"Running a train": Adolescent boys' accounts of sexual intercourse involving multiple males and one female

The authors used qualitative research methods to explore the context and sexual risk behavior associated with sexual intercourse involving multiple males and one female, commonly called "running a train." Participants were 20 adolescent males aged 14 to 22 years who were either perpetrators of dating violence or perceived by teachers to be at risk for dating violence perpetration. Trains were reported to be spontaneous or planned events, to occur in a variety of settings, and to be recreational behavior for male peers. Alcohol and drug use were frequently reported to both precede and co-occur with trains. Respondents provided motivations for both condom use and nonuse during trains. While respondents did not regard trains as sexual assault, they described numerous tactics used to coerce females' participation. Further investigation of the prevalence, causes, and consequences of this phenomenon is urgently needed.