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Are you a newbie to trailrunning and don’t really know, how to behave on the trails? Whom, when and how to greet others? How about passing and letting people pass? Getting rid of your waste and what about dogs on the trail? These and many more questions will be answered in our trailrunning rule book! Especially in the area of preserving nature, these trailrunning rules are crucial for us to be able to enjoy our beloved nature for many more years!
Rule number 1 is easy: Teach your fellow runners! If you know people or can easily tell, that they have no clue about how to behave on the trail, just tell them what is important! In the beginning, it might be confusing to many.
GreetinG on the trail – Because what’s more important than being friendly and polite
Generally, the rule says: Always greet others! Especially when someone else greets you, you need to reply. A nice “hello” or as we say it in Bavaria “Servus”, or a simple smile is enough.
There are two exceptions to this rule though. First, if the trails are so crowded, that you would be spending more time trying to figure out who you haven’t greeted yet than actually running, then you may skip this! Second, if the other runner is obviously running close to the anaerobic threshold, meaning, training with an intensity that would basically cause having to stop to say hello.
Trailrunning: Pass or let pass – that’s the question
Nobody likes being stuck behind slower runners or even slower hikers. Especially when paths are very narrow, it might be difficult to pass through. If there is enough space on the sides, you can easily pass next to the track, but still, there are a few things to consider:
Other trailrunners
Who yields to whom will most likely always depend on the situation. Generally, you can use traffic rules: If encountering each other heads on, both move to their right side. And if you pass from behind, pass left. Of course, only if the situation allows it. Same rule as with greeting though – if the other person is close to his anaerobic threshold, and you yourself do not find time and intensity as important, yield to him!
Team running
Running with others is great fun and motivating. But for other trail users, it might sometimes not be as fun. When you are out and about with your trailrunning friends and colleagues, make sure you do not force somebody else to step off the trail just because you are running next to each other! Also, make sure you are not disturbing others by being too loud. With many people, lots of loud laughter can easily evolve, so make sure you do not annoy others with it!
Hikers
For hikers, the same rules apply. Pass others in a way, the situation allows you to. Be careful, if there are kids around. They can quickly jump around on the trail and get in your way! Also, you should also be aware of cute, old couples holding hands. You do not want to force them having to leave the trail because they did not see you coming!
Dogs
Sometimes, dogs are kept on their leash, sometimes they are not. Therefore, be careful to leave enough space and not stumble over it when passing.
Horses
It does happen, that runners and riders use the same trails. Be aware, that horses frighten easily when encountering them from behind. As of this, you should always yield to horses and their riders.
Mountainbiker
Most of the time, these guys will be faster than you, at least when going downhill. Therefore, you should let them pass. Because generally, people on foot should be given precedence but to be honest, it will be way easier for you to step aside than it is for a biker.
Motorized vehicles
Should not really be out and about in nature. But still, they are. Especially on forest roads and similar. They are large and loud, meaning you can most likely hear them from miles away. And they will most likely want to pass you. Step aside and let them do so!
© Phil Pham
Trailrunners also have human needs
So how about blowing your nose, spitting, farting or using the toilet?
Well, there is no toilet. But you will still need to empty your bladder, obviously allowed in nature. But make sure you do not stand directly next to the trail – but that is self-explanatory!
Blowing your nose and spitting are quite similar. If you have tissues with you, that’s nice! But do not throw them on the ground, take them with you. If you are using the method of closing one nostril and blowing, try not doing so while passing others. The same goes for spitting and farting – although it’s a natural thing, it is disgusting to most other people.
© Patrick Steiner
Trailrunning: Protected areas need to be protected
In order to be able to enjoy nature for quite a while longer, we need to take care of it!
Dispose of your waste properly!
When taking energy bars, tissues or any other waste up on the mountain, make sure you take it back down. Because there is nothing more disturbing in the great view of green meadows and rooted woods than plastic packaging and waste.
Stay on the trail!
Especially in protected areas, you should not add any unplanned, unnecessary paths. These evolve if you run off the trail, the guy behind you does as well and so does the next one. Then, this path will soon become a proper trail.
Pay attention to signs!
In some areas, trailrunning, or even hiking is forbidden. In nature reserves, you generally are allowed to run, but sometimes there are nesting areas or similar that you may not enter. Also, there are some trails that are ONLY for mountain bikers, ONLY for horseback riders and so on.. so stick to those rules!
We recommend you to be careful with nature. Because only in this way can we preserve what we love so much: unique nature. The preservation of nature is irrevocably linked to our passion and nature experiences! Pay attention to information signs and adhere to the applicable rules. Find out in advance what is allowed where and what is not. Take your trash with you again!
The mountains and nature are there for everyone, especially in these times many people seek closeness to nature. Even when there is more going on, it is important to remain friendly and to make others aware of the applicable rules.
© Kelvin Trautman
Read more about this topic:
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