Local Man Has No Problem With Runner Lifestyle, But Dislikes How They Shove It Down Your Throat
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A local man has “no problem” with runners, Dumb Runner has learned, but dislikes their public displays.
Frank Fitts, 72, made his remarks yesterday after spotting a small group of runners on his way to lunch. The runners, moving at a moderate pace and dressed in bright clothing, were chatting and laughing, sources said.
“Look at that,” Fitts said from behind the wheel of his pickup. “Disgusting.”
In a phone interview with Dumb Runner, the former Marine and self-employed contractor expanded on that reaction.
“I don’t have a prejudiced bone in my body,” Fitts said. “As far as I’m concerned, if that’s the lifestyle you chose, go for it, and more power to you.”
“What I don’t get is why (runners) have to shove it down everyone’s throat,” he added. “No one needs to see that.”
Among the behaviors Fitts cited as being problematic: Runners “doing their thing” in broad daylight, sharing photos of themselves running with one another (including on social media, “where kids could see them”), making every conversation about running, and dressing in a flamboyant or revealing manner.
“I could do without their special parades, too,” Fitts said, apparently referring to road races held on public streets.
“What adults do in the privacy of their homes is their business,” he continued. “Just don’t rub it in my face all the time.”
Asked whether his feelings might reflect, at least in part, a repressed urge to try on a pair of running shoes himself, Fitts scoffed.
“Absolutely not,” he said. “That makes me want to puke.”
