I’m a creature of habit.
Most of my runs are on the same three greenways near my apartment. Often, to stay off the roads, I’ll run out-and-backs on the paths. At this point, I’m a regular. I usually run around the same time each morning, and I see a lot of the same people.
Advertisement - Continue Reading Below wave back at me most of the time.
When I was growing up in Columbia, South Carolina, it was considered polite to wave to your neighbors walking down the street, even if you didn’t know them personally. Cars would often offer a friendly wave at runners and slow down to let them pass. It’s normal there.
When I moved to Easton, Pennsylvania, in 2021, I quickly realized the vibe was … different. On runs, dog walkers wouldn’t look up when I would pass by. Groups would keep chatting amongst themselves. Even other runners wouldn’t glance my way.
It was weird. I chalked it up to northeastern stereotypes: people keep to themselves more.
Three years later, I’ve nearly given up hope. Nearly.
My goal, I’ve recently decided, is to get more waves back. But obviously I’m doing something wrong. I would need help. So I called up an expert on the art of the wave: my former track teammate at Wake Forest University, Michael Moerk.
Michael, along with our teammates, Tommy Johnston and Carter Coughlin, would play a game during long runs at Salem Lake—a 7-mile loop about 20 minutes away from campus in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.
To ward off inevitable boredom, Tommy, Carter, and Michael would see who could get the most “good mornings” back to them. Meaning, they would say “good morning” to walkers, runners, cyclists, or anyone enjoying the outdoors. And if someone got an acknowledgement back—like a wave, nod, or, even better, a “good morning,”—they received a point.
Here’s how the scoring worked:
- 1 This ‘Runcle’ Ran His 48th Boston in a Row
- 3 points: cyclist
- 10 points: someone on the lake. (e.g., fisherman, kayaker, boater)
You had to greet every walker/runner, but bikes were optional. However, if you said hello a cyclist and they didn’t return your greeting, then your game ended. So it’s a gamble.
Michael owns the record at 103 points. With his impressive resume, I figured he could give me some tips on how to bond with my neighbors and perhaps make me more approachable.
He gave me a few suggestions. To be more noticeable, he said that I should gently drift into the line of sight of pedestrians or exaggerate my hand wave more. I typically do the low-key running wave around hip level. He thought raising my arm and adding some more side-to-side motion could help, as well as making more of an effort to make eye contact before I give them a “good morning.”
Some of my runs, however, are in the afternoon or evening, which necessitates a new greeting. Michael recommended using “howdy” in that case because it’s like an “overly welcoming hello.”
Since talking to him, I’ve tried out a few of his strategies in the field. But so far, I’m not seeing much progress. Maybe I need to find more populated areas. Of course, it’s the dead of winter in Pennsylvania, so not many people are out right now. Maybe I’ll table my goal until the spring before I finally give up.
When I was talking to Michael, he brought up an interesting point that left me feeling slightly vindicated.
Most mornings, he goes for a run near his apartment in Boulder, Colorado—which is famous for its outdoorsy culture and running community—with his wife, Madeline. But like me, he struggles to get much of a reaction out of the locals. When he does, he and his wife joke that they must be from out of town. Although when Michael goes back to his hometown in North Carolina, he says the smiles and greetings return.
So at least it’s not just me.
Maybe I’m only part point: runner or walker.
Theo Kahler is the news editor at Runner’s World. He’s a former all-conference collegiate runner at Winthrop University, and he received his master’s degree in liberal arts studies from Wake Forest University, where he was a member of one of the top distance-running teams in the NCAA. Kahler has reported on the ground at major events such as the Paris Olympics, U.S. Olympic Trials, New York City Marathon, and Boston Marathon. He’s run 14:20 in the 5K, 1:05:36 in the half marathon, and enjoys spotting tracks from the sky on airplanes. (Look for colorful ovals around football fields.)
