March 7, 2024 • 11 mins
Hey Running Friends!
As I lace up my running shoes and set out on the tranquil paths of Buffalo's Forest Lawn Cemetery, I can't help but feel surrounded by history. It's a place where the peaceful rest of icons like Rick James and President Millard Fillmore merges with the living pulse of runners seeking solitude and reflection.
I share guidelines for runners to engage with the cemetery's beauty and tranquility responsibly, by honoring unspoken rules and the explicit ones. Doing a bit of homework ensures we safeguard the privilege of their use, keeping the paths open for our reflective runs.
Resources from the Episode:
Forest Lawn Cemetery Buffalo
Famous Residents
If you are looking for a coach to help you reach your running goals, even if it's just to start to run, take a look at my Coaching Services page on the website. I do virtual, in-person (Buffalo, NY area) and also offer single zoom sessions for those would just like to chat with a coach one time.
Find my additional outlets over at the YouTube channel and at wrinkledrunner.com. Sign up over on the blog for the once-a-month newsletter! If you would like information on utilizing a running coach, check out what I can do for you here.
If you have any running-related questions, please send an email to sherry@wrinkledrunner.com…I answer every one.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
So I have been trying to cover some different topics
when it comes to running.
There are so many podcasts thatkind of go over the same things
and that that I won't and thatthat I haven't.
Sometimes there's some weirdthings that I'm going to cover
just because it's a littledifferent, and today we are
(00:22):
going to talk about running incemeteries.
So for those of you who followthis podcast, you know that I
live in Buffalo and a questioncomes up with my athletes from
time to time the in-person ones,regarding running in cemeteries
.
So that's what I'm going totalk about today.
So I live in the city and closeto Forest Lawn Cemetery.
(00:42):
So if you're from Buffalo, yougot to know Forest Lawn Cemetery
.
It's a huge cemetery.
It's off of Delaware, it goesall the way to Main Street and
there are people there like RickJames.
If you're old enough to knowwho that is, he is the super
freak singer.
President Millard Fillmore isburied there, not to be confused
(01:07):
with President William McKinley, who was assassinated here in
Buffalo.
But President Millard Fillmoreis buried here in Forest Lawn
Cemetery.
Another famous person buriedthere is Willis Haveland Carrier
, who invented modern airconditioning.
So we can thank him for that.
So I'm going to link you toseveral resources about the
(01:29):
history of the place, if that'syour thing.
Now I'm kind of.
I'm not a history buff, but Ido like history and the house I
live in is very, very old and soI like to research.
I wish the guy who built thishouse was buried in Forest Lawn
so I could visit him.
(01:49):
As morbid as that may be, I didfind out where he's buried and
someday I probably will go andvisit him.
But he died in this house.
His funeral was in this house,and I don't know.
It's just pretty cool.
We had some renovations doneand we have a third floor.
It was used as an apartment fora lot of years but we
(02:13):
transformed it into like a mediaroom and another bedroom and
whatever, and so we had thatpopcorn ceiling scraped off and
they had to dig a hole.
No, they had to put a hole inthe ceiling to get up into the
attic above the third floor andthey actually found a corset and
(02:36):
it had.
Someone had sewn it together.
It must have ripped at somepoint, and the houses in Buffalo
a lot of them on the thirdfloor is where the help would be
would live, and so they'd haveback staircases, that they would
go down and they'd havekitchens in the basement and you
(02:58):
know all these, all thesethings from back in the early
1900s, and so they found acorset there.
So I have that and it's I don'tknow.
I just like that kind of stuff.
So, running in cemeteries, I runthrough forest lawn a lot,
actually, and I have the clientsthat live in Buffalo I have
(03:22):
them do that too.
There's a lot of hills in there, and so they can run either
their hill sprints or if they'redoing some rolling hills or
whatever.
So, anyway, the cemetery has269 acres.
Not only myself, but trackteams from high schools and
colleges.
They also do some of theirworkouts there as well, but what
(03:44):
is the etiquette of it?
So should runners and cyclistsbe using the space as a workout
area?
So what I have found is thatthat depends.
I've run in New York City andhesitated and ultimately decided
not to run in some of thecemeteries that I have come
across, because I didn't do myhomework, so I didn't know if
(04:04):
there were rules or not inregards to that.
Now, forest lawn happens toencourage the use of its
park-like grounds for cycling,running, even picnics, and this
is from the official website andtheir Facebook postings.
So I'm not just like repeatingsomething somebody said, who had
nothing to do with it, in arandom forum somewhere, but the
(04:28):
facility itself.
I guess you'd call it afacility or whatever.
They encourage you to kind ofuse it in that way.
So most of the time all Iencounter is other runners or
people walking around.
I don't think I've ever seenanyone actually having a picnic
there, but you know, teach theirown, I guess.
(04:51):
So one of the things that you'regonna come across if you're
going to run in a cemetery ispeople in mourning.
You know you can usually tellthe difference between somebody
who is visiting a specific grave, because they know the person,
versus, you know, going to seeRick James's grave or going to
the president's grave orwhatever.
(05:11):
So I keep a close eye on mysurroundings so that if somebody
is visiting a site, I slow to awalk, give them lots of space,
walk past where they are anddon't start up again until I'm
well beyond them.
You know I don't wanna be likesprinting or working out or, you
(05:32):
know, doing something reallyintense, treating it as like
it's just another track, becauseit absolutely is not, and even
though it's an old cemetery andthere are a lot of people there
that are famous or whatever.
It is still a working cemeteryand anybody can be buried there,
so you just never know whoyou're gonna come across.
(05:54):
And what they do in the cemeteryis they post some signs sort of
near the entrance and when youhear the bells tolling, that
means that a funeral processionis about to come in or is coming
in and they want you to stopand you know, be respectful.
(06:16):
So they don't want you likerunning through Dodging cars or
whatever if the procession iscoming through.
So they have you hang back, andI think that's a really good
system that they have put inplace, because I think most
people Want to be respectful inthat.
So it's privately owned andthey have several other
(06:37):
cemeteries in the area and sothey are allowed to.
You know, put up their ownrules about public use.
Now other cemeteries With, suchas Arlington National Cemetery
is a military cemetery and whileyou're allowed to walk and
explore, you're not allowed tocycle or run or picnic or
(06:58):
actually have any food there.
They also note that if you'rethere and a flag is involved in
the ceremony, as you draw nearto place your hand over your
heart.
So if you come across thecemetery while you're on a run
and you want to run in it andthere's no posted signs as to
what the rules are, stop andcheck out the website or Don't
(07:20):
venture in until you can do soand do a little bit of homework
on that, just so that you can berespectful.
You know, you don't want to bethe person on next door being
filmed Doing something in acemetery that you're not
supposed to be running in orworking out in.
So there's a cemetery in Oregonthat has trails running through
it and people are allowed to runand walk through, but signs
(07:43):
have gone up alerting runners tothe fact that it is still a
cemetery, not a training ground.
So apparently teams were goingin there for some heavy workouts
, like Massive, like big teamsand the coaches were blowing
whistles and just treating itlike a track.
Now, that is not acceptable,even in cemeteries that I think
(08:08):
that allow running.
You know blowing whistles andsetting up sprints and a whole
bunch of people like doing thesame thing and blocking the road
.
In all the years that I've beenrunning at Forest Lawn, I've
never seen coaches or groups ofrunners do anything like that.
Okay.
So I mean read the room, youknow it's not a track, it is a
(08:29):
cemetery, and so, even though Imight see groups of people or
people who are clearly coachesand high school kids or college
kids running, there's no likeset up like cones or anything
even close to some kind ofstrenuous workout and treating
(08:50):
it just like training ground.
So in cemeteries that allowpublic use, obviously respect is
going to go a long way.
So avoid areas where mournersare gathered.
Don't play loud music, don'tlitter.
If you're running with a pet,make sure that your pet is
allowed there too, and obviouslyit should go without saying
(09:13):
that if your pet makes a mess,you need to clean it up.
So since Forest Lawn has been avery long way, since Forest
Lawn has some nice hills, I willwrite workouts for my clients
that incorporate them, for thosethat can get there.
It's a peaceful place with verylittle car traffic and it gives
athletes an area for straightrunning with little to no
(09:35):
stopping.
So I did my homework and thatis the best advice that I can
give you Find out what aparticular cemetery allows or
doesn't allow, be respectful inones that encourage running and
Don't do anything to ruin it forother runners.
So I have been trying to cover some different topics
when it comes to running.
There are so many podcasts thatkind of go over the same things
and that that I won't and thatthat I haven't.
Sometimes there's some weirdthings that I'm going to cover
just because it's a littledifferent, and today we are
(00:22):
going to talk about running incemeteries.
So for those of you who followthis podcast, you know that I
live in Buffalo and a questioncomes up with my athletes from
time to time the in-person ones,regarding running in cemeteries
.
So that's what I'm going totalk about today.
So I live in the city and closeto Forest Lawn Cemetery.
(00:42):
So if you're from Buffalo, yougot to know Forest Lawn Cemetery
.
It's a huge cemetery.
It's off of Delaware, it goesall the way to Main Street and
there are people there like RickJames.
If you're old enough to knowwho that is, he is the super
freak singer.
President Millard Fillmore isburied there, not to be confused
(01:07):
with President William McKinley, who was assassinated here in
Buffalo.
But President Millard Fillmoreis buried here in Forest Lawn
Cemetery.
Another famous person buriedthere is Willis Haveland Carrier
, who invented modern airconditioning.
So we can thank him for that.
So I'm going to link you toseveral resources about the
(01:29):
history of the place, if that'syour thing.
Now I'm kind of.
I'm not a history buff, but Ido like history and the house I
live in is very, very old and soI like to research.
I wish the guy who built thishouse was buried in Forest Lawn
so I could visit him.
(01:49):
As morbid as that may be, I didfind out where he's buried and
someday I probably will go andvisit him.
But he died in this house.
His funeral was in this house,and I don't know.
It's just pretty cool.
We had some renovations doneand we have a third floor.
It was used as an apartment fora lot of years but we
(02:13):
transformed it into like a mediaroom and another bedroom and
whatever, and so we had thatpopcorn ceiling scraped off and
they had to dig a hole.
No, they had to put a hole inthe ceiling to get up into the
attic above the third floor andthey actually found a corset and
(02:36):
it had.
Someone had sewn it together.
It must have ripped at somepoint, and the houses in Buffalo
a lot of them on the thirdfloor is where the help would be
would live, and so they'd haveback staircases, that they would
go down and they'd havekitchens in the basement and you
(02:58):
know all these, all thesethings from back in the early
1900s, and so they found acorset there.
So I have that and it's I don'tknow.
I just like that kind of stuff.
So, running in cemeteries, I runthrough forest lawn a lot,
actually, and I have the clientsthat live in Buffalo I have
(03:22):
them do that too.
There's a lot of hills in there, and so they can run either
their hill sprints or if they'redoing some rolling hills or
whatever.
So, anyway, the cemetery has269 acres.
Not only myself, but trackteams from high schools and
colleges.
They also do some of theirworkouts there as well, but what
(03:44):
is the etiquette of it?
So should runners and cyclistsbe using the space as a workout
area?
So what I have found is thatthat depends.
I've run in New York City andhesitated and ultimately decided
not to run in some of thecemeteries that I have come
across, because I didn't do myhomework, so I didn't know if
(04:04):
there were rules or not inregards to that.
Now, forest lawn happens toencourage the use of its
park-like grounds for cycling,running, even picnics, and this
is from the official website andtheir Facebook postings.
So I'm not just like repeatingsomething somebody said, who had
nothing to do with it, in arandom forum somewhere, but the
(04:28):
facility itself.
I guess you'd call it afacility or whatever.
They encourage you to kind ofuse it in that way.
So most of the time all Iencounter is other runners or
people walking around.
I don't think I've ever seenanyone actually having a picnic
there, but you know, teach theirown, I guess.
(04:51):
So one of the things that you'regonna come across if you're
going to run in a cemetery ispeople in mourning.
You know you can usually tellthe difference between somebody
who is visiting a specific grave, because they know the person,
versus, you know, going to seeRick James's grave or going to
the president's grave orwhatever.
(05:11):
So I keep a close eye on mysurroundings so that if somebody
is visiting a site, I slow to awalk, give them lots of space,
walk past where they are anddon't start up again until I'm
well beyond them.
You know I don't wanna be likesprinting or working out or, you
(05:32):
know, doing something reallyintense, treating it as like
it's just another track, becauseit absolutely is not, and even
though it's an old cemetery andthere are a lot of people there
that are famous or whatever.
It is still a working cemeteryand anybody can be buried there,
so you just never know whoyou're gonna come across.
(05:54):
And what they do in the cemeteryis they post some signs sort of
near the entrance and when youhear the bells tolling, that
means that a funeral processionis about to come in or is coming
in and they want you to stopand you know, be respectful.
(06:16):
So they don't want you likerunning through Dodging cars or
whatever if the procession iscoming through.
So they have you hang back, andI think that's a really good
system that they have put inplace, because I think most
people Want to be respectful inthat.
So it's privately owned andthey have several other
(06:37):
cemeteries in the area and sothey are allowed to.
You know, put up their ownrules about public use.
Now other cemeteries With, suchas Arlington National Cemetery
is a military cemetery and whileyou're allowed to walk and
explore, you're not allowed tocycle or run or picnic or
(06:58):
actually have any food there.
They also note that if you'rethere and a flag is involved in
the ceremony, as you draw nearto place your hand over your
heart.
So if you come across thecemetery while you're on a run
and you want to run in it andthere's no posted signs as to
what the rules are, stop andcheck out the website or Don't
(07:20):
venture in until you can do soand do a little bit of homework
on that, just so that you can berespectful.
You know, you don't want to bethe person on next door being
filmed Doing something in acemetery that you're not
supposed to be running in orworking out in.
So there's a cemetery in Oregonthat has trails running through
it and people are allowed to runand walk through, but signs
(07:43):
have gone up alerting runners tothe fact that it is still a
cemetery, not a training ground.
So apparently teams were goingin there for some heavy workouts
, like Massive, like big teamsand the coaches were blowing
whistles and just treating itlike a track.
Now, that is not acceptable,even in cemeteries that I think
(08:08):
that allow running.
You know blowing whistles andsetting up sprints and a whole
bunch of people like doing thesame thing and blocking the road
.
In all the years that I've beenrunning at Forest Lawn, I've
never seen coaches or groups ofrunners do anything like that.
Okay.
So I mean read the room, youknow it's not a track, it is a
(08:29):
cemetery, and so, even though Imight see groups of people or
people who are clearly coachesand high school kids or college
kids running, there's no likeset up like cones or anything
even close to some kind ofstrenuous workout and treating
(08:50):
it just like training ground.
So in cemeteries that allowpublic use, obviously respect is
going to go a long way.
So avoid areas where mournersare gathered.
Don't play loud music, don'tlitter.
If you're running with a pet,make sure that your pet is
allowed there too, and obviouslyit should go without saying
(09:13):
that if your pet makes a mess,you need to clean it up.
So since Forest Lawn has been avery long way, since Forest
Lawn has some nice hills, I willwrite workouts for my clients
that incorporate them, for thosethat can get there.
It's a peaceful place with verylittle car traffic and it gives
athletes an area for straightrunning with little to no
(09:35):
stopping.
So I did my homework and thatis the best advice that I can
give you Find out what aparticular cemetery allows or
doesn't allow, be respectful inones that encourage running and
Don't do anything to ruin it forother runners.
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