them. This can involve elbows, cutting off the woman, or just generally acting like an asshole. I think that it has gotten a lot better than 20 years ago, or more. Both men and women have adapted to some extent. The women tend to be less intimidated, and the men tend to be less assholish. ---
**Author:** ![Rick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/9f8e36/32.png) [@Rick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rick)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/26 "2012-04-23T19:56:26Z")
> [@tdn](#): > > Oh. > > Is it hot? Nope. Once they put the bigger radiator in it, it runs nice and cool. ---
**Author:** ![msmith537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/d9b06d/32.png) [@msmith537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/msmith537)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 8:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/27 "2012-04-23T20:13:40Z")
> [@mcgato](#): > > I’m a guy, but I have heard of women that are not comfortable running in a mixed sex race. The reasons given include a large size discrepancy and the fact that some running guys are assholes around women. The size issue is usually a short woman concerned about being trampled by much larger men. It can be a bit intimidating for some smaller women. The asshole issue has to do with guys who are offended by women running in front of them, especially near the end of a race, who will do everything that they can to finish in front of them. This can involve elbows, cutting off the woman, or just generally acting like an asshole. Yeah. I’ve had a lot of complaints from women who have run with me that they keep tripping over my my huge cock. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 8:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/28 "2012-04-23T20:16:04Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Yeah. I’ve had a lot of complaints from women who have run with me that they keep tripping over my my huge cock. Well, then, leave your rooster at home next time. They don’t know how to stay out of the way! ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 8:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/29 "2012-04-23T20:44:19Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > Stop that, you’re getting far too old (and a bit stodgy) for this sort of thing. How about us youngsters? We need knowledge too! I’m a guy and I am uncomfortable running with men. They wear those tiny tiny shorts and their junk flops all over the place. Plus I’m selfish and I don’t want other men oogling the womens boobs as they bounce oh so beautifully. I should be the only man seeing all those bouncing boobs. ---
**Author:** ![tdn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/94ad74/32.png) [@tdn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tdn)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 8:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/30 "2012-04-23T20:54:55Z")
> [@Drunky\_Smurf](#): > > Plus I’m selfish and I don’t want other men oogling the womens boobs as they bounce oh so beautifully. I should be the only man seeing all those bouncing boobs. You don’t have to worry about me. I’m into bouncing lombegos now. ---
**Author:** ![RaftPeople](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@RaftPeople](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RaftPeople)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/31 "2012-04-23T21:18:40Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Interesting - this year is the 40th anniversary of women being allowed to register for the Boston Marathon and the 45th anniversary of [Katherine Switzer](http://www.kathrineswitzer.com/index.shtml) being the first woman to register. She’s been in the news a lot lately (I guess because of the anniversaries?) > > [Here’s a recent article](http://espn.go.com/espnw/more-sports/7803502/2012-boston-marathon-how-kathrine-switzer-paved-way-female-runners) with some photos of Switzer being physically pushed out of the race. Or attempted pushing. She finished anyway 🙂 Wow, I had no idea. That is awesome (awesome that the idiot got checked by her boyfriend). ---
**Author:** ![Antigen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/848f3c/32.png) [@Antigen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Antigen)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/32 "2012-04-23T21:30:34Z")
> [@msmith537](#): > > Yeah. I’ve had a lot of complaints from women who have run with me that they keep tripping over my my huge cock. Just play with yourself as you run, to keep it erect and out of the way. ---
**Author:** ![Inigo\_Montoya](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/inigo_montoya/32/124_2.png) [@Inigo\_Montoya](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Inigo_Montoya)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 9:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/33 "2012-04-23T21:43:17Z")
> [@Bricker](#): > > Did I tell you about my lumbago? Not buying it, you need to go back to codger school. They never ask if they’ve _told you about_ something, they ask if _you’ve heard about_ something just before they commence telling you. The ramble is predicated on your presumed interest in the forthcoming topic, not upon your need for new information and the irrelevance of redundency. ie: “Have you heard about **msmith537** ’s huge cock? You know, I remember a time when he had merely a large cock. It was back before the war against the Germans. He needed a new heel for his shoe so he caught the ferry to Morganville, which is what they called Shelbyville in those days. So he tied a cinderblock to his manhood, which was the style at the time…” ---
**Author:** ![gracer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/8e7dd6/32.png) [@gracer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gracer)\ **Post date:** [April 23, 2012, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/34 "2012-04-23T22:22:29Z")
And no consideration for the intimidation men endure while running. My SO goes running every day, and said one time that he thought women running in the opposite direction look at his crotch. I didn’t really buy it, but I cycled next to him the other day and I can confirm that it is true. He should definitely have his own private marathon, to prevent all those pervy women preying on my poor babe. ---
**Author:** ![blindboyard](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/blindboyard/32/2833_2.png) [@blindboyard](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/blindboyard)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 7:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/35 "2012-04-24T07:18:01Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > No, not uncomfortable, but I also don’t see what the big deal is and why she has to be so pushy about her son. It’s not like it’s the only running event out there, and I also wouldn’t see a problem with men-only runs…but people would probably freak over that. Well, when she had cancer she says her son was the thing that kept her going, so now she’s running to raise money for cancer she wanted him there too. > [@LurkerInNJ](#): > > I thought men could get breast cancer too. Occasionally, but it’s not a breast cancer run, it’s a cancer run. ---
**Author:** ![si\_blakely](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/d9b06d/32.png) [@si\_blakely](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/si_blakely)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 11:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/36 "2012-04-24T11:40:55Z")
To be fair, **Race For Life** is a 5k run specifically targeted at women to raise awareness for Cancer Research UK. The justification is that it is a short, noncompetitive run/walk that is more about affirmation and togetherness than anything else - there are lots of walkers, and it is a non-athletes event. Given the target demographic, they can be as exclusive as they want to be. And they choose to restrict it to women because (and I am sure they have research to back this up) many women who would consider entering may be put off by the presence of lots of men for whatever personal reasons. It isn’t a judgement on men, and it isn’t a reflection on women who choose to enter. It is a way to engage women in a way that allows them to reach more. Cancer Research UK also have Run10K - mixed, noncompetitive events that men and women can enter. It is more of a runners event, and some runners put more effort in than others. And for this event, no-one minds. Si ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/37 "2012-04-24T15:16:55Z")
> [@si\_blakely](#): > > To be fair, **Race For Life** is a 5k run specifically targeted at women to raise awareness for Cancer Research UK. The justification is that it is a short, noncompetitive run/walk that is more about affirmation and togetherness than anything else - I would be more uncomfortable running beside women who think that the way to “affirm togetherness” is by gender based exclusion, than I would running beside men. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/38 "2012-04-24T15:19:39Z")
I still don’t understand what’s wrong with it. And I am one that doesn’t really have a lot of female friends…but so what? Guys like to hang out with each other; why wouldn’t women want to sometimes, without any guys around? I feel for the mom but I still think she should take her son to another run and stop messing with something that’s working fine and really isn’t hurting anyone. ---
**Author:** ![Hello\_Again](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/85e7bf/32.png) [@Hello\_Again](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hello_Again)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 3:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/39 "2012-04-24T15:33:14Z")
> [@Anaamika](#): > > I still don’t understand what’s wrong with it. And I am one that doesn’t really have a lot of female friends…but so what? Guys like to hang out with each other; why wouldn’t women want to sometimes, without any guys around? I feel for the mom but I still think she should take her son to another run and stop messing with something that’s working fine and really isn’t hurting anyone. a. it isn’t working fine - the OP states that races have been cancelled due to lack of participation in the female-only races. If the race is cancelled that means the charity gets no moolah. b. It does hurt someone - it hurts the men who would like to show their support by running (in honor of someone else, because they are cancer survivors or for whatever personal reason) and are informed that their penis disqualifies them from showing that support. That just isn’t cool. I know men who are a hell of a lot more affirming and togetherness-enjoying than I am. They’ll let my bitch ass run though, since I have the vagina. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [April 24, 2012, 4:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677/40 "2012-04-24T16:27:39Z")
There are other cancer walks and runs, so I’m not exactly crying for the men who can’t participate. However, if indeed it’s not making money, then by all means, they shall have to change their m.o. to make money again. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/women-would-you-be-uncomfortable-running-beside-a-man/619677.md?page=1)