Rude Runner or Aware Athlete?

There was a letter to the editor in The Dallas Morning News, July 24, on page 6B. The title over it was "Rude runner." So that you'll understand my response, I'm going to transcribe the entire letter:

"I run every weekday morning through my neighborhood. Most runners I come across are considerate and always willing to help out a fellow runner.

That is, until this morning, when I asked another runner if he had a cellphone. He mumbled a barely audible 'no' and kept running. He didn't bother to ask if I needed any assistance; he just kept going.

The problem was that there was a fire alarm going off in the church across the street from where I was at the time. I had already tried to ring a few doorbells, but no one wants to answer the door at 5 a.m., and, given the state of fear that everyone lives in, I must try to understand this.

But I cannot understand the runner who doesn't come to aid (sic) of another runner. At the very least, he could have asked if everything was all right, or if I needed help. Needless to say, I am highly disappointed and discouraged by his lack of courtesy. I could only hope that, by the time I made it home to make the call to 911 myself, the church was not engulfed in flames.

Candace George, Dallas"

Well -- Essie May fully understands why the "rude runner" didn't stop. I wouldn't either if a total stranger came up to me at 5 a.m. and asked if I had a cellphone. On the other hand, if the stranger ran up and yelled, "That church is on fire" I would whip out my cellphone and dial 911. Anyway, the runner said he didn't have one, so the point is moot. What did she want him to do that she wasn't doing herself? And why didn't she holler after him, "I need help!"

Candace was obviously not in distress as she was on her own two feet, not bleeding, not clutching her chest and reeling, not being pursued by a chainsaw-wielding psycho, and not disoriented. And I'm just a little confused -- why is it OK, ("given the state of fear that everyone lives in") for someone not to answer the door, but it's not OK for a pedestrian to avoid being accosted by a stranger on the street?

I think Candace may be faulting the unknown runner for the wrong reason -- he's probably not rude. He just hasn't yet mastered the art of reading minds.

Oh, by the way, Candace, you might consider carrying your own cellphone when you run in the wee hours of the morning. Then you won't have to contend with rude runners.