A hot topic that I have come across lately is track etiquette. As a new athlete it’s not always easy to pick up on track “culture”, so this article will help shine some light on this “culture” and help you fit right in.

First and foremost, treat others with respect. Selfishness and disrespect go “against the grain” of the endurance sports community, which happens to be one of the nicest and most welcoming of any sport out there.

I read in a forum today about one woman’s frustration with another woman who brought her dogs to the track and let them run around unleashed. The dogs ran around onto the track and interfered with others working out. Bringing your pets to the track is not a good idea and has the potential to piss of your track-mates.

Leave children at home or with a sitter. Like pets, children are not a good idea at track, the exception being if they are doing the workout with you. Another story I recently heard involved a man bringing his child to track. Thinking the child would need entertainment; he brought a bike for the little boy. The sight of a child riding his bike on the track angered many runners. This is a safety issue as the child can hit other runners or vice versa.

Faster runners pass on the inside. If you are a slower runner you may want to move to outside lanes on a crowded day at the track. It is perfectly fine for a slower runner to run on inside lanes but be aware that people will be passing you on the inside. For faster runners who are passing people, the generally accepted word to yell before passing someone on the inside is, “TRACK.” If you hear someone yell “track” move to the outside and let them pass.

Finally, if you aren’t running on the track, move to the infield area so you don’t interfere with another runner’s workout.

So to summarize, be respectful, leave your pets at home, leave the kids and their toys at home, pass on the inside, yell “TRACK” when you pass someone to signal them to move over and let you pass, and if you are not running, move to the infield area.

Written by Jay Pedersen