Every Runner for Himself?

• Author: Klosterman, Chuck
• Position: Ethical Dilemma - Column - Brief article

I'm on a high school cross-country team. We race through woods where there are rocks and roots on the trails. During a race, am I ethically obligated to tell the runners behind me about any debris on the trail?

--William, New Jersey

ANSWER This is an outdoor race over natural terrain. That's why it's not called "track." In other words, there's no obligation to warn other runners about rocks, twigs, roots, or ice...