"Barnaby Jones" is a rare sort of TV show. The first four seasons were amazingly good...as good as any detective show of the era (such as "Cannon" or "Mannix"). However, the final four seasons got progressively worse....mostly because of overused tropes as well as less and less Buddy Ebsen in the actual episodes. "Run to Death" is yet another one of these films....with little of Buddy and the worst trope of all, a friend of Betty who is killed. Why is this the worst? Because about 18482 folks who knew Betty were killed, were falsely accused of killing or actually were murderers! To do this on rare occasions is one thing...but towards the end of the series probably about 25% or more of the shows were like this...and involved Betty (who is NOT a private eye) investigating.
The show begins with Betty talking to an elderly friend as she jogs. He's recently had a heart attack and walks in the park to strengthen his heart...which is a fine idea. However, a person in a black motorcycle outfit and black helmet (not, it's NOT one of the guys from Daft Punk) chases him until he keels over from a heart attack. Amazingly, no one really saw this or was able to stop it...meaning Betty leaves near a really weird park.
After doing the killing, the killer is approached by a creepy guy who has guessed her secret. Now he does a VERY stupid thing (again, an overused plot device on this show) of trying to blackmail the killer! Duh. Soon, bad thing happen to him...and Betty is there to save the day.