HAVE YOU EVER DONE A GOOD DEED ON THE RUN?

‘I was running across the Humber Bridge when I stopped to persuade a lady not to jump off. She listened and climbed back over the railings.’ – Ian Williamson ‘I helped an old lady with dementia who had strayed from her care home in nightwear and no shoes at 5:30am in winter.’ – Lucy Anne Robinson ‘I found a wallet and returned it to the owner via Facebook.’ – Marianne Toole ‘I pick up countryside rubbish on my way.’ – Nicola Wallis ‘I stopped and changed a tyre for a distressed pregnant lady during a 20-miler.’ – Ryan Shaw ‘I found a £20 note. Later I came across a homeless person and gave it to him.’ – Keith Ricketts ‘Bizarrely, on one run I ended up helping a barge owner get a Muntjac deer out of the canal.’ – Kay Scott ‘Freed a sheep stuck in a fence.’ – Ceri Roberts ‘I’ve stopped to give directions many times. At first it annoyed me that people would interrupt me in “full flow”; now I enjoy the “compulsory breather!”’ – Ross Jones ‘I helped a hedgehog cross the road safely.’ – @Miranda_ Rachel

and I really enjoyed cheering people on. It’s something I’d encourage every runner to do. The icing on the cake? My friend recorded a PB. Duncan Bond, Trowbridge, Wiltshire DOGGONE IT! A couple of weeks ago I ran past a woman who had let her dog off the lead. It raced towards me, barking furiously. She called out to me to stop and stand still, otherwise it would attack me. With some trepidation I did as she said, and the dog stood there yapping at me until she got its lead back on. Have other runners had trouble with overboisterous dogs and if so – any tips to deal with them? John Clarke, Norwich THREE WHEELS GOOD In response to Roland Gibbard (RW Feb): in 2011 when my son was two, we entered the Holmfirth 15 using a running buggy. We contacted the organisers in advance to see if they were OK with the idea. We finished in 2:15 to applause. It was a fantastic experience and it shows that if you respect the organisers, there’s no reason why buggy runners can't join in events. Simon Hogan (by email)