Series of Friendly Greetings No Match for Runner’s Seriousness
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Several people on a local multi-use path tried without success to greet a serious runner Sunday morning, Dumb Runner has learned, watching one by one as their efforts went ignored.
Those efforts ranged from subtle smiles and attempted eye contact to at least one full-blown “good morning!” In all, passersby tried half a dozen greetings. None had any apparent effect.
The runner was identified as Jack Worthing, 28. Multiple sources confirmed that Worthing is a serious runner.
“Oh yeah, I see him fairly often,” said Algernon Moncrieff, 40, who uses the path for daily walks with his dog. “I always give him a friendly little nod of the head, try to catch his eye.”
The gesture is never returned.
“Dude focuses like a laser, straight ahead, into the distance, and has this sort of frown,” Moncrieff said. “It’s wild.”
Worthing maintains his stony rictus even with fellow runners, sources said, declining to acknowledge their presence.
“I always try at least to nod when I see another runner,” said Cecily Cardew, a local triathlete. “Sunday I saw [Worthing] approaching from, like, 200 meters away. When we got close enough, I gave him a little wave and a ‘hi there,’ and… nothing.”
“Clearly,” Cardew said, “he is a serious runner.”
Reached for comment, Worthing stared dead ahead and remained silent.
