I doubt the real shiit is coming from runners. There are plenty of non-runners on the streets and those are the ones commenting on outfits, kidnapping and raping and murdering.
One of my female runner friends just looks for company esp in the winter months when its dark out. Both of us are just happy to have someone to run with but I know she feels safer having trusted company.
How about as a male runner just let them be? anything more than a polite wave or hey is prob unnecessary.
We can vote for politicians and DAs who are tough on crime and lock up criminals for long, long prison sentences. Take the violent criminals out of society. Don’t focus on rehabilitation and release. That’s what men can do - protect women by ridding society of violent creeps.
The problem is no cop is going to lock up some dude for life who you can't identify who said nice shorts I like your ass.
The problem is that same dude may be the problem we need to look out for. Or not. Should we just put them away now?
A couple years ago, there was an incident reported near me about a woman being harassed/assaulted on a isolated section of trail. I decided that I would make that part of more of my runs. I wasn't actively trying to patrol the area, but I figured just having additional people there would make it more safe for everyone.
Report street light and sidewalk light outages to the public works department for repair after seeing them. Eliza Fletcher was abducted on a block where the illumination of street lights was missing due to burned out bulbs. It was very dark on that block (3800 Central Avenue, Memphis, Tennessee) at night.
We should all try to run as close to them as possible. Close enough so that they can feel the safe, reassuring heat of our protective breath on their neck. It helps if you give a wolf whistle to let them know you are there and to say complimentary things like "You must work out a lot. The last time I saw a body like yours was when I was burying it in my flower bed."
No I don't, just like you have no actual evidence that women runners are safer than male runners. You took general crime statistics to try to prove relative safety in a running scenario. Real world doesn't work that way.
The general crime stats I posted is evidence that women runners are safer. In particular, because the stats I looked at were in reference to attacks where the attacker was not known to the victim.
These are real world stats, which represent the real world. I don’t know why you want to believe women are more likely to be attacked, but all of the evidence suggests otherwise. You can go put your white amour away.
I reject your premise because you are improperly applying statistics. You prove the old axiom that there are three kinds of lies-lies, d*mn lies and statistics.
Show them crime statistics and tell them to avoid certain people who make up those statistics and stay out of the places they live.
This.
Reminds me of that video of a woman walking through NYC and recording the cat-calls - there was an obvious common denominator among the men doing the cat-calling... It's not racist to notice and mention these things.
+ stop empowering women to do unsafe things.
I wouldn't jog through a minority, high-crime part of my city at night because that would be unsafe. Women shouldn't jog in situations that are unsafe.
Some environments are dangerous for women that aren't dangerous for men; nothing we can do about this. This is reality, live in reality.
Decades ago, there was a case of the Central Park Jogger. She was running in the middle of the night and a group of teenagers assaulted her beyond believability. It was horrible.
Their "reason" was that they were out "wilding", as if it was ok.
So, groups of runners would meet in the middle of the night in CP and literally terrorize these groups of trouble makers. They took the law into their own hands.
I don't know what the solution really is, but people- men, women, children, everyone has the right to be out, running, walking, at any time of day in any neighborhood.
The criminals do not have that right.
This pig in the latest crime spent 20 years in prison for kidnapping! He's been out for about 2 years and this.
Maybe with crimes like this these people should never be free.
But, the problem is- how do we prevent it?
How do we prevent cowards like this from striking?
No. Years later, via DNA testing, it was found that one man committed the vicious assault on the Central Park Jogger. The group of kids were "wilding" that night, but did NOT assault her and were wrongfully convicted and sent to prison for years. They were later exonerated.
I run with my black lab as much as possible and YELL "Good morning" to everybody we overtake so they aren't too startled when he goes past them. I only have a 50% success rate because most people can't hear with their ear buds in. I smile, wave and/or give the peace sign to people going the other direction.
I strongly suggest that runners carry their phone, not share their running routes online with non-friends, and consider carrying a Ruger LCP .22LR if they run in sketchy places and/or at sketchy times. It weighs 11.2 OZ empty and won't bring down a bear, but will likely dissuade criminals from thinking you are an easy mark or at least mark them with a few holes. The noise and the sting will probably be enough to dissuade attackers.
OP here: to the “leave them alone” comments. Yeah, so far you have “left them alone” how has that worked?. Ask those that have been assaulted and countless others that no longer run because we’ve “left this alone” and they do not feel safe. I'm not using an anonymous forum to garner attention. Im starting a conversation so that I can have conversations with those in my community to help grow the sport.
You raise a good question OP, but fail to suggest any answers of your own and instead complain about other people’s answers. The point of leaving female runners alone is so that they won’t feel threatened by us. Leaving them alone is simply the best thing that we can do to help them feel safe. There is nothing else that we can do, unless they ask for our help or are in some obvious distress or danger, and even then our ability to help would depend on the circumstances.
I try to scuff the ground with my shoe or cough if I am approaching from behind, assuming the path isn't wide enough to pass. I have found there is a lose/lose situation when they where head phones though.
On trails, I'll gently scuff the ground (this works for dogs too) or gently call out when I am a reasonable distance away. Sometimes I try to smile and do a nod, but most of the time it isn't returned, which is fine. I rarely am in situation where I tend to be going the same direction or pace as a woman runner, but I wouldn't ask to share miles unless I knew them personally.
Especially at night, I will try to cross the street if I see a woman so she feels safer.
I try to scuff the ground with my shoe or cough if I am approaching from behind, assuming the path isn't wide enough to pass. I have found there is a lose/lose situation when they where head phones though.
On trails, I'll gently scuff the ground (this works for dogs too) or gently call out when I am a reasonable distance away. Sometimes I try to smile and do a nod, but most of the time it isn't returned, which is fine. I rarely am in situation where I tend to be going the same direction or pace as a woman runner, but I wouldn't ask to share miles unless I knew them personally.
Especially at night, I will try to cross the street if I see a woman so she feels safer.
I've come up behind women wearing headphones when running on a trail and have scared the crap out of them. One trail that I run is essentially a single-track that is only wide enough for one person. If someone is coming the other way, someone needs to step aside. The etiquette is that mountain bikes yield to walkers, runners, and horses, runners and walker yield to horses, and horses yield to nobody. It's fine if you're going in opposing directions but when someone is wearing headphone and you're coming up behind them, it's not good. This has happened to me riding a mountain bike and when running or walking. I clap my hands, yell, whatever. The last time it happened a woman screamed and told me to watch what I was doing. I thought of arguing and let it go.
A few years ago I came back from a run and complained to my wife and daughters that some women just are not friendly and never smile or say hello when I see them. My daughters informed me that most women that are walking or running by themselves do not want strange men saying hello or smiling at them. Ever since then I only smile or say hello if they do so first. I just try to give them space and not make eye contact if at all possible.
We can vote for politicians and DAs who are tough on crime and lock up criminals for long, long prison sentences. Take the violent criminals out of society. Don’t focus on rehabilitation and release. That’s what men can do - protect women by ridding society of violent creeps.
The problem is no cop is going to lock up some dude for life who you can't identify who said nice shorts I like your ass.
The problem is that same dude may be the problem we need to look out for. Or not. Should we just put them away now?
In the recent Memphis incident, the killer had previous convictions for rape and kidnapping. This creep should have been in jail for decades. Instead he’s out, and takes the next logical step from kidnapping and rape… that’s murder. Criminals commit crime. Lock them up.
I've been told just being mindful helps. A lot of men don't really even consider the issues women must contend with when they're out running/walking, etc. (predictors, catcalls, etc.).
My favorite area track is tucked away and fairly secluded. It provides great protection from the wind, but it's not necessarily the safest place for a woman to run alone. If there's a woman alone on the track when I show up I'll generally run at least a few warmup laps on the outside lane from the opposite direction so that the person is aware of my presence and it's obviously that I'm only there to get a workout in. I'll also give the person a overly wide berth when passing.
If I'm coming up behind someone on a trail or sidewalk I make a lot of noise or let them know I'm passing to avoid scaring them.
A tip CRC and FF had for females recently was if you're out running and you have someone following you and other runners are around, yell out a person's name so the perp realizes that someone could be looking out for you (even if the name is made up). That may throw him off.
as men (I’m a man), how can we make you (females) feel more safe? I live in a rural area and females run by from time to time. I always think “I hope she feels safe!”. It’s pathetic that we need to be having this conversation, but it should be had.
Stop voting for DA's and politicians that value criminals more than non-criminals.
The guy that killed her was already a kidnapper and a rapist. He shouldn't even have been out of prison.
You cannot reform a feral animal. Years in prison doesn't make them nicer people it makes them angry bitter people that are even worse than they were they went in.
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