Women - what safety precautions do you take?

I see people suggesting women carry knives.

I think this is a bad idea. I don’t think most women have the nerve to stab someone even in danger. Even if they do, I feel most men could disarm a woman with a knife and use it against her.

Better off with pepper spray and run!

My good friend Vanessa Marcotte was killed in a very similar way to this woman back in 2016 and I regularly think of what could have been done to prevent this from happening to her. She was running alone in a fairly rural stretch of road and it just so happened crossed path with a monster, kind of like getting struck by lighting. She had her phone and and air-pods in at the time, but the service may have been spotty. She was likely blind-sided the same way this woman was.

Short of carrying a gun, there likely isn't much she could have done to prevent this from happening to her given the location and scenario. One thing I do think might have changed the outcome was if she had been talking on the phone with someone at the time and her killer recognized that she was actively talking on the phone while running, but who knows.

Her death was one of the most traumatic experiences in my life and can only imagine what this woman's family is going through. It took the police a lot longer to find her killer, so I'm glad this other guy was caught quickly.

Vanessa's killer is rotting in a hole in prison for the rest of his life, which is probably the only solace I have after losing my friend in such a horrible way.

Be careful ladies.

This is not correct. I stated that I carried a knife. I did not suggest that women in general carry knives. Has it really not occurred to you that it may be a deterrent? A car full of young men stopped next to me while I was running on a narrow road near my home. I couldn't get past and the banks were too high on either side. It was broad daylight as it happens. I had my knife with me and held it up to accidentally-on-purpose show them as they asked for stupidly involved directions. "Is that a knife?" said one of them. No, I said, its a tool. I once had to slit a hog's throat as it was trapped in a fence. Silence. They drove on.

And believe me, I have the nerve. I am used to dealing with large critters and farm animals. You take the risk if you wish. If you think I'm going to mess about with pepper spray, you are mistaken.

Good advice when running anywhere there aren't many others using the space, i.e. essentially all morning/evening running in many places (and simply all running in certain places).

Cool story.

After the SCOTUS struck NY’s gun law (several months ago) that essentially prevented most
anti-gun states from carrying a concealed handgun, someone started a thread that encouraged runners to carry a concealed gun for protection while running. Sadly, the OP was heavily criticized. Worse still, by mostly women. I don’t understand why people (male or female) would not want to protect themselves. This latest tragic story is nothing new:

heavy.com

Murdered Joggers List: Runners Who Met With Foul Play

Jessica McBride

Karina Vetrano, Vanessa Marcotte, and Mollie Tibbetts, are among the list of murdered joggers over recent years.

Open link

The anti-gun activists argue that the police will protect them - the same police that argued all the way to the SCOTUS that it’s not their responsibility to protect anyone.

https://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/28/politics/justices-rule-police-do-not-have-a-constitutional-duty-to-protect.html

That’s why the good-for-nothing Uvalde, TX police officers will never be fired, let alone criminally charged for their negligence in the massacre of 20-plus school kids. The police mottol: "To protect and to serve." is one of the greatest con jobs in American history.

Furthermore, eliminating guns from society is tantamount to eradicating germs. It’s not going to happened. If you're disgusted by the daily news of vulnerable people being assaulted or murdered, then take action and protect yourself. Carry a concealed handgun. Don't be a victim. You’re not a 911 call away from safety.

You tried to correct someone but you just look silly. This person is not wanting to be a shining target in their reflective vest. Their instincts are correct.

Ladies be VERY careful about revealing information here. There are obviously repressed incels here who may try to exploit any information at their disposal.

Never had to deploy the taser on a run, but the dog has probably discouraged one or two encounters over the years. I did have to fend off a couple of kids from my daughters when a gang fight broke out next to us at some carnival rides one year, but I did that with basic self defense. Unfortunately one cannot plan when they will encounter an attack. Carrying a taser is a minor inconvenience that provides peace of mind. Violent crime is a likelihood at some point in our lives for pretty much all of us. You can either accept that you will become a victim or take measures to prevent it.

nytimes.com

83% TO BE VICTIMS OF CRIME VIOLENCE (Published 1987)

Special to the New York Times

Open link

1) I don't run before it's light outside under any circumstances.

2) I try not to run near cars or on roads.

3) I carry pepper spray easily accessible that I know how to use quickly.

4) I keep my phone on me.

5) I use Strava's active tracking that sends a link to partner, my mom, and my friend with my active location.

6) I run with AirPods on transparency mode or no headphones at all.

7) If I see non-runners loitering or people walking slow/somewhat suspicious, I try to swing wide of them so they couldn't grab me without having to move towards me (i.e. I would have a head start).

First useful letsrun thread in roughly 8-9 years

Maybe this is the wakeupcall that this website needed. About a month ago I posted about being confronted by a man in a ski mask and a sweatsuit with gloves at my local track, and I was told I was being 'a troll.'

Yes I remember that. I was the first to push back on them as they just love to say 2/10 or whatever as their reflex and then some were trying to get you to reveal the exact location of the track. Some said a teenage female would not post here. So much ignorance here.

I don't think this requires a thread on safety precautions. She went for a run on her own at 4:20 a.m. in Memphis. It is horrible what happened but you have to know that it is unsafe to pick one of the most crime-ridden cities in the country at a time when no one is around to see what's going on.

The gun death rate for people who have guns in the household is nine times greater than non-gun households. How exactly is that making anyone safer?

It's far, far more likely that you'll be hit by a car than attacked by a person when you're out running.