Sometimes people ask me if I ever get nervous running on trails by myself. The answer is, “not usually.” But today I was doing my run in a park with several small trails. The one I was on is a loop around a lake. It’s not far off the road, but once you’re on the trail it’s very isolated from the rest of the park.
I planned to do three loops, but when I finished the first one I looked around and saw four young men walking on the trail, about a quarter mile behind me.
Ding ding ding! There was nothing especially dangerous or menacing about these men, but my “common sense” alarm went off, and told me to get off the trail ASAP. Luckily I was right near an exit to the main road of the park, so I quickly took it and was back to civilization.
Sometimes when I go to trail races, I wonder why there are so few women, compared to men. Oh yeah… that’s why. A lot of women are afraid to run alone on trails.
I don’t usually complain about male privilege, because I realize I’m a very privileged person. Other than taking normal precautions (not running in deserted areas in the dark for example) I don’t think about it much. Today was the first time in a long time that I didn’t feel like it would be safe to run the route I had planned.
In all likelihood, those men were good people (because most people are). After I left the trail and continued my run on the road, I imagined myself running past them- they might have waved, or high-fived me, or said “how far are you running?” or “good job!” It made me kind of sad that I couldn’t take the risk to find out.
It isn’t all men, but it’s always a man.
If you’re a woman who runs or walks outside, do you ever feel unsafe? What precautions do you take?
19 Responses
Yeah, every once in a while I get “the ick” and move away from a situation. Is it necessary? Hopefully not, but there is no way to know. You just have to go with your gut. Bad vibes are bad vibes.
Yes, hopefully these moves are not necessary. But better safe than sorry.
That instinctive alarm is there for a reason, Jenny, and I think you absolutely did the right thing by listening to it! Like you say, those men may well have been perfectly nice people, but you had no way of knowing that, and something told you it was time to leave.
I run outdoors alone a lot, and I have to say I very rarely feel afraid. That said, in your particular situation, I probably wouldn’t have felt comfortable either. I’m always happy to see other people around, whether it’s dog walkers, cyclists, mums with their kids, or anyone else enjoying the outdoors.
In Cape Town, though, it doesn’t matter whether you’re male or female. If you’re in the wrong place at the wrong time, you can get mugged and lose your phone and valuables. Just last year, a well-known elite trail runner from the UK was mugged on Table Mountain while training for Ultra-Trail Cape Town. He was so shaken by the experience that he returned to London without even competing in the race!
Wow, that’s a scary story. Poor guy. And- I think when I see other people, I immediately notice certain things. Are they dressed in running clothes? Do they have a dog? If there’s more than one, is at least one of them a woman? A lot of times you can tell if someone is out running or walking for a legitimate reason. If I can’t spot any of those things, I’m leery.
You’re so right that it happens rarely. But, sadly, it does happen. I had one particularly menacing run-in with a drunk man when I was a college student and I ended up having to go into a strangers house after dark because he was following me. IT WAS SO SCARY. (We have a rule in our house than when the kids turn 12 they get to the hear Mom’s “walking home story”.)
I think an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure and being vigilant is so important. When I used to run solo a lot, I would play podcasts out loud while I ran and sometimes talk, so it sounded like I was on the phone with someone if I was on an isolated stretch. But eventually, I did change my route so I was never very far from civilization. (My original route was about 8 km of predominantly isolated trail… eeks.)
Even where I live (very small, very safe), there have been a few terrifying things happen.
Stay safe my friend and I am SO, SO glad you did bail on the trail.
Thanks, Elisabeth! Yes, giving the impression of being on your phone is a good idea. It reminds me a little of the “invisible man” ploy, where if someone sketchy approaches you, you call out for your “companion” (Joe, John, Tom, whatever) who is supposedly coming up right behind you.
Your story also reminds me of an incident just recently where my daughter and her friend were walking home from the store. It was getting dark and they passed a strange man who made them very uncomfortable, so they ducked into a nearby restaurant and called me for a ride. I was VERY happy to go pick them up, and complimented them for their caution.
I think all women have experienced this feeling, I know I have! I generally feel safer running on trails than I did when I ran on roads, but I still sometimes get that uncomfortable feeling when I’m all alone on the trail and see a man ahead or have one come up behind me. Sometimes I have changed my route if I felt particularly unsafe but usually I just try to be more aware and alert and it almost always ends up being fine.
Yes, one thing about trails is that the more deserted they are, the less likely there will be a “bad guy” because most people would only be out there if they’re running or cycling or something. Roads are probably a little less safe- although again, most situations really are safe. Being alert and aware is the key!
Trust your gut; as another commenter mentioned, our instincts are ancient, finely honed, and there for a reason. I had a very scary and ugly encounter with a man when I was just 15. It made me vigilant and defensive forever. You did the right thing, but I’m so sorry to have to say it.
And I’m sorry you had to experience that! I hope the outcome of that encounter wasn’t too traumatic, and I guess it’s a good thing to be vigilant.
Because I’m with Hannah 95% of the time I’m walking in town, I have very little fear. She’s loud, she has teeth, and she’s not afraid to use them. She’s very protective and I always know if there’s a human within 100 feet of me. However, (THIS IS SAD) I have read so many stories about bad actors just shooting/stabbing the dog and taking him or her out of the equation and sometimes that crosses my mind. I would protect her with my own life just as she would protect me, but I hope this never happens.
When I was in Philly a couple of weeks ago, it was kind of crazy because I had to bust out my city persona. I had not had an opportunity to do that in quite some time, so I was quite alert. I didn’t have any scary experiences, but I did manage to walk into what appeared to be a sketchy block (I’m basing this on the large number of unhoused people and visible drug paraphernalia – no one confronted me or approached me or anything and I feel like a heel judging based on some things, but I was a woman without a dog) and tried to get out of there as soon as I could. You gotta listen to your gut!
I’ve thought about- someday- getting a dog to run with. I think that would be AWESOME. However, I guess there’s no 100% protection against the really bad people, and that’s a very sad thought.
As you know, I also run alone most of the time, but being cautious as a woman in the world is precisely why I don’t run when it’s dark (not even in my neighborhood which I would consider safe) and I always try to run where other people are. The bike trail that I frequent is heavily used by cyclist, runners, walkers and dog walkers, so I feel mostly safe (although there are stretches where you can end up running alone every once in a while). I think it was very smart to not take any risks and get off the trail, even though the four young men might have been totally harmless, or even friendly. Sadly, we never know, so we have to be careful.
I haven’t been running in the dark lately- not for safety reasons, but just because I switched my schedule around so I can get more sleep. But when I do, I have a completely different route, where I basically run up and down a well-lit, fairly busy road (I’m on the sidewalk) as opposed to my usual loop which would be too secluded. Still- there are times when I feel uneasy. Should we all take a self-defense class???
Ugh it’s unfortunate. I almost always run in my neighborhood and the one adjacent to mine. I always feel safe. But I sometimes run when I’m staying at a hotel or somewhere out of town – I tend to seek out neighborhoods.
I do exactly what you did Jenny, I ran away when my guts tell me to do so, just for precaution.
I used to be afraid to run in a new city, but more recently I became more confident, and go to morning running places of local people during sunlight. This way I feel more safe.
Yes, I have absolutely had my spidey senses go off for no official reason. Thankfully, I’ve never had an actual encounter but I’m always hyper aware. I also dress very conservatively – mostly because that is how I am comfortable, but also- I don’t want to attract unwanted attention (which is a whole ‘nother topic).
Interestingly, I rarely ever get honked at. But a couple weeks ago I went out for a run with my husband and we got honked out like 4 times ?!? Not sure what that was about!
Yup. I am usually comfortable running on my own, but I stay alert and sometimes get that prickly feeling that makes me question my decision or change course to get to a “safer” area.
Glad you were able to get off the loop quickly so you could feel more comfortable.
I used to run along the beach at the same time every day, but it meant in winter it was still dark. I remember distinctly this one morning I ran past this man, and the way he looked at me, every hair on my body stood on end. I’ve never had that reaction before and it terrified me.
I never ran at the beach at that time ever again, just in case. I ended up moving it to a bit later in the morning so the sun was up and there were more people around. I also moved to using bone conducting headphones too.
There have been some horrible stories over here in Australia of women being attacked and killed while out running, and it makes me so sad. We all deserve the right to run freely and without fear.