This is a rapidly developing situation and local restrictions may vary. For the most up-to-date information, check your local health department and trusted news outlets, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and local health guidelines regularly.
- Be respectful of other runners, walkers, and cyclists; share the path and give everyone plenty of space—keep distance of at least six feet or more between yourself and others.
- As COVID-19 is a respiratory illness which primarily spreads through droplets, don’t spit or snot rocket on runs near others.
- To help slow the spread of the virus, maintain distance, practice good hand washing habits regularly, and wear a mask or cloth face covering any time you’re in a public setting where it is difficult to maintain appropriate distance, and remain home when you’re ill, according to guidelines set by the CDC.
Under normal circumstances, the popular running routes in Washington, D.C., are rarely packed, usually filled with a few individuals and running clubs. But ever since gyms closed and other precautions were taken to slow the spread of the coronavirus, D.C.—like most cities across the country—has seen a surge of people seeking fresh air and stress-relieving endorphins with runs, walks, or some cycling.
“There have definitely been more people out running, which is great, and makes sense given that so many other exercise options are closed,” Kerry Allen, a 2:41 marathoner who works as a health policy advisor in D.C., told Runner’s World. “But in the city, [the crowds] make it difficult to comply with the social distancing guidelines.”
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According to guidelines set by the CDC, outdoor activities such as running are fine to continue doing—even in the case of a shelter-in-place mandate—as long as you stay socially distant (six feet away) from others and avoid groups. When your runs are on remote trails and in small towns, these rules are easier to follow. But in urban areas with narrow pathways or on popular running trails in parks, it’s harder for runners to maneuver and remain a safe distance apart.
Allen, who often runs loops around the National Mall and monuments in D.C., recently began training on less-frequented trails to avoid the crowds. She has also been running early in the morning when there are fewer people out.
“It’s tempting to push my run to the evening since I have no other conflicting social events for the foreseeable future, but I think the peace and quiet of the morning is worth it,” she said.
Even though the trails are slightly quieter at dawn, Allen still finds herself in “close quarters” with other runners. These interactions, however brief, still raise concerns about spreading the virus.
“It does make the run a little less relaxing when I’m dodging people or see people diving into bushes to avoid me as I come to pass them,” Allen said.
This is why it’s important to wear a mask any time you’re running in an area you can’t maintain distance from others, and alter your route and running time whenever possible. CDC guidance recommends “that people wear masks in public settings and when around people who don’t live in your household, especially when other social distancing measures are difficult to maintain.”
According to Amy Treakle, M.D., an infectious disease specialist with The Polyclinic in Seattle, keeping a six-foot buffer between yourself and fellow runners should help stop the spread of the disease because the virus is transmitted by mucus or saliva droplets that don’t travel very far or linger in the air for a long period of time. But if runners cough, spit, or snot-rocket on each other, they risk spreading the virus, she told Runner’s World.
If you’re having difficulty breathing with the mask on, you can pull it down when the path is empty, then pull it back up when you are approaching or passing another runner.
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Some people have not been respectful of each other’s space at this time. In San Jose, California, a female runner alleged that two men assaulted her after she asked one, a teenager, to keep his distance on the trail. According to ABC 7 News, the teenager was running right beside the woman when she asked him to move. A few minutes later, he returned with another man, who proceeded to cough on her and hit her. The San Jose Police Department later said that the group left the area and has not been identified or apprehended, ABC 7 News reported.
Thankfully incidents like this haven’t been common.
Social Distancing Rules for Runners
What’s the best way to socially distance and stop the spread of virus on a crowded route or trail? Follow this general advice to keep yourself and others safe—and share it with other runners.
- Don’t go running if you feel sick. Stay home.
- Do not gather in groups—seriously.
- Stay six feet apart if you’re passing another runner.
- If you regularly can’t pass safely or it’s too crowded, try running at a less popular hour or on a wider route.
- If you’re running in an area you will encounter others, wear a mask.
- Don’t spit or snot-rocket around others (gross).
- Run solo, with someone you live with, or with a very small group of trusted training partners.
- Carry your own water and hand sanitizer with you, and try to avoid drinking fountains and public bathrooms if possible. Wash your hands after you run.
- If you feel that someone is running too close to you without passing you, kindly ask them to give you more space or let them pass.
- Avoid touching your face when running, and though it is not thought to be the main way the virus spreads is from surfaces, still avoid touching common surfaces like handrails or cross-walk signals.
- If you are nervous about the crowds, stay inside and do some at-home workouts.
Duriel Hardy, a 2:18 marathoner who works as a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital of Pennsylvania (CHOP), has also witnessed an uptick of runners on his local routes in Philadelphia.
“Even the people who I normally see in the gym or at the pool are out running now, because there’s nowhere else to go,” Hardy told Runner’s World. “It’s a crazy time, but it’s a unique time for runners. We’re lucky that we can still do the thing we love.”
To accommodate the growing crowds of runners, Philadelphia recently closed down part of Martin Luther King Drive along the popular Schuylkill River Trail for foot traffic. The action was praised by the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy, which launched a petition earlier this year calling for more cities to block off streets to create space for pedestrians. Hardy said that the closure allows runners to spread out on the road and stay at least six feet away from each other.
“Philadelphia’s doing a great job encouraging social distancing. And overall, runners are really conscious about distancing themselves,” Hardy said. “People are being very polite. If they need to cough or snot-rocket, they look around and make sure no one’s coming up to pass them before doing that.”
Hardy understands that the current situation is stressful, sad, and scary for everyone. Like many other runners, the races he was planning to run this spring— the Penn Relays and Broad Street 10 Mile—were respectively canceled and postponed. Still, he’s approaching this new “normal,” both in regards to daily life and running, with optimism.
“Running has always been a way for me to relieve stress, and I think we all need to relieve stress now more than ever. I’m glad that others who weren’t running before are now running,” Hardy said. “So much has been taken away from people right now, including their sports. As runners, we’re blessed to be able to continue doing our sport as usual. I think we should take comfort in that and embrace it.”
Hailey first got hooked on running news as an intern with Running Times, and now she reports on elite runners and cyclists, feel-good stories, and training pieces for Runner's World and Bicycling magazines.
