Lost: Can People Use Stadiums for Exercise?

Question

In Lost seasons 1 and 2, Jack Shepherd (and later Desmond) are seen running the steps in a stadium.

One could assume this is either a university or local city stadium of some sort. Usually those are locked down when games and practices are not happening. My question is: is this a real thing people can do? Just drive straight up to and park at football/soccer stadiums and go running the aisle steps?

Or could one assume maybe Jack and Desmond got permission from the authorities over the property to just drive up and start running?

Answer 1

When I was in University, any student could use the stadiums’ public areas almost anytime they wanted. You had to have proof that you were an active student, faculty, or staff on your person if it was requested by campus police. But, this would be true of any campus facility, not just the stadium. The practice fields and surrounding tracks were open for use by request and specific permission only. There were plenty of physical education courses and intramural athletic activities that took place during non-practice hours of the university teams. I would run the inclined ramps leading from the ground level seats to the nose-bleed sections all of the time. It was the best hill workout in the area that did not have vehicular traffic.

Answer 2

It depends on the stadium. Our HS team literally had a stadium we played in, and it had a wide-open end zone area. Our college also had a stadium, but we were Division 3 which is for smaller schools and so it was bereft of the amenities like food and drink stations you'd find at, say, the stadiums a professional team would play in.

If you recall from the scenes, there was an open end of the stadium that led directly to a parking lot. It wasn't encompassed by a massive walkway or pass-through, it was just gated. This was probably one of those smaller school stadiums which would remain accessible to the public.