If you don’t mind, we’d like to talk about how to run wearing a mask. There’s been conflict here and there, and we hope we can come to some sort of common sense agreement.
Right now, in NYC, the rules say that if you come within 6 feet of another human being, you must be wearing some sort of mask or face covering. It can be anything from a piece of cloth to an N95 mask, the choice is yours. We love seeing you in those NYCRUNS Brooklyn Marathon & Half Marathon buffs, so please keep using those if you have one.
- In cold weather, I don’t mind a face covering at all, but it’s getting to the point where it’s more nuisance than not, so this is only going to get harder. With that in mind, I’d like to suggest a few common sense rules we can all adopt going forward.
- Always have a mask with you. No matter how good you are about avoiding other people, eventually that’s not going to work. Cover up before you get to close to someone.
- Avoid running on the main drives and in the most crowded areas of the park, or if you have to, just get out there a bit earlier. This is a great time to explore lesser used park paths and the sidewalks. Just be careful and use common sense in any situation. Keep in mind, these paths and sidewalks may be narrower, so you may need to be a bit more proactive.
- Don’t run in a group. If you have to run with a friend, definitely pick somewhere less crowded.
- If you are running with the flow of pedestrian traffic (and keep in mind runners could be going both ways so in this case you are approaching from behind), give the runner in front of you the right of way. That means, it is incumbent upon you to make sure that there is at least 6’ of separation at all times. If you can’t do this – strap on the mask and don’t take it off.
- If you are running against the flow of pedestrian traffic (towards an oncoming runner), strap on that mask and try to maintain 6’ of distance. The other pedestrian might be clueless, so be proactive.
For some more basics, check out this Runners World article.
