Here in South Africa people don't ever do that to runners. They'd only ever hoot at them if they're running in the road and might get hit by a car! But otherwise no one ever shouts obsceneties or make any remarks to runners, cyclists or anyone else doing exercise outside.

This makes me so mad too! I even regulate what I wear to run sometimes because I get so sick of rude guys thinking that it's somehow acceptable to bother me. I've never actually learned how to deal with it though, so I mostly just turn up my iPod and keep going, but sometimes I have snapped and flipped them off. I gotta say, it felt kinda good.

I just moved to a very rural area where everyone knows everyone...except me. Here, people do a 180 with their head (while driving mind you) or sit on the porch and stare. More people honked, yelled and gestured where I used to live. I hated it and it did make me rethink my routes. I usually just ignored them. I love to run, but it makes me really sad that things like this make me think twice about lacing up.

Dude. You have no idea how much this bothers me. Many years ago, while I was running outside, some guys in a truck screamed at me "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?" and then threw flavored condoms at me. Luckily, they were still in the packages. . .still, awful!

"Many years ago, while I was running outside, some guys in a truck screamed at me "WHY ARE YOU RUNNING?" and then threw flavored condoms at me. "

WTF? Why and what's wrong with people? The one experience I had was 2 guys. including one that sounded like a kid speaking to me (I think) while hiding in the bushes and trees on that side of the park. They were being rude and it pissed me off, especially since I'm sure they wouldn't dare speak to someone that way if the person could see them. Jerks! I already didn't like that park that much and that made me even less likely to want to go there.

UGH. That drives me nuts. Especially now that it's starting to get warmer outside, I want to be able to run in shorts and a tank top without getting obscene and rude comments. One thing I've started doing is running earlier in the morning to avoid many people on the streets. But it drives me nuts that if I sleep in, I'm hesitant to go for my daily run! I've also started using it as motivation to run faster. If someone starts to say something or honk, I'll pick up my speed to get by them faster. It's also empowering; a little voice in my head is asking them, "Can you sprint this fast after running several miles?"

I end up flipping them off

Running, walking, whatever, people like to honk.

I used to get angry, and occasionally flip people the bird. Then I figured that was mean, maybe they were just offering encouragement, so I started waving. "Who was that?" "I have no clue." Every now and again, someone will say "oh! I saw you walking/running the other day, so I honked!" Aha! Phantom honkers whose cars I do not know!

Now I wave after them: "Hi person who honked even though I have no clue who you are!" unless I'm angry, then it's "I don't know who you are, don't honk at me!"

I just ignore them. I feel like if I flip them the bird, they know they've gotten to me. I always have my ipod on, so I just let them think I didn't hear them! LOSERS!

This is one of the most frustrating things about running! Now living in NYC, I miss the back woods where I used to run, it's impossible to run without getting obnoxious cat calls!

i don't mind the occasional harmless honk honk (sometimes its even slightly flattering) but i hate it when people yell offensive things.
however, my cross country team developed a point system over the season: 1 point for honks, 2 points if they say something, 3 points if they drive by again. just stupid high schoolers looking for a way to liven up the season haha.

I hate it so much! People I pass on the sidewalks are (usually) very nice, but there are so many guys that drive by from the comfort of their cars that are so obnoxious!

Theres absolutely no excuse for them doing that! but it might help to not wear what the lady in the picture is wearing (sports bra and little shorts) if you just want them to leave you alone.

It doesn't bother me, and I don't dress any differently because of them. It's too damn hot here in Texas to put on more clothes! LOL

Most of the people honking just do a little friendly "toot-toot," and I choose to imagine it as "way to go," or "lookin' good."

I'm not interested in their opinion, in any case! Usually the folks you see in their cars are overflowing in their seats & stuffing a giant burger in their mouths and looking frazzled & unhappy.

The guys who yell stuff are just immature teens with nothing better to do, and normally my iPod prevents me from hearing the actual content of their noise. LOL

As long as they just keep driving by & don't slow down to try to follow me, I'm fine.

I just think to myself that the pervert yelling at me has really low self esteem and probably a really small penis. It makes me laugh and takes my anger away.

YES!! This drives me CRAZY! When it happens to me, I either ignore them or I just give a polite little wave and keep on. I figure it's better not to let on how much it bothers me. But I don't understand why guys do that though? I've tried to pick the brains of a few guys that I've known that I've seen do this to other girls, but they really just don't seem to GET IT that this sort of behavior doesn't draw positive attention to you from the target girl - it just annoys and embarrasses us!

Does anybody still get that when they're walking their dogs? I notice that I don't get harrassed when I'm walking my dog for some reason.

One time I got flipped off by a guy showing off on a motorbike. It sort of made me angry but then it puzzled me more instead

Its always wayyyyy too hot to run in big shirts and shorts. I have a couple of times, but I still get gestures, yelling, and honks.

Oh, this bothers me to no end! I run in the city and it seems like there is no shortage of idiots out there...I've gotten beeped at, sworn at, and once a car full of guys screamed at me: "Show us your tits!" Um, yeah, right. I also hate it when I'm crossing a street with a stop sign and people don't stop and then beep at ME for crossing the street. It's like, hello, you have the stop sign. Usually, I just keep running, but sometimes I end up flipping people off if they almost hit me or are being exceptionally rude.

I get people honking at me when I go out to check the mailbox in normal (non-workout) clothes. People are just inconsiderate. Ignore them.

I can't stand that kind of behavior. It makes me want to flip the bird right back at them, but it only fuels them to do it more. The only thing I do is ignore them and keep moving. They think they're complimenting you, but it's just humiliating and rude. Maybe one day it can be outlawed in the U.S.!

When I'm running, I just shrug it off and run faster.

A little off topic, though: I get a lot of honking on my bike - whether I'm on the bike path or on the road. I get guys in trucks with metal testicles hanging from the rear bumper yelling at me to 'GET OFF THE ROAD, B****' and honking at me, angry people trying to run me down right into the curb (on purpose - they're looking RIGHT AT ME through the rearview mirror) and today, while I was fighting a killer headwind on a busy street, this guy drove up beside me, slowed down his car, and just sort of stared at me. I don't know if he said anything - I had my headphones - but even if he didn't, it was pretty creepy.

I know that if you're in a rush and traffic's bad, the last thing you want to see is a cyclist in front of you, zig-zagging and just generally being stupid. But I bike on wide roads with a minimum of two lanes - I take the far right one, just like I'm supposed to - and signal my turns, wear a bright yellow jacket, keep in a straight line, go pretty fast and generally keep out of the way of drivers. What the hell, honestly? Would it kill you to take the other lane?

And skater guys hanging out in the park near my house just yell sexual stuff at me as I pass. Or run into the trail in front of me to play chicken, so that I have to veer off or brake really quickly.

AMEN Sisters! Exchange the word bike for run and I am in the same pissed off situation/mood! Why? Why? Whyyyyy???? Why can't drivers just share the road and respect us exercisers??

Also, as an addendum; I just remembered another pleasant little anecdote.

I was running with a friend of mine for cross-country. We're both teenage girls, fairly small, and she was recovering from... well, not an eating disorder per se, but it was pretty damn close. The rest of the team was a little ways behind; we were at the lead of the pack - about ten girls between 14-16.

Two guys drive by and scream 'FATA**!' at us.

Honking - well, I guess you can see that as encouragement. But to do that? To a bunch of kids? Is unacceptable.

OMG I hate when people do that! I was once going for my daily walk and as i was crossing the street the jerk almost hit me!

Coming and going from the park where I run, there is one unavoidable block I have to run through where there are always groups of men loitering on the corners and in the doorways (yeah, I live in Brooklyn). Not only do they always make comments and kissy noises, they get offended if I ignore them and then start making "What, you think you're too good for us?" types of comments. Luckily, it's only one block and all is good in the park.

I really don't get it...do the guys honking really think you are going to appreciate their gesture and that you are actually going to talk to them/give them your number?

I'm more of an indoor girl but in the small town that I work in, the women in a rather posh neighborhood had a big problem with this. There was one guy that actually slowed down and followed them in his truck, yelling gross sexual things the whole time. This happened to several different women and always the guy in the truck. They contacted the local authorities and were told that there was nothing they could arrest the guy for, but the cops did start patroling the area more frequently and the guy has disappeared. He was following them for like twenty minutes at a time, even following them home. Creepy.

When I lived in Miami people would try to splash me with puddles when they were being jerks. I eventually stopped running there. In general I ignore folks being idiots.

My parents, especially my mother, instilled within me from my birth paranoia. Therefore, there is no way in H-E-L-L I would run outside by myself.

I HATE THIS. It might just be the most annoying thing ever. And yes, its sad that you have to run around it becuase people choose to be annoying. I totally ignore them. I figure they want some kind of rise out of you, so I just pretend like I don't hear them. Blast your music and run on baby!

Wow. I'm thankful I've never encountered this on my runs. Though, now that I think of it most of my runs are through my own neighborhood with very light traffic, or by my gym with just a small street with light traffic, or around my work which is once again a neighborhood with light traffic. Note to self, don't run on busy roads.

I can totally understand all of your frustrations too. Wow. People can be jerks!

I do have a question, as I'm moving soon and my peaceful run routes may soon be compromised, is the running/cat call situation made better when running with a group? Like a running club?

yeah it's annoying to get honked at but I always wonder if maybe I know them. Guys yelling and gawking though, I never did understand what that was all about...? What are those baboons doing!!? I just block it out like backround music, when I run I'm usually very deep in thought.

This drove me crazy (and I don't live in the very best neighborhood, so it also sketched me out), so I finally joined a gym to run in peace. This new peace also includes ample ogling from the free weights area and plenty of creepily-adjacent treadmill time, even when I'm in my baggiest, grossest, oldest workout gear. SO over it.

This is why I run/walk with my dog who is a lab mix. Before I got her, I was always getting obscenities yelled at me. But now if someone yells, she lunges at them and growls! Tee hee! I feel much safer when my Maggie is with me!

I'm moving to South Africa - LOL
Nah... I just ignore them. I'm very friendly and sometimes I just get so lost in my run that I end up smiling and waving at them.

i just think it's silly. this happened a lot to me and my friend when we were running in the winter time along the street, which makes even less sense.

If you think THAT's bad...

in the city I used to live (former car theft capital of Canada), little underage punks would steal cars and then joyride in them with the purpose of mowing down joggers/cyclists. One runner was seriously injured, another cyclist was killed.

This is why I stick to parks for running...I can crank up my ipod and ignore these hooligans while not comprimising my safety.

I dress nicely when I run, which I suppose can be construed as "sexy". I'm CONSTANTLY being honked and whistled at when I run..and I respond back with a flip of the middle finger.

I yell back usually. Or give them a thumbs up. That really confuses people.

THANK YOU! I absolutely feel your pain, and I refuse to run outside because of it. (Well, that and other factors like dogs running loose, weather, etc.) Fortunately, I recently purchased a treadmill which I am having a love affair with, but it's terrible that some disgusting men have to be that way. Even if you're not running, there are those jerks out there who love to stare, honk, or make comments, and nothing would please me more than to punch them in the face, or give them the finger. Yes, this topic really gets me fired up!

running? what about cycling! cars HATE cyclists, even when we're not doing anything wrong. people lay on the horn all the time as they drive by...i don't get it...where else are we supposed to bike? inside our houses?

and it's really unsafe cuz it's startling! it makes me INSANE!

I really think there should be a law ticketing these jerk-offs who scream obscenities at women and generally create a hostile environment. UGHHHH! I hate it when guys do that...

oh and Sy, DC is really bad in the city for running. There are tons of guys that do this...

Oh this makes me mad too! I had some teenagers pass me hooting out the windows of their car, which is bad enough, but then they turned around to pass by me again and shouted "how much?!" I couldn't believe it.

Absolutely!! I friggn' hate that. At any time, not just when I'm running outside. I don't understand why guys think we enjoy it.... it's ridiculous. And yes, I often end up flipping them the bird

@rpenner.... wow. firs tof all, guys could care less if we enjoy it, lol! secondly, flipping them off? seriously? way to be as immature as honking a horn.

It's amusing to me how many of the women who get honked at, or otherwise peppered with lascivious comments, act as if the response their presence elicited is positive. Me being a guy, I used to be guilty of such puerile behavior back in high school. However the purpose wasn't to attract a mate, it was to get their goat, so to speak. Usually the target was somebody unattractive, or somebody who repulsed me, so I would make animal sounds, or obnoxious utterances. If I was attracted to the person exercising, then I would mind my p's and q's and not say a thing. Otherwise, it was fair game LOL. Being taunted is not about respect, as much as it is meant to cast of pall on however the target happens to be. Since then, I've seen the error in my ways and would never again do that to ANYBODY!

They are not trying to attract us; they just are trying to get a rise out of us. Flipping them off gives them exactly what they want.

I mean, who cares. They're just doofusses. Blowing them off is the only way to go.

scottdavis, I don't think anyone actually thinks that guys honking has anything to do with respect. It can be demeaning to a woman whether they're openly salivating or stooping that much lower and making "animal sounds" (yikes.). Moronic guys are moronic guys are moronic guys.

I remember having guys spray myself and a friend with water guns a few years back. People amaze me. A-holes!