Do you need to be running with a mask? Social pressure and local ordinances may say yes but what does the science say?

The weather is getting warmer and many of us feel hot wearing a mask during normal activities. Wearing a mask while running can be even more uncomfortable with increased difficulty with breathing heavy and a mask simply falling off.

Some areas have local ordinances that require mask-wearing while others do not. For some, it is local courtesy while others may ask you to mask yourself even though there is little information suggesting not wearing a mask while running will affect anyone.

The NY Times recently looked into this issue and makes some suggestions as to what you can do, and what is not necessary to protect others while you exercise.

Do Runners Need to Wear Masks?

Some people have taken to yelling (online and off) at people exercising without masks. But does it really matter?

By Heather Murphy Published May 30, 2020

Jane Rosen began yelling sometime in April. By May, it had become routine. The incidents usually occur near her minivan, which she parks alongside Central Park in New York City.

As she attempts to enter or exit the vehicle, a cyclist or a runner will whiz by, so close she can practically smell them. “I scream, ‘Where is your mask?’” said Ms. Rosen, 73.

Her daughter warned her that these confrontations could end badly. But it feels worth it, she said, because lives are at stake. She’s had about 18 such confrontations. The figure would be higher, she said, if she ventured out more often.

Melissa Mayen, a high school senior in Washington, D.C., had also been avoiding going outside. Then in mid-May, she set out for a ride for the first time in nearly a month.