Use Street Smarts to Avoid Running Into Trouble

Once in a while, every runner’s nightmare occurs: Someone is hit by a car.

It happened to Cal State Fullerton cross-country runner Jenifer Martin on a bright, clear morning, Nov. 11. She was training on Birch Street in Brea with about 30 members of the Titan men’s and women’s cross-country teams, when a car swerved and hit her.

She flew onto the hood and hit her head on the windshield. Martin, a freshman, spent four days at UC Irvine Medical Center, with three skull fractures, two cheekbone fractures, a broken nose, a bruised leg and “abrasions from the bottom up . . . everywhere,” she said.

The driver told police that something--a rock or a golf ball (Birch Hills golf course is nearby)--hit her windshield and she swerved. Martin was the only runner in the group hit. She never saw the car. The driver was ticketed for an unsafe lane change, a Brea police department spokesman said.

As Orange County becomes more developed, it’s inevitable that runners and drivers begin to crowd each other.

Martin, as many competitive and recreational runners do, was running in the bike lane, even though there was a sidewalk available, because asphalt is more cushioned than concrete. She and the group also were running in the same direction as traffic.

“Always run against traffic, even when you’re on the sidewalk,” cautioned Lt. Tom Hume of the Irvine Police Dept. In fact, running in the bike lane and in the same direction as traffic are in violation of state law, and local law enforcement officials can cite runners. “If you’re on a roadway,” Hume explained, “cars and bikes have the right of way over a pedestrian.”

Citing a runner “depends on the situation,” Hume said. “It’s discretionary. If it’s aggravated enough, the runner can be cited.”

Initially, Martin was cited, but Brea officers sent her a letter saying the violation was being dismissed. Some officers even visited her in the hospital--”They were really nice about it,” she said.

In 1997, 15,770 pedestrians in California were hit by cars and 782 of those died, said Officer Tim Manley of the California Highway Patrol. A breakdown of how many were runners was not available.

Jack Recla has been coaching boys’ and girls’ cross-country at Trabuco Hills High since it opened in 1985.

“There has been an increase in traffic,” he said. “I’m not afraid [of a runner being hit], because they’ve added bike lanes, but conscious--oh, yes. There isn’t a day when I’m not worried about it. We’re constantly preaching to the kids not to run four or five abreast. We try to get them in a group, but two abreast at the most.”

Vince O’Boyle, who has coached cross-country at UC Irvine for 17 years, said he has altered his runners’ training routes.

“You can see the increase in traffic, no doubt about it,” he said. “We used to be able to run along MacArthur [Boulevard], and very rarely do we run there anymore. . . . The 73 Freeway is right behind us now, and it cut into a beautiful running area. That’s all gone. That’s progress, I guess.

“Fortunately, with the San Joaquin bike path and Back Bay Road, we’re able to use those.”

O’Boyle, who used to coach at Citrus College, noted that in the San Gabriel Valley, the streets are narrower because the cities are older.

“But Irvine has wider streets with bike paths,” he said. “I’m sure the community planners took [recreational running] into consideration when they built it.”

The onset of standard time exacerbates things for runners. During the winter, darkness falls before many runners can get home from work.

Said Hume, himself a runner: “I changed my pattern because it’s getting dark early. Like today, I brought my running stuff in and ran during my lunch hour and came back and showered. But not everyone has that advantage.”

There are some common-sense rules for runners to follow: Wear light-colored clothing. Some manufacturers make running togs with reflective material. Many running shoes have reflective material on the backs of the heels, so drivers can see you.

But never assume a driver sees you.

“I see runners run out in the middle of traffic against lights,” Hume said. “It’s never worth it. I take time to push the [crosswalk] button, stop my watch, stretch, then go after the light changes. I make eye contact [with the driver nearest the crosswalk] even after I get the walk symbol.”

In his 11 years as cross-country coach at Cal State Fullerton, John Elders had never had a runner struck by a car.

“[Road safety] is an issue I never really addressed,” he said. “I’ve run on the street for 22 years and I don’t think about it that much as a runner. The thing that happened to Jenifer has made me rethink those things.”

His teams practice in the morning, and generally run in groups, he said. They occasionally train on trails, “but there’s a give and take with that,” Elders said. “When you’re on trails, there’s more risk of injuries of a twisting nature, as opposed to pounding, overuse injuries.”

And running on trails presents unique dangers.

“The only tip I give trail runners is try to run with somebody,” said Baz Hawley, ultra-marathoner and trail-running race director. “Let’s just say I’m going running up at Blue Jay [in the Cleveland National Forest]. It could be hazardous to your health. You could fall down one of those trails--just 10 feet off those trails--and never be seen. That’s happened in the past.”

If you don’t have a running partner, the least you can do is tell someone where you’re running and when you expect to be back. Even an experienced runner can get injured, or become disoriented.

“Say you’re on a 20-mile run,” Hawley said. “You’ve drunk all your water, but you have about five miles to go to get back. And--it’s happened to me--you fall, because you’re dehydrated. At the time, I was running with someone, but they’d run up ahead many miles before. I didn’t take enough water, and my eyes weren’t working properly, and I tripped. I sat down.

“When you’re only a mile or so from home, you think, what could go wrong? But if it’s 90 degrees, and you haven’t had water in five miles, it affects your brain. I sat there and, lo and behold, I heard a voice. It was my buddy. He was wondering why I hadn’t caught up.”

Then, there’s the wildlife factor.

Hawley knew a man who was bitten by a rattlesnake on a trail. “They tell you, if that happens, don’t do anything, because it circulates the poison through your system. But he was out there all alone, and ran all the way back, and ended up spending three weeks in the hospital. If he hadn’t been in good health, he might have died.”

Most of the time, Hawley said, when you see snakes, they are sunning themselves or sleeping on a trail. Give them a wide berth; they’re not aggressive.

In 1994, Barbara Schoener, 40, was attacked and killed by a mountain lion while jogging on a trail near Cool, Calif., about 40 miles northeast of Sacramento. But such attacks are rare, said California Fish and Game spokesman Spencer Gilbert.

Fatigue and injury are much greater threats. Take plenty of water (fanny packs that carry bottles are available), run with a buddy, if possible, and take a flashlight if it looks as if you might be out past nightfall. A cell phone is a good idea.

Jenifer Martin returned to class Nov. 30. She completed all her classes this semester, except an English class. Finishing the semester has been difficult, “because I sit in class and get headaches, but I force myself to take notes. I couldn’t do the reading because I still have blurred vision.”

Her mother drove her from their home in Corona to the campus every morning. She probably will be a redshirt during this spring’s track season (she runs the 1,500 and 3,000.)

Martin’s goal is to compete next fall, but her left leg is still badly bruised. “Right now, I’m working on getting my range of motion back,” she said. “But I’m determined to come back.”

Asked what advice she would give runners, she said, “Anything can happen when you’re running. I was hit when it was light out. You can’t [always] run on the sidewalk because you get shin splints.

“If anything, I would give drivers advice. Pay attention. There were like 30 of us, all strung out. . . . People have asked me, what could you have done differently? I don’t know. I’ve never had to worry about a vehicle.”

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Running Safely

These tips from runners, coaches and law enforcement officials can prevent accidents and other troubles.

ON SURFACE STREETS

* Run on sidewalks.

* Always run against traffic.

* Wear light-colored or reflective clothing after dark.

* Never assume a driver sees you.

* Never enter a crosswalk against the signal.

ON TRAILS

* Run with a partner; if not possible, tell a friend or neighbor when and where you’re running. If something happens to you, someone will know to get help.

* Take plenty of water.

* Give any snake a wide berth; if bitten, get to a hospital immediately. If possible, don’t continue to run--it circulates the poison through the system faster.

* In case of an encounter with a mountain lion, make noise, make yourself look bigger, throw things.

* If running or hiking with the family, one adult should lead the way, with another in the rear and children between.

* Safety pamphlets are distributed at most ranger stations in national forests. Pick up one, read and follow the advice.

* Carry a cell phone whenever possible.