I really would appreciate your valid opinions on a predicament I found myself in this afternoon towards the end of a run. I run round a lovely park with a huge lake, (with pedal boats and ducks etc) some of it quite open and some small stretches are more enclosed by rhododendrons. It was as I came round the corner in an area by the rhododendrons that I stopped dead as I came across either a man/youth urinating over the little bridge where the waterfall drops down with the overflow from the main lake. I simply couldn't believe it, he was peeing into the water when if he'd stepped a few feet either side he would have been able to go behind a bush/tree. I thought for a second about having a go at him but I really didn't fancy him turning on me, or even worse flashing me. He had a coat with a hood up so couldn't see how old etc. As it was raining the park only had a few dog walkers around so no one else close by. What do you all think - should I have said anything or not? I just turned round and ran the other way without thinking as I was so shocked!!
Advice needed: I really would appreciate your... - Couch to 5K
Advice needed
Pretty awful behaviour on his part but I think I would have done the same as you under those circumstances - park, few people around, shrubberies - not a place to tackle a man you don't know. (Not saying anything about tackling a man you DO know ...)
With a few posts about creeps of late I'm beginning to think running with an electric cattle prod is an essential accessory....
Personal safety always paramount in these circumstances, so you did the right thing by moving away. Just horrid behaviour, you may want to report it to the park authorities just as a precaution for others, in case he is an exhibitionist for instance.
Poor you, as ever most folk are fine but the occasional creep does mar a day.
Mmm, I might check eBay for an electric cattle prod!! It's a family park for goodness sake - they do have toilets 😡 More cross once I got home, isn't it illegal nowadays to expose yourself in a public place! At least as it was raining there weren't lots of children around.
Mace or its equivalent could be an option
You would physically assault someone for urinating?
OK. Let's summarize, there ARE loos in this park, there are trees in this park, yet this guy chose neither of those options in a public place.
I would not "assault" him for peeing but I'd have been more inclined to have challenged his behaviour if I'd have been carrying a mild form of protection.
I very much doubt would be sexual predators use public urination as a cover for luring in victims, tbh. It is pretty uncouth behaviour by British societal norms, although would scarcely raise an eyebrow in many other countries. Given that he had a hood on and had his back to you, it sems very unlikely he as even aware of your presence. What exactly do you think you should have said?
I'm afraid Rig that there are all sorts of people who get their thrills from weird, fetishistic behaviour. Yes it might have been innocent and I would never recommend the mace/cattle prodding of other park users ( 
) but it might not have been and next time it might be a vulnerable person/child who he confronts. So yes, benefit of the doubt on this occasion, if he's peeing again next week, maybe not....
I'd have said, "the toilets are over there"
Oh that's so what I should have said!!!
You did the right thing. There is no saying what a confrontation would have provoked. Your own safety is paramount in that sort of situation.
I suppose parks are for everyone..........even the ignorant and bad mannered.
I only ever offer valid opinions (at least in my head!). No do not confront, report to the park managers in an open minded manner and then they can see if there is a pattern of behaviour. Don't Mace or cattle prod any one
Council cut backs mean no resident park keeper, mores the pitty!
May be an mail to the parks office on the councils website.
Bummer, that's my evening ruined. 😉
I think you did the right thing and I would of done exactly the same. Male or female, we are lone runners in that circumstance and your own safety is paramount. There was no back up for you. So if no one else was in danger then you did right thing to turn around. Most parks have a staff office on site, if it happens again find where their office is and let them know someone is urinating In The lake and leave them to deal with the unpleasant situation.
Yes, right thing done! but need to report it to the local authority and police, think from this year in some areas it's become a criminal offence..
That's what I thought. Totally unacceptable 😡
well colour me libertarian but I think this is Daily Mail prudishness bordering on the absurd. The individual, uncouth as he may have been, clearly thought himself unobserved and was having a wee. He was not masturbating.
I'll make a confession here: I had a wee today in a public place. The nature of my work involves drivinga round a lot and there is very rarely an opportunity to visit a public loo. Rather than soild myself, I found a, to my mind, remote location, where I could see in either direction if anyone was coming, and I relieved nyself behind a tree.
Had jogger passed me at that moment I sincerely hope they would not have thought me a rapist.
I sincerely hope they would not have assaulted me with Mace (which is illegal) or reported me for exposing myself in public.
Really. Get a grip.
I will get a grip but some of us need to get a sense of humour!! No one was seriously suggesting actually buying a cattle prod or a can of mace - its called making light of a situation. And trust me the guy onbiously knew he would be clearly seen. End of. Being too lazy to walk to the loo at the local boating lake is not the same as stopping for a pee on the side of a road or on a country walk.
ok... So nobody mentioned rape. something happened that made somebody feel uncomfortable and people responded - not as Daily Mail readers but as people and runners. You know, negotiating the world and running alone can be quite a different experience for men compared to women...
Nobody is saying that is wrong to have a pee in public; if this happens we all check that as far as possible no one is about, but this is not what happened here. I would never advocate assaulting someone who is peeing in a park but equally I would never diss somebody's feelings about witnessing this behaviour.
Exactly, thank you 😊
Well said, helenwheels! As a woman who runs alone I am always mindful that I might be somewhat vulnerable - this is maybe different for many men who run alone. Agree with you on all other points too, thank you for being the voice of reason!
I think the Germans are a bit more relaxed about these things (especially if you've lived near the Oktoberfest). It's not approved of over here either and you can get fined if caught (only really patrolled during the Oktoberfest though - they must make a fortune!). I would have stared disapprovingly at him as I ran past and tried to embarrass him. But I can see why others would react differently and I think Munich is a very safe city, so I wouldn't feel threatened.
"It is legal for a man to urinate in public, as long it is against the rear offside wheel of his motor vehicle and his right hand is on the vehicle.
"
Although this is widely reported as fact, this is actually not true. There is no general law forbidding urination in public, although it is often an offence under local bylaws. The same is true of the oft-cited ‘law’ that pregnant women are allowed to urinate in a policeman’s helmet. There is no law allowing or forbidding such a practice, but local authorities are expected to exercise discretion in these cases. So, while there is no law forbidding a pregnant woman from urinating into a policeman’s helmet, a policeman is unlikely to offer her such an opportunity.
Ignoring him... the best and most sensible thing to have done...he may have been drunk...or old and confused or even ill... whatever... report to Parks and Open Space Officers... and as Realfoodieclub says... just make them aware and let them deal with it.
You did the right thing, sadly in this day and age you don't know what sort of response you'd get and you need to keep yourself safe
If you pee in public (sometimes it might be necessary - yes I am female and have done) at least as you mentioned go discreetly in the bush not over the bridge! But yes your safety is paramount. I saw a mum letting her kid pee in the open a few feet from the toilets in the park, really could they not be bothered to walk that far? not a good lesson.
I wouldn't assume that someone is dangerous or a deviant for peeing in public - just a bit uncouth - but would be a bit wary of someone doing something as odd and visible as peeing from a bridge (why not just go behind a bush?). However I think confronting him would have been a bad idea for safety reasons. I once confronted someone peeing right against the wall next to my front door - it was a miracle I didn't get splashed as I opened it - but that was a very different situation IMO. The area I live in is full of bars and so it's not unusual for people to drink too much and do unfortunate things, leaving our streets in a bad state.
I think there must be something in the air at the moment though - during this morning's run I was a bit taken aback to pass someone squatting (and no, not in order to strengthen his quads)...
Oh Lordy some people literally have no shame 😳
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