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Vice President of the Tacoma Runners, Colton Haffey, in his element.<\/p>\n
Colton Haffey<\/p>\n
Courtesy<\/p>\n
I caught Tacoma Runners Vice President Colton Haffey by surprise. He was at work, and I called him to find out if his running club would be having their weekly Thursday run in the wildfire smoke.<\/p>\n
\u201cHow did you get this number?\u201d he said, and \u201cWho are you again?\u201d But Haffey is a nice guy and was happy to chat.<\/p>\n
Tacoma Runners<\/a> is a running club right here in Tacoma. They find different spots to meet up and go for group runs every Thursday.<\/p>\n Like many outdoorsy Tacomans, I\u2019ve personally been curious about whether I should keep my daily outdoor run routine going in the gloom. Perhaps you\u2019re standing on your front porch with a skateboard or bicycle in hand, looking up at the orange sun and wondering the same thing.<\/p>\n There\u2019s certainly a point where air quality is so bad that any cardiovascular benefits of exercising outside are canceled out by smoke, and being lazy on the couch with Grey\u2019s Anatomy is maybe a better call.<\/p>\n But where is that point?<\/p>\n According to Haffey, a run is often not worth it during wildfire season. But that hasn\u2019t stopped Tacoma Runners yet. They run, rain, shine or smoke.<\/p>\n \u201cNo one wants to hear that it\u2019s not worth it when they\u2019re in the mood to go for a run,\u201d Haffey said over the phone Wednesday. \u201cBut it often is. We go anyway. If it gets bad enough, we\u2019ll likely just cancel the run as an \u2018event,\u2019 but still show up to hang out anyway. And those who want to run unofficially can.\u201d<\/p>\n As for Tacoma Runners\u2019 Thursday run this week, which starts downtown at The Mix<\/a>, it\u2019s still on. But they\u2019re paying attention to the air.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019re continually monitoring and messaging each other while we watch the graphics from the EPA about what\u2019s safe and what\u2019s not,\u201d Haffey said.<\/p>\n Caffey joined Tacoma Runners about three years ago after moving from Houston to Tacoma. \u201cWe\u2019ve never canceled a run since I\u2019ve been a part of it. We\u2019re always trying to get something going together,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n The closest Haffey has seen Tacoma Runners get to a cancellation was two years ago during wildfire season when they moved a run to Ruston. They thought a breeze by the water might clean up the air for them.<\/p>\n \u201cWe kept it going, but suggested that people run in masks,\u201d Haffey remembered. \u201cProbably half the people ran in masks, and the other half just kind of hung out and went to the bar.\u201d<\/p>\n Haffey ran in an N95 mask and says he does not recommend it. \u201cI was like, what am I doing here? I feel like I\u2019m altitude training at sea level.\u201d<\/p>\n Haffey might not recommend it, but does anyone?<\/p>\n For that question, I turned to Annie Doubleday, air quality epidemiologist for the Washington Department of Health.<\/p>\n \u201cIn general, wearing an N95 is a good way to go,\u201d Doubleday told The News Tribune on Wednesday. \u201cBut N95s aren\u2019t going to get rid of all the smoke exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n But Doubleday said it\u2019s a different story when exercising.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s hard to breathe through an N95. I wouldn\u2019t want to recommend to anyone with a lung or heart condition to exercise outside in an N95. I also don\u2019t want people to think that they\u2019re fine and can continue to do what they normally do if they\u2019re wearing an N95, because it\u2019s not a cure-all; you\u2019re still exposed. N95s only reduce your exposure.\u201d<\/p>\n While writing this article (on Wednesday afternoon), I received an air quality alert from the National Weather Service, warning of poor air quality through Thursday evening. A quick check on Aircare<\/a>, my air quality app, said it was over 153 AQI (Air Quality Index) in my neighborhood (North End), which was colored red and had the words \u201cVery Poor Air Quality\u201d and \u201cClose windows, avoid outdoor activities and wear pollution masks outdoors\u201d attached to it.<\/p>\n Did that mean I was going to have to skip my daily run?<\/p>\n \u201cExercising outdoors is a hard topic because it varies from person to person,\u201d Doubleday says. \u201cGenerally speaking, for folks who don\u2019t have underlying conditions and aren\u2019t especially sensitive to smoke, we would say to monitor symptoms, and as long as it\u2019s below an AQI of 150, people can exercise. But we would recommend that everybody watch for symptoms.\u201d<\/p>\n Doubleday says monitoring symptoms is the key phrase here. Because you don\u2019t have to have underlying health conditions to be sensitive to smoke.<\/p>\n She says some of the symptoms to watch out for are shortness of breath, coughing, changes in heartbeat, wheezing, stinging eyes, and headaches.<\/p>\n \u201cI personally don\u2019t run outside when it\u2019s unhealthy for sensitive groups, even though I\u2019m not in a sensitive group,\u201d she says. \u201cBut I find smoke pretty aggravating. So it\u2019s dependent on the person.\u201d<\/p>\n For folks who have underlying heart or lung conditions, Doubleday would recommend they don\u2019t run outside if it\u2019s above 100 on the AQI.<\/p>\n When we exercise, our breathing rate is higher, so we take in more air. When it\u2019s smoky, we take in more smoke. Much more than if we were just walking or sitting around in the smoke.<\/p>\n \u201cWe think of running outside as being really healthy,\u201d Doubleday says. \u201cBut when it\u2019s really smoky, that can contribute to long-term cumulative damage to our bodies over time.\u201d<\/p>\n Of course, the easy solution is exercising indoors until the air quality clears up. It\u2019s a good time to own a treadmill or Peloton. Or maybe head to the gym.<\/p>\n But if you\u2019re like me and have none of these things, is there an easy, straightforward answer for when it\u2019s okay to exercise outside and when it\u2019s not?<\/p>\n \u201cI don\u2019t think people should be running outside if it\u2019s over 150 AQI,\u201d Doubleday answered. \u201cBut people can always make their own informed decisions and do what feels good to them.\u201d<\/p>\n I skipped my run on Wednesday.<\/p>\n Tacoma Runners, always together. Rain, shine, or smoke. Colton Haffey Courtesy <\/p>\n
![\"Washington](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/1785982709700-26452583-87ad-4033-8c72-3438f311c9ab_1.jpg\" "\\"1785982709700-26452583-87ad-4033-8c72-3438f311c9ab_1.jpg\\"")
Washington State Department of Health air quality guide. Courtesy WA State Dept of Health <\/p>\n