Has anyone ever tried to ask permission to use a private college's track?

In my lifetime the use of tracks has changed dramatically at least in my part of the country. There used to be sort of an understanding that you could go to the local high school or whatever and use their track as long as the team wasn't practicing. Currently we are quoted anywhere from 300 to $600 per hour to use public college and high school tracks in our area. This puts it exactly 100% more expensive than hockey ice time. who would have thought the track would become the most expensive sport. It's truly a scourge.

The track/cross country coach would be a good resource to start with.

I was part of a running group that attempted to seek permission from several area universities

to use their outdoor tracks. We were roundly rejected. The rationale was either "insurance" related, or that it would create some sort of "Pandora's box" where everyone would feel entitled to use the facilities.

In some instances, you can get a facilities use pass through an alumni connection, family member of faculty, or by being a benefactor.

I will only note that even after being caught, I've never been kicked off a private track while running. I've been given warnings by security guards, but I've never been kicked off of a track.

Several years ago it seemed like almost all of the area tracks were basically open/unlocked with maybe very tiny "no trespassing" or "no public use" signs. Things have definitely changed. Most are secured with locks, cameras and large well posted "no trespassing" signs.

OozmaKappa wrote:

Pretty much every school is built and guarded like a prison now, you cant just walk in like you could before.

I blame the democrat fearmongering of school shootings as a boogeyman.

This response is just pure ignorance. Despite the fact that school shootings happen about weekly that is never given as a reason. It is an insurance issue but also a maintaince issue. There was a track open at one of our local schools and someone carved a swastika into the track surface. You open it up to one and it is open to everyone.

The Narwhal wrote:

I will only note that even after being caught, I've never been kicked off a private track while running. I've been given warnings by security guards, but I've never been kicked off of a track.

I got kicked off a private university track 20 years ago by a campus cop even thought my father was a professor at the school. The cop just told me that didn't matter and the campus was closed for break. The gate was open when I went. It has been an issue for many years, maybe getting worse though.

The sad part about school tracks being locked up tight is that these tracks sit empty for enormous amounts of time. At the same time, adult runners in the community would love to use them. And the adults in the community have paid for them with their property taxes.

What I have found is that if you ask for formal permission that is the kiss of death. Nobody wants to be on the hook for causing a legal liability for the school. You have to find one with low traffic and hop the fence. Then nobody much cares about the lone runner doing laps so they go about their business and ignore you.

I got asked to leave our campus track several times by obese security guards. There was never anyone using it even during regular hours.

Even as a Prof there I got nowhere with calling the athletic director. I emailed the Chancellor and complained that healthy activities should be encouraged. I had even donated to the new turf project. I tried to push and get a key to the place but in the end they extended the hours and unofficially stopped hassling me on holidays.

Very sad! When I was growing up in the 1990s, it seems like all tracks were open to the public. You would frequently see people walking/jogging around for exercise. Then again, my high school track was made out of dirt, but it seems like you could go to colleges and run on nice tracks if you wanted to... I think one of our local public colleges might have an unlocked track, but I am not sure...

But yeah, in the last few years my running group tried to go to my local high school at 5:30 AM for speedwork and it was completely locked up. I agree with the person that it seems to be related to school shooting concerns. One person in my running group said that she *might* be able to get us in, as she knows some of the coaches but we never went back again to try.

Not totally helpful (but related). I live in a city where any track that you'd want to run on is locked up. But you kind of learn which ones are the easiest to get into and whether people will chase you off. I've been asked to leave many times. But never anything more than that (just be nice).

I was up visiting my in-laws for the holidays and there's a public college nearby. The track there was completely unlocked so I went there with the kids (and dog) every day (even parked illegally without a parking pass). On day 2 we were kicking a soccer ball on the infield with our dog nearby on a leash tied to the goalpost. 2 police officers come walking into the stadium. They look at us but sort of just keep walking. Then about when we think it's clear they break stride and head right toward us. My wife mumbles something to me along the lines of we're about to get kicked out. When they get close enough to us to talk one of them asks if they can pet our dog. So we chat a bit and then they go on their way. About 5 minutes later one of them comes back to let us know that he unlocked a restroom for us in case one of us needs to use it. If I was at home and that happened 100% we would have been asked to leave. But it was a very welcomed surprise and just goes to show that not all communities are the same.

Regarding your original question. If you want to ask I would start with whoever coaches the distance runners on the track team. They are most likely to be sympathetic to your situation. I would say there's a very high chance they will tell you no (or just not respond).

Personally, I would just use it and try to be as discrete as possible. Try to make friends with whoever you see out there at that time and hope that they don't report you. For the high schools we sneak onto in our area I always get my kids shirts from the school and then have them wear those. Unless it's someone in the know most people just assume we're legit because of that.

Most coaches and athletes will be welcoming of anyone interested in their sport and will help you out as long as you're not interfering with their practice. It's more like the AD or principal that you need to be concerned with.

I feel like the minute you formally ask permission is when you've screwed yourself. Someone gets hurt. "But Coach Kindly said we could". Better to just 'sneak' on to a track, keep it low key, take your trash with you and hopefully no one bothers you.

You can get vastly different experiences even in the same area.

A nearby HS track is dirt/cinders with a broken inside curb and rotting bleachers. The only thing new is the two layers of fencing, and it's always locked up. Less than 10 miles away, a fancy HS not only had an open track, but their coach even taught some complete strangers to pole vault (liability be damned) over the summer. IIRC, one of them got pretty good at it and cleared 12'.

There are a lot of "Asst coaches" at colleges that do it just to use the track. Covers insurance etc.

I live 1 mile from a private university with an awesome track, and I had "permission" to run on it while school was in session from the former track coach, but he was replaced and the new guy wasn't interested. Despite that, I still run out there regularly, but at 4:30am I've never seen anyone on campus who might care. They don't lock it up during the school year but it is a fortress the rest of the time.

The rest of the year I run on a public high school track where I just hop a four foot, chain link fence. There is a much nicer high school equidistant, but their track is even more protected than the college's.

OozmaKappa wrote:

Pretty much every school is built and guarded like a prison now, you cant just walk in like you could before.

I blame the democrat fearmongering of school shootings as a boogeyman.

I blame the losers shooting up schools.

tycobb wrote:

OozmaKappa wrote:

Pretty much every school is built and guarded like a prison now, you cant just walk in like you could before.

I blame the democrat fearmongering of school shootings as a boogeyman.

This response is just pure ignorance. Despite the fact that school shootings happen about weekly that is never given as a reason. It is an insurance issue but also a maintaince issue. There was a track open at one of our local schools and someone carved a swastika into the track surface. You open it up to one and it is open to everyone.

Maybe if regular people were using the track the idiot wouldn't have cut the Swastika? I bet he climbed a fence anyway. I hate how institutions use the rare instances of bad guys as an excuse to keep the good guys out. They have nothing in common. It is a big part of why authority is hated and mistrusted. They use too many ruses to exercise their privilege.

Meanwhile, the multi-million dollar tax payer provided tracks sit there and rot with very little use over their lifespan.

Not gonna happen. Sign up for a 1 credit course. Also, if something happens to you while on track, they're legally liable.

OozmaKappa wrote:

Pretty much every school is built and guarded like a prison now, you cant just walk in like you could before.

I blame the democrat fearmongering of school shootings as a boogeyman.

I have a Catholic college by my house that let people use it's track. They don't advertise it as such but that is the unwritten code. I am very thankful to them. Not many people know about it so I don't tell people. More people that don't look like college students show up, more likely they will shut it down.

Used to live in an area with a public track at a high school nearby, no fence nothing to block you from going in and was right next to the parking lot so you didn’t even have to go near the actual school buildings. The track got a decent amount of foot traffic every morning from walkers and joggers. On most mornings there would be close to a dozen people if not more. It wasn’t a mondo track or anything special but was reasonably good rubber. Pretty lame grass soccer field and no astro turf or anything “nice”. I moved away in 2018 so this was way more recent than the 90s.

Went back to that city for a visit recently and the place is locked up like a prison yard with 12ft fences, no trespassing plastered everywhere and security cameras pinned to all 4 corner posts. The fences are even topped with the “angled” fence tops so that nobody will attempt to scale the 12ft links. I don’t know what the hell caused this severe of a lockdown but it’s sad to see. What on earth is the major concern for making this aggressive of a fortress to lock people out of a rubber track.

The walkers and joggers now walk through all the neighborhoods (without sidewalks) and ironically it is probably less safe for the community as a whole because they have to walk in the street. Stupid. But now at least nobody is on “school property”.