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Staying Safe While Training For Marathon

BOSTON (CBS) -- "You gotta run facing traffic. You gotta keep your head up and pay attention." They're the running rules of the road from a veteran marathoner.

With marathon training in full swing, the snow piles growing and sidewalks vanishing runners are being forced into the streets. So those rules are even more important because every step is a risk.

Jeff Larson, the spokesperson for the L Street Running Club in South Boston, says, "I always have close calls. You have people on cell phones talking; we're sharing a lot less space on the road. Everyone has a story of how dangerous it is and almost being hit."

L Street Running Club sounded the warning via email giving marathoners tips to stay safe on the road.

  • You have to run facing traffic so you can anticipate any problems
  • You have to stop when crossing the street
  • Be very aware of being visible

The safest place to run is on the sidewalk if it's an even surface and clear of snow, but right now that's pretty tough.

WBZ-TV's Kathy Curran reports.

Billy Hartford is an avid runner and owner of South Boston Running Emporium. He says if you're hitting the pavement with all of this white you have to run bright. Hartford says, "The orange and yellow gear are particularly popular, especially with the snow flying. You've got to wear reflective and assume they don't see you."

If you're training for the marathon it's a challenging year. Larson says, "If you can run through this stuff you can run a marathon."

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