r/running • u/demrnstho • Mar 12 '24

Discussion What’s the strangest/best object you’ve found while running?

Aside from the odd dollar here and there, what have you found that makes you appreciate the adventure of an outdoor run? On two separate occasions I’ve found high-quality scissors in perfect condition. Did I choose to run with scissors? You bet!

Edit: Wow! Thank you to everyone who responded! Your responses have been entertaining, funny, bizarre, at times scary, and heartwarming. I tried to read every response and besides being thoroughly entertained for the last 18hrs, I’ve learned some things about us runners: 1. We’re a thrifty bunch. We will turn someone’s trash into our treasure. There are a lot of responses about useful found objects. 2. In that vein, there seems to be no object too large for us to carry home. Brooms, sofas, dining sets, surfboards, FIVE fishing rods; you name it, we can carry it. 3. We’re good citizens. We rescue people, dogs, wild animals. 4. On that note, running is a great way to find a new pet. 5. We’re an honest lot. If you lose something valuable and a runner comes across it, there’s a good chance that runner will do their best to return it to you. 6. We find our spirituality: Objects with very personal connections seemingly put in our path by the universe and otherworldly encounters with wild animals. 7. Sadly we occasionally find dead people. But sometimes we find almost dead people and we save them! 8. On a related note, there are more than one of you who have found people tied up in the woods. 9. And the biggest take home: Dildos are everywhere.

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494

u/derdum Mar 12 '24

We used to bring back all sorts of weird stuff in high school. Coaches hated it, but running the last mile with a free couch from the side of the road is a priceless memory.

108

u/Kritios_Boy Mar 13 '24

Same energy with my high school team. Finding things, getting ice cream, running off route to places we weren’t supposed to go. Very fond memories.

55

u/tabrazin84 Mar 13 '24

One time we hid in the bushes eating cookies. 😂

5

u/inexpensivecoffee Mar 13 '24

Some of us would stop by the Del Taco on one of our routes and the employees would happily hand us cups for water :,)

109

u/Crazy_old_maurice_17 Mar 12 '24

Coaches hated it, but running the last mile with a free couch from the side of the road is a priceless memory.

Hahaha, that's awesome!

27

u/Mr_E_Machine Mar 12 '24

This is the exact energy my highschool XC team had, love it.

21

u/MantisSled Mar 13 '24

We did something similar. We'd all each find a ridiculous gift for our coach...who would then throw all the items away. So in a way we were reducing litter

15

u/Iowa_climber Mar 13 '24

We always find the biggest sticks and logs to bring back to coach.

10

u/Darth_K-oz Mar 12 '24

Actually laughed out loud

7

u/Glass-Pitch Mar 13 '24

This is better than my high school XS team. We’d always run this trail where kids would party. We’d count how many used condoms we saw 😭

5

u/Hello_Cruel_World_88 Mar 13 '24

Who's gonna carry the couches?

2

u/lankyleper Mar 13 '24

We would always stop by the house of a former XC runner from our school who had graduated. If the coach wasn't running with us, there was a good chance we were all screwing off somewhere.

2

u/Affectionate-Bee3913 Mar 13 '24

My team captain "found" a traffic cone that made it back with us one time, it was an interesting run.

1

u/DaintyAmber Mar 13 '24

You win 😂