The 10 Weirdest Things We Have Ever Seen On A Run

Sometimes even the most unexpected events can happen on your usual running route. A few runners share the weirdest people, items and occurrences they have seen while on the run.

“My oddest thing was a gentleman breaking out in song to a Whitney Houston favorite. Was he a Whitney fan or just trying to gain attention? Overall, quite the entertainment.” —Erin Lockwood
“On a three-miler around the neighborhood this morning, some tool called out to me asking me to pick him up and take him home. Many girls don’t like tools, but I do, so home with me he came. (And by tool, I mean a literal wrench.)” —Erica Gminski
“I saw a woman vacuuming a horse (yes a horse!) with one of those outdoor vacuum hoses, when I was out on a training run! Not sure if that’s a common grooming practice, but it looked very, very weird.” —Allie Burdick
“Salmon running upstream to spawn. Every year, a group dresses up as salmon and run in the opposite direction during the Bay to Breakers race through San Francisco.” —Christine Yu
“In Upstate New York, I was chased by wild turkeys. They ended up following a cyclist, and I ran in the other direction.” —Hollie Heimer
“The day before Thanksgiving, I ran by a turkey who appeared to be hiding. I’ve seen turkeys before. However, this turkey was alone, behind a fence, and surrounded by brush. He was looking very nervous, eyes darting back and forth. I laughed to myself, imagining he knew the date and was hiding until Friday when no one would want to eat him.” —Adam Roberts
“A man running in a full bulletproof vest and combat boots during a half marathon. And no, he was not a policeman, or in the armed services.” —Caroline Trenary
“In the Australian Outback a few years ago, I was camping with a friend in the middle of nowhere. I got up early to run. About 2 miles in, I realized I was being followed by several black parrots in the distance. If I turned, they would turn. If I slowed down, so did they. I started to get a little nervous when their flock started gaining members, and by the time I got to my turnaround point, there was probably about 30 birds following me back to the campsite. As soon as I crossed whatever invisible line that marked their space, they left me alone, and I finished my run in peace. I later found out that black parrots are notoriously territorial and sometimes vicious toward people and animals that wander into their area.” —Sarah Monk
“I love weird, crazy spectators in costume. It perks me up to see crazy outfits, people on stilts, people shouting at you on megaphones. But what takes the cake was the green Army Man soldier in the Princess Half Marathon this year. He was shouting at us like a drill sergeant, and berated me for taking a picture. It was hilarious and totally fun.” —Cynthia Steele
“A dude running in nothing but shoes and a thong.” —Erika Howder 

 

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