When you contemplate running safely, most of us think of safety vests, blinking lights, and bright clothes. However, this article delves a little deeper into the dark side of runner safety; staying safe from assaults.
Recently, there have been a series of these piling up. These types of assaults bring up different concerns about running safely and ones that are in sharp contrast to the usual ones, such as avoiding becoming a target. Please rememeber that you can have all the best and brightest running gear, but assaults happen day or night.
Assaults seem rare, but how rare are they really? I am not trying to scare you, but is it so bad we cannot go outside safely anymore? Especially as a female runner? I was not able to find many statistics on running assaults. One blog, Science-Based Running, decided they wanted to know the answer to this question and researched the statistics of runner assaults. Surprisingly, they found very little statistics on this matter. They focused on the statistics of violent crimes instead, and the fact that very few assaults (aggravated or otherwise) and murders were by strangers of the victims*.
They stated that, “Seventy-eight percent of assaults were committed by someone known to the victim. Less than 14 percent of rapes were committed in open areas like parks and greenways (the numbers we have in this report combine “locations such as an apartment yard; a park, field, or playground not on school property; a location on the street other than that immediately adjacent to home of the victim, a relative, or a friend; on public transportation; in a station or depot for bus or train; on a plane; or in an airport.)” Their deductions stated that about 3% of all rapes (with women most likely to be the victims) are from some sort of “random guy jumping out from behind a bush” attack. While that number is not significantly high, it would still suck to be in that minority. Even if the occurrences are low or if they may be on the rise, every runner should at least take as many precautionary measures as possible before going out for their run.
First off, I feel it is necessary, before going into some recommendations on assault avoidance, that nothing is 100% foolproof when it comes to assault. You can take all the precautions possible, and the assault could still be unavoidable. Erica Winnestorfer said “(For) night runs – well-lit, no headphones, my dog and brass knuckles. I run in a nice area where things rarely happen, but reality is that things do happen. I’m prior military and am confident in my abilities to protect myself, but a sneaky creeper will always have an advantage.”
I am military too, and I will admit, like this article’s author, I too have been scared once or twice while out running. So we asked our Run Oregon Blog readers what they did to stay safe, and I scoured the internet to find some more ideas to lower your chances of assault.
- Run with Man’s Best Friend. The number one precautionary method used by Run Oregon readers were dogs; large dogs especially. One Run Oregon Blog reader, Erin McGibbon, mentioned that in addition to having her dog with her, she will “soothe her (dog) when we’re around people as if she’s agitated. She is a total sweetheart and would not dream of biting someone, but no one needs to know that. I read somewhere that dogs can be enough of an X factor to make you seem not worth it to potential attackers.”
- Run with Friends or in a Group. There is power in numbers. Plus running with someone provides other benefits according to blogger Paul Jolicoeur!
- Leave the Headphones at Home, Especially at Night. Allow yourself the ability to pay attention to your surroundings and the sounds that could alert you. For example, the snapping of branches as someone lurches towards you, could be the powerful few seconds you need to get away.
- Run in Daylight, or if Running at Night, Stay in Well Lit and Familiar Areas or Run in Daylight. Running in daylight increases visibility and less risk of an attack due to this factor, always try to avoid isolated trails and choose paths you understand well. Knowing the area could give your mind the ability to react more safety in a fight or flight situation., especially during the night-time.
- Frequent Populated Areas and Trails for Your Running Routes. Populated areas tend to discourage assailants, due to the desire to avoid being caught. Not fail-proof, but it definitely increases the safety factor.
- Carry a Weapon to Deter Assault. E.g. Pepper Spray/Mace/gun/brass knuckles/Taser or another weapon could be the item that helps you get away. Another Run Oregon Blog reader recommended the items sold by Mydamselpro.net ;“Equipping, empowering, and educating. Sassy stun guns, pepper sprays, and personal security items”.
- Take a Self Defense Course. Even a basic self-defense course help you rehearse dangerous situations, which will train you to maintain the emotional intelligence needed in a high stress situation, such as an assault, and respond in ways that hopefully will disable the attacker. If you cannot take a course, Run Oregon Blog reader Serena Randall advised “just remember jab (eyes, throat, and nuts).”
- Stay Aware & Make Eye Contact. Many Run Oregon Blog readers mentioned eye contact was crucial to potentially avoiding assault. Attackers look for the weakest and unaware victims. A vigilant runner who makes eye contact is more likely to make a potential attacker think twice and most likely avoid you.
- Be Conservative of Your Whereabouts Online. Be cautious about using social media to publicly broadcast where you are running, especially if you are alone. Leaving profiles open publicly means not only friends and family can see you, but also dangerous online lurkers. If using social media openly is important to you, just be aware of the risk of doing so. Leave the public social media messages for when you are running a race or sanctioned event.
- Use a Safety App/Attack Alarm Device/Phone App . Check your phone for its safety features. There are also safety apps and devices that can alert others in emergency situations and some are mentioned below. On another note, do not leave for a run without a fully charged phone or batteries for your devices.
- I know the Galaxy S5 has a safety feature to press a button three times and it will alert contacts (you identify), take a picture, and a recording. (I will say I have accidentally set of my Galaxy S5 alarm once by accident, only finding out when my brother called me in a panic.)
- RoadID has an iPhone and android app that shows an emergency contact on the display/lock screen.
- Glympse app (android for sure, do not know about iOS) publicly shares your location by sending a text message to people of your choosing (Meliha’s husband suggested deleting the location history after every time).
- www.kitestring.io sends an alerts after your pre-set time has passed (don’t lose track of time, Meliha did, and it called her husband).
These suggestions are not 100% foolproof, I understand that, but they increase your survival exponentially. It’s a scary world out there. Should you be so scared, it paralyzes you? No. Utilize these suggestions to help improve your chances for a safer run and reduce the chance you will become a victim.
Edited 15 October 2014: Please note that the victim is NEVER at fault if they are attacked, EVER. I am sorry I did not mention this previously. A commentor brought up this point and I wholeheartedly agree. I do not however regret writing the peace and do not believe it is fear mongering. I am not the expert on the statistics surrounding this topic. Yes, you are more likely to be attacked at home or die in a car accident. However, if any of my tips help one person, least of all reminding myself to be vigilient, then I will have NO regrets. I guess I should also mention this is an opinion piece 🙂
Blogger’s Note: Are you familiar in self-defense and/or running with weapons? We are looking for a blogger who is an expert on running with multiple weapons, and can submit a guest blog on recommendations for the best safety devices (to carry) while running.
if i’m running in the dark, i always carry my Smith & Wesson serrated pocket knife with a 3 inch blade. and i’m not afraid to use it!
Thank you for gathering this useful information, Maryalicia! It is easy to read and digest, which is appreciated when reading about such a horrific topic. Be safe out there, everyone!
Sorry, Run Oregon, but I am tired of this fear-mongering. Personal safety is an important issue–too important to leave sloppy articles like this unanswered.
First, the statistics posted in the other blog you referenced are certainly not valid (which is evident when one reads the original post).
Second, there are a number of claims in this post that simply aren’t substantiated by any source:
“Recently, there have been a series of [assaults] piling up.” Really? Or have you just noticed a few in the news recently?
“Even if occurrences are low or if they are on the rise…” This doesn’t make sense. You have provided information to support the former claim; none to support the latter.
“Running in daylight [has] less risk of an attack…”
“A vigilant runner who makes eye contact is more likely to make a potential attacker think twice…”
“…and most likely avoid you.”
“These suggestions… increase your survival exponentially.” Exponentially? Really?
Then the post goes into the safety tips, most of which seem reasonable. Unfortunately, these tips are introduced by this line:
“Every runner should at least take as many precautionary measures as possible before going out for their run.”
This sentence seems to say that everyone should take all precautions listed in this post. By that measure, a woman should always run:
In daylight*
With other people
With a dog
With a phone
+that has an alarm app
With a weapon
Without headphones
In crowded areas
In places one knows well
Without mentioning it on social media
With the knowledge gained from a self-defense class
*If running at night, run with 2 dogs, 2 phones, 2 weapons, or run in daylight… joking, but you get my point.
That’s an awful lot of requirements for essentially moving fast in public.
In the United States, a woman is more likely to be assaulted in her home, or the home of someone she knows, than in public (see RAINN for data). But you wouldn’t do an article on safety precautions for avoiding assault while using a treadmill indoors, would you?
NO ONE wants to be a victim of violent crime. But posts like this, which emphasize the need to escape “as someone lurches towards you,” exaggerate dangers to an unnecessary degree. Worse, they contribute to the mindset that anyone who doesn’t follow these precautions is partially to blame for any harm that may befall her.
In the future, please exclude opinion and provide your readers with accurate, data-backed information.
Thanks for your post, I appreciate your well thought out post. To address the statistics, it is noted there are not many statistics on this issue. Also, I did state I am not the expert, and I do not claim to be. I will add a note that states I cannot confirm any statistics.
It is mentioned in the article that the number of women assaulted in public, while outdoors is quite low, it would suck to be in that low number. The article just highlighted ways to avoid being a possible statistic of a violent crime. Do I want people to live in fear? No, but we should have heightened senses when out running and not let our guard down. Noone should leave in fear, and precautions help eliminate fear. I mentioned a person take as many precautions as they could before going out for a run. Please notice the word ‘could’, a person can do as little or as many as they want. I believe all these precautions are feasible and not unreasonable to employ.
That being said, you do make a good point that if anyone DOES become a victim, it is not their fault. Rape, assault, viscious attacks are never the fault of the woman, but the attacker. I will also add I am not an expert and that it is an opinion piece.
Thanks for commenting, I appreciated the helpful comments to help me clarify my article.
I think this is a lot of great info and I would add to tell a family member your route, or a check-n point here they should be able to expect you and a time frame you’ll be there (or be done with the run). My only other concern is to be prepared that if you were overpowered, would your weapon be used against you? I have been told in self defense classes to carry pepper spray, but before going out on a run with it… take a weekend and spray yourself. YES! I totally said spray YOURSELF and take the weekend to recover from it… Then you will know what it feels like and be acclimated to it’s effects should you be overpowered and sprayed or any other mishap that should lead to some of the pepper spray in your face. God forbid. Hopefully a situation like that never arises, but I’ve had a few scares out there too.
While searching for information relative to assualt and sexual assault in the United States, I found the post by Ms. Verdecchia. Although some of the remarks were of a personal nature I found them to be quite “on point”. Being a father of a young female and friend of a business colleague who was raped I wonder if the comments by FTS would be the same if this person was the parent of the missing woman in Virginia or the spouse of the realtor killed in Arkansas.
Statistics don’t seem to point to runners being the high percentage victims of assault but just look at the stats on the websites of RAINN or One in Four for men and women and tell me they aren’t sickening. I suppose that the administration has created Its on Us as a national campaign just to garner positive public opinion. I wouldn’t call it Fear Mongering – I’d call it Reality.
As a manufacturer’s representative I have just taken on representation for a woman in Indiana that sought to invent a self defense spray for her daughters and others. Although other products exist this is a one of a kind as it is on a bracelet. This isn’t about making $20 bucks, this is about providing a practical non-lethal means for women AND men to potentially avoid entering the columns as another VICTIM. Check it out and it you like it put PPi in the promotional code to receive a discount from Caroline.
While we are at it we should all be considering how we can become involved. It’s on Us is about changing a culture. As we know this is a tough one and there are those who will never change, In then meantime we can certainly take the precautions to protect our friends, family and others so they don’t become a statistic regardless of how high or low the risk.
Keep on truckin,
I’m an avid suburban/city runner and have always considered safety against assaults as #1. My husband and I own guns but any gun worth its salt is bulky and heavy for concealing while running. It’s also harder to access if you aren’t an avid marksman. Mace, small stun guns and knives can all be held in the hand while running so I feel more protected with those options. I run with bear or dog mace strapped to my wrist (they have a longer distance shooting.) One thing you should tell your readers is to TEST YOUR MACE!! They go bad; after only 4-5 months of summer running I tested my never-used mace and it basically spat out onto the ground a foot in front of me. Would have hated to find that out as an aggressive dog or person approached me! I also carry a 4″ flip-hunting knife. It clips to a belt but its also small enough to hold and large enough to scare someone away. Also, several self defense courses have taught me to not hold the knife with the thumb on top position- the one you see muggers in the movies use. Instead, if being approached, hold the knife as the horror movie slashers do- a fist around the handle firmly and then tilt your hand so the blade is parallel to the ground. Not only is this more threatening, but the grip is much stronger and if attacked you can pull the handle towards your chest and then swing with all your might and make contact with a thigh, side, or arm hard enough to get away. We live somewhere pretty safe but runners have been accosted for phones, headphones, Ipod etc. so I suppose not wearing earphones is not only safer, but reduces the chance you’ll be targeted for robbery. After all these years, I still feel making eye contact with approaching people is #1. I look people up and down until they look back at me, and then I say good morning, or nice weather etc etc. I feel that just that small interaction has prevented….something…from happening on 2 occasions. Several years ago a runner was accosted in the darkest section of a local track park, but there were other runners and they scared him off. A few years later a man on a bike knocked over a woman, hit her and took her possessions……it was the SAME runner. I said no way will this ever be me. Just having the confidence that you can protect yourself scares the creepy guys away. I found this article after searching to see if making eye contact was actually an advised safety technique, as it proved useful this morning.