We have all seen them. Stapleton runners who refuse to let the cold impede on their daily running schedule. We all realize the importance of exercise, but these people run at 6AM when it is 12 degrees and the wind is blowing at 25 miles per hour. The worst part of it is, it is not gender or age specific. I have seen a 55 year old woman running in temperatures that are the main reason treadmills were invented.
Now Stapleton residents are getting fed up. “I am totally fine with people running outside when it is 40 degrees or higher,” says resident Dan Olson. “What I am not fine with is driving to the gym in freezing temperatures to run on the treadmill only to see twenty different people running outside. It makes me feel like a wimp, and I shouldn’t have to feel like that.”
Many residents feel that there should be an ordinance prohibiting runners from running outside if it is less than 35 degrees. “Hey, lots of us exercise,” says Amy Kleese. “The difference is we do it responsibly and avoid making others feel bad. These runners are just out there for themselves and aren’t thinking of Stapleton as a whole.”
The cold weather runners disagree. “Why should I get penalized simply because I don’t mind the cold,” says Tom Smith of Runners Edge of the Rockies. “I don’t like running on treadmills, so I would rather run outside in the cold. I also don’t have a schedule that allows me to wait for it to warm up, so my options are limited.”
The issue is far from over and has just recently been brought up at SUN meetings and community forums. There is momentum, however, towards fining runners who decide it is socially acceptable to make others feel like crap by running in cold weather.]]>