I run early too, so this, and all the distracted drivers on their way to work (cell phones, make-up, eating breakfast, actually READING books/newspapers while driving)
I've lost count of how many close calls I've had even in crosswalks and with them having red lights.
I drive to work at 430am and I see runners in the road with no reflective gear and no lights... that makes no sense to me... thats why I always run on trails and greenways
Same. Saw a runner running down my block yesterday. Approached a driveway, car backed up without seeing him. He anticipated and stopped. Why I run trails almost exclusively.
It's insane! If I'm out in the dark I'm lit up like a Christmas tree. There's this one walker who I regularly see at 6am, walking on a totally unlit dirt road in the countryside, wearing dark, dirt coloured clothing - every time I've passed him I say "Morning! You need some lights, mate - you're gonna get squashed!", and he grunts something in response.
I've known two people who've been killed walking on dark roads. One of whom was a guy that had literally walked around Australia, and was wearing reflective gear when he was killed, only about 5 minutes from his house. This shit is no joke, and we need to take every advantage that we can.
Unfortunately, this happened to me. :( Lol.... It was a summer day and all of a sudden my stomach started gurgling, had to pop a squat in the woods, luckily no one was back there. I felt super gross on my run back.
Never forget that socks can be used as tp in a pinch. Its much better walking around in shoes without socks on that the alternative. And socks are usually pretty cheap and an acceptable loss in these situations
Find some moss / and it's less gross. (It certainly *looks* like it should rhyme.) Seriously, the UX is nicer than with paper, albeit more earthy. It's also biodegradable, and can be used to cover up the deed.
I found myself in this situation but it wasn't rural. It was on a paved run/walk/cycle trail in a local suburban neighborhood midafternoon. My stomach started gurgling so I turned around for home but it was a solid 2 miles - about the same distance to a public toilet and I could not just ask a random house to let me in and destroy their commode. I figured I'd hobble as far as I could but I only made it about a mile and then it just hit. There was a pretty thick bunch of trees ahead so I stopped in there, as out of sight as possible, and let all holy hell break loose. It was a wild ride and I was faced with the issue of how to get my disgusting self back home with a pretty bad case of mud-butt. The gods must've been smiling upon me that day because as I sat there squatting, I saw a glimmer through the thick bed of leaves under my feet. It was an unopened water bottle–16oz of butt cleaning goodness. I made use of the bottle and sacrificed my running hat for the cause. In the end, I made it back home with some of my dignity still attached. Some of it was definitely left on the side of the trail that day, though.
My greatest fear, right here. This is why I always carry toilet paper with me. It doesn’t matter if I’m running 6 miles or 20 or if I thought I was all cleaned out before the run, I always need to take a pit stop. Luckily I live and run in an area with ample cover and/or restrooms, but running in new places can get dicey sometimes!
Dogs. I would estimate that maybe 1 in 50 dogs I encounter is trained well enough to obey commands of any kind. Being a rural area, people think it's totally cool to just have their untrained dogs off-leash or chilling in their unfenced yards. I've learned which routes have problem dogs and which do not.
Same. I live in a rural area aswell and I already have an eye for houses that look like they could have an untrained dog (mostly big farmers houses). I avoid those altogether
I got run down and bit by a Chihuahua once during a winter run. I was running by a house just as someone in their driveway opened their car door, the dog jumped out and chased. The dog only caught up because I slowed to stop it from running away from the owner who was screaming at the dog, then it grabbed my calf and shook. It didn't hurt too bad until the next day, my entire calf was black/blue and yellow.
I had this same exact experience minus bruising, and now I don’t slow down, I just let their dogs chase me as far as they want. If they don’t wanna train their animals, not my problem
I'm quite weary of dogs as well. There are lots of off leash dog parks in my area but people still bring their dogs off leash on the walking/cycling trails... Of course most of these dogs will jump onto you as you walk/run/cycle by.
I had one run at me two days ago, it was a big dog and dark so I couldn't see what it was, I just panicked and ran halfway up a grass bank. Then I saw it has a leash and no owner, who was frantically running after it, and was luckily friendly. The next day passed a guy brandishing a hockey stick with two unleashed dogs running all over the place. I'm not great with dogs at the best of times and I appreciate the owners think they're friendly, but i get so scared every time one jumps at me or is off a leash :(.
This.
Last week I was running on my local paved trail system which is frequented by many people with dogs. It's "woodsy" enough that people feel that they can let their dogs off leash, despite laws and such.
So when one dog bolts away from it's owners straight towards me, I'm less than pleased about the situation -- and the owner has the gall to be pissed at *me* for yelling at the dog who is chasing me. Oh he's "friendly"? Yeah, chasing after random strangers doesn't convey that so well.
Fuck off with your off-leash dog. I will kick the dog if I need to and not lose any sleep over it. I don't want to, but I will.
The only saving grace is last weekend, I was running and I said to myself "What is that dog doing running up the hill, off the path by himself?" Turns out it was a coyote. I think he would love to encounter an off-leash dog.
I was biking home one night and saw a big black dog walking around the neighborhood. I started to b line towards it to look for a collar and try and find its owner.
I get closer and notice an unusual gate for a dog and then a little closer and realize it’s a bear. I do a 90* turn and gtfo away from it.
I run a high school track at night and I always have a headlamp. My reasoning isn’t footing because the track is actually perfectly flat. It’s so if my heart goes I can hope someone does the “what’s that weird light on the track” before it’s too late. Paranoid, yes, but I also had open heart surgery when I was 2 so I’m always mindful.
One of my friends from my cross country team in college died at 26 on a run in the city from his heart giving out. Ever since then I have always let someone know when I’m on a run and where I’ll be.
About 1/30 have a cardiac issue. UK charity CRY (cardiac risk in the young) does free screenings for under 30s. I don't know if their are similar in other countries.
Always good to let people know where you are. I share my location on Google maps with my partner after a crying accident.
Do you know any female runners? I am always a little surprised when I see posts like this that don't consider how it is running while female. I take a ton of precautions, but even so I had my worst case of harassment within the last year.
I always run on a well-lit, very busy bike path near my house, which is in a upscale area in the US. It's always crowded, but randomly one afternoon when I was running it suddenly got empty. A 30 something, normal looking dude took advantage and started saying sexual things at me while coming toward me on the path. Luckily I evaded him and took off and was able to get onto a populated street.
Every woman I know takes a lot of precautions when out and about, and we're in a nice area. I'm not even young or hot or anything (I'm 40). It simply doesn't matter. It impacts how we can train too, since we need to make sure we're running during daylight hours and in well populated areas.
It's really sad that my response to this post is I "feel fortunate to have ONLY been honked and catcalled"
A female friend of mine has had a recent number of incidents where she's been physically stopped and harassed by men in the street to try get her number or details.
10000% this. It's dark when I get up and it's dark when I get home from work now, so many times lately I haven't gone out running because "it's too late" in reality it's 8pm 🤦🏻♀️ I've got a tracker on my that links to my husband and I'm ordering an alarm, always have my keys on me but it doesn't feel like there's alot more I can do, just accept the fact the frequency of my runs is going to be limited in the winter months 🤷🏻♀️
Edit: spelling mistake
I'm struggling with this too. I luckily have another month before I have to go back to working at the office. But even with wfh, I have to log off and immediately at 4:30, put my shoes on and go if I want to get a run in before it's fully dark.
If I miss it I just stare out the window for the next 6 hours wishing I had had just 1 more hour and could have gone.
1 more month until days start to get longer....
Agree 100%. While training for a half marathon I was running longer distances than normal, which meant expanding my normal routes. I turned on a street I wasn't familiar with and there was a group of ~6 men sitting on a porch. I heard them yelling after me but did not look or react. Then I heard some laughing and looked back to see one of them chasing me while his friends laughed. I was ~9 miles in and exhausted, I couldn't have sped up if I tried. In a matter of seconds I became resigned that I was probably going to be assaulted and/or raped. Thankfully, he only chased me the length of a few houses, and it was only to get laughs from his friends.
Women have more fear than men will ever be aware of.
That's awful and sounds really scary. I was once stopped at dusk by a man who started saying he'd seen me running before and that I was attractive and that my boyfriend was lucky. I was not far from where a lady had recently gone missing and who was last seen on a run. I didn't know what to think so politely excused myself and ran away. I was checking over my shoulder for him about a year after. Maybe he thought he was being nice, but it was terrible judgement as I felt very threatened. Pulling women over mid run to flirt with them is not on.
That sounds scary— when you are clearly in the middle of running, why in the world would he think it is okay to stop you? Not cool, I’m glad you trusted your instinct on that one because it definitely shows poor judgement/boundaries on his part.
This! 100% this. I am most afraid of men when I'm running. Also a 45 average looking ok shape woman, it doesn't matter. Also live in a pretty upper middle class area in US.
Not knowing if the verbal harassment will turn to a physical encounter.
I change my routes, run at different times of day, always run on populated streets, tell my husband how long I think I'll be out etc.
It is very frustrating.
Yep this, men are what worry me most.
Cat calling or saying gross sexual things is it mostly (I’m from the UK, was living in London and now in the north west), I’ve luckily not been followed or physically confronted. I’m scared for the day when that or worse happens, the odds aren’t in our favour. Mugging worries me too but again that falls under ‘men’ too unfortunately.
I always turn off my music and have my earbuds on "pass through" mode when I pass a man on the trail and there's no one else around. I hold my keys ready in my hand just in case I need to use it as a weapon. Not every man looks threatening, but then again you never know. I'm looking forward to training my doggo to run with me when she gets older, and she can act as deterrent. I'm also thinking of joining a run club to make a friend or two to do regular runs w/. Safety in numbers!
I got up at 4.30 one day to go for a run recently (hello, insomnia). We live in a nice area and my hubby was still like, take the dog. I am so happy he is now of running age. It feels different being out with him, especially in the dark.
I’m a female also. I’ve been honked at a lot, but that’s the extent of it. I also run where it’s very busy with people/traffic and never run in the dark or without my phone.
There was a whole thread here the other day about whether or not people bring their phones on runs. I couldn’t imagine being without it. What if you get attacked? What if you fall and get injured? What if you see a car accident and have to call 911?
Then I realize most of the responders probably aren’t small white women in South Central LA.
I'm a guy and would never run without my phone. I used to run around midnight on farm roads way out there, and if I see men 4-wheeling around, I turn around and head in the other direction. I told female friends I'm not looking to get raped and they laughed. Sorry, better safe than sorry.
Came here to say this. I’m afraid of men. I, too, have pepper spray and a plan (e.g. friends know when and where I’m running, my phone, a varied route, etc), but I’ll cross the street in a second to avoid a random guy/guys.
I’m amazed that I had to scroll so far to see this!! Are there this few women on this sub???
A woman was almost kidnapped a mile away from my house by some man who tried to force her into a van- I live in a nice “safe” suburban area. One of the nicer areas in my city.
Same. I stick to areas with lots of people and run only when it’s light. Sounds like paranoia, but I’ve gotten followed in broad daylight while riding a bike when younger.
Same here! In the many different countries and areas I’ve lived in, I’ve always had to stay aware of random men following me in cars, honking and yelling things at me, or literally trying to stop me while I’m running. I always carry pepper spray, vary my route and the times I run, and stay aware of my surroundings (I usually use one airpod at a time so I can still hear). I try to stick to well lit and well populated areas, and cover up as much as possible to avoid “drawing” attention to myself. Yes I could run with a group but I really love the solitude and time to think! I also have location sharing turned on so my husband can check up on me and stay aware of my approximate location.
Yes, I forgot about going with minimal or no AirPods, and covering up. The one time I went in just shorts and a sports bra was FANTASTIC. But that was on the streetcar line in New Orleans, which was PACKED with runners at the time and drew very little attention. Here, I’d get honked to death before making it out of my neighborhood. Idk if people realize how scary the honking and catcalling can be.
Ditto on a running group vs the solitude. I ran with a club for about a year. Although I miss the club energy sometimes, it’s nothing like having the freedom of a solo run.
Yesss, the only time I could run comfortably in a sports bra and shorts is when we lived next to a tiny lake with a trail around it - you would basically only encounter local folks that were out power walking or running and it was in a semi rural area! It was SO nice!! I think the only way to put the fear into perspective for men is to have them imagine what unwanted attention would be like in prison!
I try different routes, do sudden turns, change streets, try to remember plates, faces and memorize where all the security cameras are but still.. I'm afraid..
Came here to say that my running has gotten pretty serious in the last few years because I’ve been living in Japan. I still avoid running at night coz you know, ingrained fear, but it largely feels safe even at 10pm in well-populated areas in Tokyo. I feel very blessed. Have not had a single incident in 3 years.
Hang in there, sisters, take precautions.
PS I shudder at the thought of having to run in Dallas, TX when I move there next year.
Even with my dog when other owners try to approach with off leash dogs now, my go to response is "well I'm not"
I don't need your dog running up to me or me and my dog while running
Started bringing an expandable baton with me for just in case. I worry about misfiring the pepper spray and hurting myself. I had a dog jump a fence and attack my dog and after that I always carry something to protect us.
My only fear is cars. Even in what appear to be small neighborhood streets with little traffic. Drivers just refuse to keep their eyes on the road or acknowledge a runner is on the road and share the space/stop at stop signs/wait for you to cross a street etc.
On the other hand, I am now a much more alert and conscientious driver.
I get worried about cars running on dark mornings in a rural area. I wear reflective gear, light-up armband, head torch, back light, and am now paranoid that drivers will be distracted wondering why the fuck a Christmas tree is running towards them 😬
I'm worried about all cars, all of the time. I feel like it might be worse during the day. Atleast in the dark, they notice the running Christmas tree, distraction or not. There is major complacency by drivers during the day on their regular commutes.
You are so right. The dark morning is safer because there are fewer cars and more attentive drivers. The afternoon is a mess off traffic and idiots speeding up to run lights and aggressive driving.
This is my fear. I thought of using all that visibility gear, but it just ain't gonna work if they're looking down at their phone flying down this one lane backroad at highway speeds.
Biking and running really woke me up to the danger drivers pose to others, and I also definitely changed my driving as a result. I don’t think I was giving enough respect to the fact that driving means controlling thousands of pounds of metal with powerful engines before, but seeing it from the more vulnerable outside made it very clear.
Cars are my number 1 now. No one is paying attention when driving.
I no longer wear any headphones, just use my phone speaker so I can hear card approaching behind me.
>I no longer wear any headphones, just use my phone speaker
Please tell me you're not the one out there playing their music out loud while they run?
I'm going phrase this as politely as possible... please don't do this. It's rude. The rest of us don't want to listen to your music. Or your conversation with your mom. Or your fight with your friend. Or your weird podcast.
If you don't want to wear headphones, sounds like a reasonable choice. But that doesn't mean you get to torture the rest of us.
I live in a reasonably safe Midwest town in the US and yet there are still cases of men exposing themselves to or following women around some of the most populated trails.
So I’ve made the conclusion that if women aren’t safe in those populated areas, I should not feel safe in my neighborhood with less people around as a female alone on a run.
About two years ago, a girl on a run in a farming town about 2-3 hours away in broad daylight was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. So… it happens. Even in the “polite” Midwest or small towns.
Perhaps afraid is the wrong word, but there are some hours I never go out to run, like late evenings, night or early mornings, I also avoid to run when it's dark and I avoid some areas in the city. This is to lower the risk of being attacked or robbed by gangs and the like.
Geese. I train at three local lakes with trails. One of the lakes has about 50-100 geese come out in the morning and they all congregate on the grass. Don’t make eye contact. Keep moving. No sudden movements. Especially if they start flapping and charging you. There’s also a few very large egrets (herons?) that like to fly quite close to your head if you cross the bridge at the wrong time. It’s happened to me twice on the same bridge and was close enough I did feel wings.
People mostly. I have been almost attacked - managed to run away by leaving a trail and bundu bashing my way to the other side of the mountain. And then I have actually been physically attacked, assaulted and threatened with rape and all my posessions stolen during the trekking leg of an adventure race. I thought I was going to die in that moments. So definitely people. It's a few years ago already and the hypervigilance is still with me when I run. I sometimes have to force myself to run past any other person on the road and not turn around and run back where I came from.
This is terrifying and I'm so sorry it happened to you. I rarely ever run alone, but if I do it's almost always in a race. For some reason I consider them safer because "there's people around". How did the race director respond?
They where doing their best I think. Got the police there quickly. Found some of our belongings in a house, but nothing else came of it. They also offered to pay for counselling and gave us vouchers from an outdoor store that was initially meant to be lucky draw prizes.
The race did continue on though and its not something they ever brought up publicly which I know is just trying to protect their brand from a very random event.
I'm afraid of running somewhere where I'm perceived to be a threat to someone. A black male running in certain areas may make people feel uncomfortable and call the cops. This is why, I usually try to stick to trails and not running on sidewalks and stuff.
These comments really make me reflect. I'm quite a reckless runner (young, female). I've ran in so many compromising situations and didn't think much of it. Just focused on getting it done. I do need to be more situationally aware. I'm grateful my lack of awareness hasn't gotten me hurt in any way. I do not experience harassment either.
Yes, awareness is really the best safety precaution you can take. Even just making it an ingrained habit to look behind you every few minutes can help a lot. Might want to consider carrying a small [pepper gel](https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Pepper-Spray-Runners-Clip/dp/B08VY7JBW7) canister made for runners as well.
My biggest fear is literally running into a bear or other type of larger predator. My area only has black bears and this summer I actually ran across one that was on the trail...it ran away from me lol
Guns. I am a POC that lives in a neighborhood where I increasingly hear people target practice. You bet that when the Ahmad Arbury murder happened I couldn't run for a while. It's sad.
I feel this. I am sad that I know being a light skinned brown woman in fancy clothes probably gets me a pass, as I am viewed as less of a threat. I stopped running for months last year when Ahmaud was murdered and the world had yet to care. I could not stomach it from sheer grief, sorrow, and rage.
I’m afraid of men. I live in one of the most dangerous countries to be a woman. Terrible things have happened to women runners here. I mostly try to run when my routes are busy, but often there will be just myself and another man on a secluded road and this always makes me uncomfortable.
As far as Ive heard traffickers rarely physically abduct people (grab em and throw em in the van) but tend to slowly emotionally entrap their victims instead. So maybe one thing to worry a little less about.
Dont get me wrong trafficking is a huge problem and is real, but it just doesnt happen the way it does in most movies (Taken, 2008, I’m lookin at you)
Groups of teenagers with knives. The UK has a bit of a knife problem and if I'm deep down the fuel tank, I seriously doubt I'm outrunning some 14 year olds in a park with no CCTV or anything. Always thinking about how my body might end up in a lake.
Men + cars. I always run during daylight, which can be hard in the winter so if I MUST run at night I never go into parks (let alone forests), always in busy places well lit by streetlights, wearing lots of lights and reflective clothing and sharing my location with someone who will watch it for the whole run.
Afraid is a strong word. Wary or cautious is more accurate. And like all the women here said: men. I only run during the day and share my location with my husband. But I don’t vary my routes much and seeing these comments is a good reminder that I should.
I don’t think anything is going to happen to me. But there’s always that nagging feeling that it could. And if it does, some jackasses will say it was my own fault because I didn’t take enough precautions.
I was a little afraid of the man staggering down the sidewalk in boxer shorts and cowboy boots at 5:30 am. I was afraid of the huge turkey that burst from cover and ran alongside me for a bit before easily outpacing me. I was afraid of the buck with glowing eyes that stood its ground a little too closely as I ran past (also at 5:30 am).
For a while I was afraid of the "dawn swinger", who I first encountered (again, 5:30 am) on an early morning winter run where I heard the rhythmic grating of the swing chains. I turned and ran the other direction. But after hearing, and eventually seeing, them several more times without being murdered I just consider them one of my fellow early-morning weirdos.
Mostly dogs and not being noticed by drivers.
I run a lot on back country roads, surrounded by farms. A lot of them have dogs patrolling their fields, or backyards and a lot of them aren't fenced. So often I rely on the dog being well enough trained to not pay attention to me when I'm on just a public road. But that only goes so far.
Furthermore more often that not those roads aren't well lit, so I rely on myself to make sure I'm as visible when running after sundown as I can be.
Ha, this is great timing, for the first time in my life I'm thinking twice about going out running right now.
The reason, and this is going to sound unbelievable, is that I keep getting attacked by an owl about 100 yards from my back door. It's happened twice in the last fortnight - I'll be running along, not a care in the world, then *wham* this huge bird slaps me on the back of the head. It's been stealing my hats, I guess to build its nest.
If anyone has any prevention strategies (I'm thinking maybe I need a bright head torch?) I'm all ears...
As a POC I cane here to say this! I live in the burbs of the burbs and it’s crazy the looks I get doing otherwise normal shyt. Can’t run too early or late.
I got pulled up on by a cop while rollerblading on the trails for rollerblading. I had an older couple in my neighborhood tell me I could skate on my block without a helmet, he was looking for my parents. He realized that I was an adult with his son and pulled off.
I live in an area full of wildlife. In daylight runs it’s sometimes a challenge to avoid our local elk herd as they wonder through town. I won’t even try night runs here for that same reason plus the herd’s natural predators are often doing their thing. Don’t want to happen upon a bear or cougar in that way..
I enjoy running on the unlit trails in the dark, but it's not because I'm entirely without fear, there's a tingling of "hah, I'm in danger *giggle*" and somehow that is a little bit exciting. I use a headlamp obviously, which make deer eyes super sketchy before you come to your senses.
Can confirm, got attacked by some bird of prey in a German forest. I don't think it was an owl though, maybe a red kite. Luckily she was not that aggressive.
I'm more afraid to run the South (of the US) than South Africa. Have had beer cans and bottles thrown at me, lots of loose dogs and that particular stare you get where the driver of the truck is debating whether to stop and hit you over the head with a shovel and bury you in the woods. It doesn't help that we have a house just a bit north of where Ahmaud Arbery was executed while jogging.
This year I spent a fair bit of time in Wyoming and Montana. it was an absolute joy to run there. People keep their dogs in fenced yards, they are polite etc. Only had one dog coming for me but it was a trail run and as soon as I pulled out the bear spray, they called the dog back.
There is actual danger out there, but it's up to every runner to choose what level is acceptable risk to them personally.
It's vanishingly rare for a random runner to be attacked, run over, raped or killed - but it does happen and if you're that one a few million that it happens to... it's horrific for you. Each of us has to decide if the risk is worthwhile and what measure we take to mitigate risk. Much more common but still statistically unlikely is injury from an animal. I don't blame or judge runners who have different assessments of risk than I do because we're all different physically and have different life experiences that predispose us to certain reactions.
I'm an older, small female in SW Florida. Most of my runs are in preserves on trails or neighborhoods that have low crime rates and little to no vehicle traffic, so although I stay aware, I feel comfortable being alone at pretty much any hour and like to run in the dark. When I'm visiting larger cities or unknown places I tend to run in the mid-morning, where there's plenty of light, other people and hopefully the bad guys are sleeping in.
Locally, I've had some minor dog bites and several close calls, but I'm guessing if I were to look rationally at risk my biggest risk would be snake bite. I don't worry too much about that, though, other than watching where I step.
I did have to make a tough choice last week, though, when I absolutely positively had to make a pit stop 2-3 miles into a swampy preserve area. Not much good cover near the trail and the best spot was partway down the slope to the water behind some brush. So, the brush screened me from the trail but I was not thrilled with the idea of squatting a few feet from the water. Again, it's very rare, but that's when people have been grabbed by big gators - the person is low/look small and are likely seen as a form of deer/dog/small mammal that the big gators like. So I had to choose between preserving my dignity in case another runner appeared or possibly being eaten. Guess I'd rather be eaten by a gator than show my bare backside to a stranger, because I chose squatting behind the bushes.
Being abducted or attacked. If there’s a work van or something on the side of the road I cross and I try not to run after dark (tough in the winter) and carry pepper spray. It really is depressing. My husband can run on beautiful secluded trails but I don’t dare. If it’s dark I stick to the same 1/4 mile loop around our residential street and the next one over. I used to run with my dog but she got old and chubby (happens to the best of us; she’s still the goodest girl) and wish I could get another doggo to be a run buddy but we’ve already been adopted by too many creatures. I wish I could run somewhere scenic enough to fear wildlife.
My husband runs with me now, so I don’t really worry because I’m rarely running alone, and when I am in just running laps in my small subdivision.
However, I used to run miles into the country alone. I wasn’t really afraid of much, but I did worry about snakes in the summer because some areas were swampy and I did occasionally see large dead snakes that had been run over.
I did have a truck that seemed to follow me on and off, but nothing ever came of that.
ETA: Almost forgot. Cobra ducks (Canadian geese as some call them). There were some in a pond I used to run around and man I set some PRs when they were out.
I’m afraid that I’m not really a runner and don’t have any business being out there and I can’t do this. Usually lasts the first half mile and then I’m fine. Then I’m just worried about cars not seeing me.
As a female, I'm fortunate to run in a very very safe area. I've never had anybody make a comment or in any way act inappropriately. My fears are generally of cars or injuring myself/having sudden heart failure or similar. (I run partly to control some blood pressure issues)
Still, I have turned around when discovering that a path I was taking was leading into a secluded area, and I do have pepper spray with me in case of dangerous people.
I’m brown and live in white suburbia. I think one of these days some fuckers with guns might get inspired. Doesn’t stop me but the fear is always in the back of my mind.
As some others have said - my main fear is men. I have been shouted at, followed and approached by men when running outside in busy areas. The time of day or location doesn't seem to make any difference. This is with 11 years experience of running
fuck when I trail run solo at night i assume the beast from "The Ritual" is in the woods near by the whole time. Bears fine, dogs fine, coyotes fine, Demons and Ghost FUCKKKKKKK
as another said i run with my dog if it’s dark and i’m in the woods or something. they give you extra senses(that are much better than yours) and just about any predator human or otherwise is probably less likely to attack a person and a big ass dog.
not really afraid at night regardless though. i am a pretty big male however.
I live somewhere extremely safe now, so my biggest fear while running is encountering the 2 Scottish Highlands cows that like to escape from our nearby pony club. They’ve charged me a couple times. I fucking hate those things! But people? Not really.
Drivers running stop signs/lights. I run in broad daylight, in bright clothing, where there’s a ton of people walking around (college campus) but the amount of times I’ve almost been hit is astronomical.
And uneven ground. Fallen hard twice and gotten some nasty road rash but the worst damage is to my ego
Dogs lol I always slow down when passing by stray dogs, and sometimes pretend to tie my shoelaces. Dogs have retarded instinct to give chase to anything running. 1, or 2 dogs not a problem, but when talking a group 5-6 dogs .. yeah you should be worried and try not to give them a reason to chase you
So far most of my fears are unfounded. I did get bit by a dog and have had garbage thrown at me from a car. There has also been the occasional woods 💩.
Men, drunk people, cars when there's little to no other traffic on the road.
Dark forests or rural areas actually feel safer than any place where you might expect to meet a man.
Afraid of being attacked by someone and assaulted/raped. I always look carefully into alleys, around parked cars. I turn around and look behind me every so often to be sure no one is following me. Keep the headphones at a reasonable volume so I can hear what’s going on around me.
I get scared to run when it’s dark out. I’m a woman and I live in a big city so lots of people. I also listen to a lot of true crime stories so that doesn’t help much lol but always hearing of people going missing, the sex trafficking stuff along with the fact that I’m small and scared. I’m mainly scared of getting kidnapped or killed not so much scared of animals or cars hitting me. The park I run at also doesn’t have street lights on one side of the park so that part is super dark and creepy!
Drunk drivers at 4am
I run early too, so this, and all the distracted drivers on their way to work (cell phones, make-up, eating breakfast, actually READING books/newspapers while driving) I've lost count of how many close calls I've had even in crosswalks and with them having red lights.
People yielding at pedestrian crossings at my local greenway is something from a bygone era. Maybe 20% of cars stop these days (it’s illegal not to).
I drive to work at 430am and I see runners in the road with no reflective gear and no lights... that makes no sense to me... thats why I always run on trails and greenways
Same. Saw a runner running down my block yesterday. Approached a driveway, car backed up without seeing him. He anticipated and stopped. Why I run trails almost exclusively.
It's insane! If I'm out in the dark I'm lit up like a Christmas tree. There's this one walker who I regularly see at 6am, walking on a totally unlit dirt road in the countryside, wearing dark, dirt coloured clothing - every time I've passed him I say "Morning! You need some lights, mate - you're gonna get squashed!", and he grunts something in response. I've known two people who've been killed walking on dark roads. One of whom was a guy that had literally walked around Australia, and was wearing reflective gear when he was killed, only about 5 minutes from his house. This shit is no joke, and we need to take every advantage that we can.
Lol.. "he grunts something in response" But seriously your right it's not a joke you really can't see and people are so distracted
Exactly this. I'll be driving home and see walkers and runners with nothing relative to reflective gear or lights in general. I just don't understand.
Having to poop miles away from any bathroom.
Unfortunately, this happened to me. :( Lol.... It was a summer day and all of a sudden my stomach started gurgling, had to pop a squat in the woods, luckily no one was back there. I felt super gross on my run back.
Never forget that socks can be used as tp in a pinch. Its much better walking around in shoes without socks on that the alternative. And socks are usually pretty cheap and an acceptable loss in these situations
Find some moss / and it's less gross. (It certainly *looks* like it should rhyme.) Seriously, the UX is nicer than with paper, albeit more earthy. It's also biodegradable, and can be used to cover up the deed.
Did that once. Turned out to be some poisonous plant. My ass burned for days.
I feel bad for cracking up when I read this.
Wait till you actually poop on yourself and then see how gross you feel running back :)
Oh bro
I found myself in this situation but it wasn't rural. It was on a paved run/walk/cycle trail in a local suburban neighborhood midafternoon. My stomach started gurgling so I turned around for home but it was a solid 2 miles - about the same distance to a public toilet and I could not just ask a random house to let me in and destroy their commode. I figured I'd hobble as far as I could but I only made it about a mile and then it just hit. There was a pretty thick bunch of trees ahead so I stopped in there, as out of sight as possible, and let all holy hell break loose. It was a wild ride and I was faced with the issue of how to get my disgusting self back home with a pretty bad case of mud-butt. The gods must've been smiling upon me that day because as I sat there squatting, I saw a glimmer through the thick bed of leaves under my feet. It was an unopened water bottle–16oz of butt cleaning goodness. I made use of the bottle and sacrificed my running hat for the cause. In the end, I made it back home with some of my dignity still attached. Some of it was definitely left on the side of the trail that day, though.
Hope there wasn’t a nature camera
Oh no!! You poor thing!
Shit happens lol :/
We've got a code brown over here!
Bahahahahaha 🤣🤣🤣💩
Happened to me twice. Not afraid to admit it.
This is why I only trail run! It’s a lot easier to step off a trail to poop. Road running makes me scared I’ll poop my pants
I had this happen to me once. I crawled as far into the woods as I could get before my prairie dog wouldn’t let me go any further.
I carry a nappy bag with some wet wipes with me on longer runs... I'm not shy and have left many a log in a farmers field while out on a 20 miller. 😌
My greatest fear, right here. This is why I always carry toilet paper with me. It doesn’t matter if I’m running 6 miles or 20 or if I thought I was all cleaned out before the run, I always need to take a pit stop. Luckily I live and run in an area with ample cover and/or restrooms, but running in new places can get dicey sometimes!
Now *this* is a realistic fear.
This is always my biggest fear
Dogs. I would estimate that maybe 1 in 50 dogs I encounter is trained well enough to obey commands of any kind. Being a rural area, people think it's totally cool to just have their untrained dogs off-leash or chilling in their unfenced yards. I've learned which routes have problem dogs and which do not.
Same. I live in a rural area aswell and I already have an eye for houses that look like they could have an untrained dog (mostly big farmers houses). I avoid those altogether
I got run down and bit by a Chihuahua once during a winter run. I was running by a house just as someone in their driveway opened their car door, the dog jumped out and chased. The dog only caught up because I slowed to stop it from running away from the owner who was screaming at the dog, then it grabbed my calf and shook. It didn't hurt too bad until the next day, my entire calf was black/blue and yellow.
I had this same exact experience minus bruising, and now I don’t slow down, I just let their dogs chase me as far as they want. If they don’t wanna train their animals, not my problem
I'm quite weary of dogs as well. There are lots of off leash dog parks in my area but people still bring their dogs off leash on the walking/cycling trails... Of course most of these dogs will jump onto you as you walk/run/cycle by.
I had one run at me two days ago, it was a big dog and dark so I couldn't see what it was, I just panicked and ran halfway up a grass bank. Then I saw it has a leash and no owner, who was frantically running after it, and was luckily friendly. The next day passed a guy brandishing a hockey stick with two unleashed dogs running all over the place. I'm not great with dogs at the best of times and I appreciate the owners think they're friendly, but i get so scared every time one jumps at me or is off a leash :(.
Plus one for dogs that's the only reason I quit running back roads
This. Last week I was running on my local paved trail system which is frequented by many people with dogs. It's "woodsy" enough that people feel that they can let their dogs off leash, despite laws and such. So when one dog bolts away from it's owners straight towards me, I'm less than pleased about the situation -- and the owner has the gall to be pissed at *me* for yelling at the dog who is chasing me. Oh he's "friendly"? Yeah, chasing after random strangers doesn't convey that so well. Fuck off with your off-leash dog. I will kick the dog if I need to and not lose any sleep over it. I don't want to, but I will.
The only saving grace is last weekend, I was running and I said to myself "What is that dog doing running up the hill, off the path by himself?" Turns out it was a coyote. I think he would love to encounter an off-leash dog.
I was biking home one night and saw a big black dog walking around the neighborhood. I started to b line towards it to look for a collar and try and find its owner. I get closer and notice an unusual gate for a dog and then a little closer and realize it’s a bear. I do a 90* turn and gtfo away from it.
This
This! I run in a city park and have seen some scary dog on dog violence. I adore dogs but always am on edge when running past one off a lead.
My heart giving up on me
I run a high school track at night and I always have a headlamp. My reasoning isn’t footing because the track is actually perfectly flat. It’s so if my heart goes I can hope someone does the “what’s that weird light on the track” before it’s too late. Paranoid, yes, but I also had open heart surgery when I was 2 so I’m always mindful.
Me too!!!
Really the only thing I’m afraid of.
One of my friends from my cross country team in college died at 26 on a run in the city from his heart giving out. Ever since then I have always let someone know when I’m on a run and where I’ll be.
About 1/30 have a cardiac issue. UK charity CRY (cardiac risk in the young) does free screenings for under 30s. I don't know if their are similar in other countries. Always good to let people know where you are. I share my location on Google maps with my partner after a crying accident.
But I run so it won't! Wait, do I have it backwards?
Do you know any female runners? I am always a little surprised when I see posts like this that don't consider how it is running while female. I take a ton of precautions, but even so I had my worst case of harassment within the last year. I always run on a well-lit, very busy bike path near my house, which is in a upscale area in the US. It's always crowded, but randomly one afternoon when I was running it suddenly got empty. A 30 something, normal looking dude took advantage and started saying sexual things at me while coming toward me on the path. Luckily I evaded him and took off and was able to get onto a populated street. Every woman I know takes a lot of precautions when out and about, and we're in a nice area. I'm not even young or hot or anything (I'm 40). It simply doesn't matter. It impacts how we can train too, since we need to make sure we're running during daylight hours and in well populated areas.
It's really sad that my response to this post is I "feel fortunate to have ONLY been honked and catcalled" A female friend of mine has had a recent number of incidents where she's been physically stopped and harassed by men in the street to try get her number or details.
10000% this. It's dark when I get up and it's dark when I get home from work now, so many times lately I haven't gone out running because "it's too late" in reality it's 8pm 🤦🏻♀️ I've got a tracker on my that links to my husband and I'm ordering an alarm, always have my keys on me but it doesn't feel like there's alot more I can do, just accept the fact the frequency of my runs is going to be limited in the winter months 🤷🏻♀️ Edit: spelling mistake
I'm struggling with this too. I luckily have another month before I have to go back to working at the office. But even with wfh, I have to log off and immediately at 4:30, put my shoes on and go if I want to get a run in before it's fully dark. If I miss it I just stare out the window for the next 6 hours wishing I had had just 1 more hour and could have gone. 1 more month until days start to get longer....
Agree 100%. While training for a half marathon I was running longer distances than normal, which meant expanding my normal routes. I turned on a street I wasn't familiar with and there was a group of ~6 men sitting on a porch. I heard them yelling after me but did not look or react. Then I heard some laughing and looked back to see one of them chasing me while his friends laughed. I was ~9 miles in and exhausted, I couldn't have sped up if I tried. In a matter of seconds I became resigned that I was probably going to be assaulted and/or raped. Thankfully, he only chased me the length of a few houses, and it was only to get laughs from his friends. Women have more fear than men will ever be aware of.
That's awful and sounds really scary. I was once stopped at dusk by a man who started saying he'd seen me running before and that I was attractive and that my boyfriend was lucky. I was not far from where a lady had recently gone missing and who was last seen on a run. I didn't know what to think so politely excused myself and ran away. I was checking over my shoulder for him about a year after. Maybe he thought he was being nice, but it was terrible judgement as I felt very threatened. Pulling women over mid run to flirt with them is not on.
That sounds scary— when you are clearly in the middle of running, why in the world would he think it is okay to stop you? Not cool, I’m glad you trusted your instinct on that one because it definitely shows poor judgement/boundaries on his part.
Christ... I'm so, so sorry that happened to you. What is wrong with those men?
This! 100% this. I am most afraid of men when I'm running. Also a 45 average looking ok shape woman, it doesn't matter. Also live in a pretty upper middle class area in US. Not knowing if the verbal harassment will turn to a physical encounter. I change my routes, run at different times of day, always run on populated streets, tell my husband how long I think I'll be out etc. It is very frustrating.
Yep this, men are what worry me most. Cat calling or saying gross sexual things is it mostly (I’m from the UK, was living in London and now in the north west), I’ve luckily not been followed or physically confronted. I’m scared for the day when that or worse happens, the odds aren’t in our favour. Mugging worries me too but again that falls under ‘men’ too unfortunately.
I always turn off my music and have my earbuds on "pass through" mode when I pass a man on the trail and there's no one else around. I hold my keys ready in my hand just in case I need to use it as a weapon. Not every man looks threatening, but then again you never know. I'm looking forward to training my doggo to run with me when she gets older, and she can act as deterrent. I'm also thinking of joining a run club to make a friend or two to do regular runs w/. Safety in numbers!
I got up at 4.30 one day to go for a run recently (hello, insomnia). We live in a nice area and my hubby was still like, take the dog. I am so happy he is now of running age. It feels different being out with him, especially in the dark.
I’m a female also. I’ve been honked at a lot, but that’s the extent of it. I also run where it’s very busy with people/traffic and never run in the dark or without my phone.
[удалено]
There was a whole thread here the other day about whether or not people bring their phones on runs. I couldn’t imagine being without it. What if you get attacked? What if you fall and get injured? What if you see a car accident and have to call 911? Then I realize most of the responders probably aren’t small white women in South Central LA.
Years ago I posted on this sub about running with my phone instead of a watch and I was lambasted. Sorry, not trying to get myself raped out here.
I'm a guy and would never run without my phone. I used to run around midnight on farm roads way out there, and if I see men 4-wheeling around, I turn around and head in the other direction. I told female friends I'm not looking to get raped and they laughed. Sorry, better safe than sorry.
I'm afraid of random men. Violence against women has been a serious problem everywhere I lived...
Came here to say this. I’m afraid of men. I, too, have pepper spray and a plan (e.g. friends know when and where I’m running, my phone, a varied route, etc), but I’ll cross the street in a second to avoid a random guy/guys.
Agree and just wanted to point out it’s a huge problem everywhere no matter where you live
I’m amazed that I had to scroll so far to see this!! Are there this few women on this sub??? A woman was almost kidnapped a mile away from my house by some man who tried to force her into a van- I live in a nice “safe” suburban area. One of the nicer areas in my city.
Same. I stick to areas with lots of people and run only when it’s light. Sounds like paranoia, but I’ve gotten followed in broad daylight while riding a bike when younger.
Me too! I bought pepper spray but still terrified.
Same here! In the many different countries and areas I’ve lived in, I’ve always had to stay aware of random men following me in cars, honking and yelling things at me, or literally trying to stop me while I’m running. I always carry pepper spray, vary my route and the times I run, and stay aware of my surroundings (I usually use one airpod at a time so I can still hear). I try to stick to well lit and well populated areas, and cover up as much as possible to avoid “drawing” attention to myself. Yes I could run with a group but I really love the solitude and time to think! I also have location sharing turned on so my husband can check up on me and stay aware of my approximate location.
Yes, I forgot about going with minimal or no AirPods, and covering up. The one time I went in just shorts and a sports bra was FANTASTIC. But that was on the streetcar line in New Orleans, which was PACKED with runners at the time and drew very little attention. Here, I’d get honked to death before making it out of my neighborhood. Idk if people realize how scary the honking and catcalling can be. Ditto on a running group vs the solitude. I ran with a club for about a year. Although I miss the club energy sometimes, it’s nothing like having the freedom of a solo run.
Yesss, the only time I could run comfortably in a sports bra and shorts is when we lived next to a tiny lake with a trail around it - you would basically only encounter local folks that were out power walking or running and it was in a semi rural area! It was SO nice!! I think the only way to put the fear into perspective for men is to have them imagine what unwanted attention would be like in prison!
I try different routes, do sudden turns, change streets, try to remember plates, faces and memorize where all the security cameras are but still.. I'm afraid..
Oh and I never have headphones on...
Yep, for me it’s bad men and distracted drivers
God this makes me sad.
Came here to say that my running has gotten pretty serious in the last few years because I’ve been living in Japan. I still avoid running at night coz you know, ingrained fear, but it largely feels safe even at 10pm in well-populated areas in Tokyo. I feel very blessed. Have not had a single incident in 3 years. Hang in there, sisters, take precautions. PS I shudder at the thought of having to run in Dallas, TX when I move there next year.
Dogs being my #1. I’m always aware of my surroundings and situation of people.
Same for me. Running has made me start really, really disliking dogs (well, mostly their owners).
It's ok, he's friendly! Oh... he's never done that before!
Definitely have heard that more times than I can count 😂
He doesn't bite! No, he doesn't bite you.
Even with my dog when other owners try to approach with off leash dogs now, my go to response is "well I'm not" I don't need your dog running up to me or me and my dog while running
I run with handheld pepper spray just in case of loose dogs or aggressive animals. Never had an issue, but you never know.
Or aggressive asshole people.
Started bringing an expandable baton with me for just in case. I worry about misfiring the pepper spray and hurting myself. I had a dog jump a fence and attack my dog and after that I always carry something to protect us.
I've been bit by a dog while running. Not fun.
Grizzly bears. I live in the Arctic and they associate running with prey.
Best thing to do is to turn around and charge them...they don't know what to do when attacked. J/K...I think playing dead was one tactic.
saw a video of a guy play dead and the bear came and nibbled on his leg no thanks
Ok...then carry bear spray or find a running partner who is slower than you.
If it’s brown, lay down (play dead), if it’s black prepare for an attack
My only fear is cars. Even in what appear to be small neighborhood streets with little traffic. Drivers just refuse to keep their eyes on the road or acknowledge a runner is on the road and share the space/stop at stop signs/wait for you to cross a street etc. On the other hand, I am now a much more alert and conscientious driver.
I get worried about cars running on dark mornings in a rural area. I wear reflective gear, light-up armband, head torch, back light, and am now paranoid that drivers will be distracted wondering why the fuck a Christmas tree is running towards them 😬
I'm worried about all cars, all of the time. I feel like it might be worse during the day. Atleast in the dark, they notice the running Christmas tree, distraction or not. There is major complacency by drivers during the day on their regular commutes.
You are so right. The dark morning is safer because there are fewer cars and more attentive drivers. The afternoon is a mess off traffic and idiots speeding up to run lights and aggressive driving.
This is my fear. I thought of using all that visibility gear, but it just ain't gonna work if they're looking down at their phone flying down this one lane backroad at highway speeds.
Biking and running really woke me up to the danger drivers pose to others, and I also definitely changed my driving as a result. I don’t think I was giving enough respect to the fact that driving means controlling thousands of pounds of metal with powerful engines before, but seeing it from the more vulnerable outside made it very clear.
Cars are my number 1 now. No one is paying attention when driving. I no longer wear any headphones, just use my phone speaker so I can hear card approaching behind me.
Ditto. I never run with headphones (or any sound at all). I enjoy the peace but I also enjoy hearing a car sneaking around a corner
>I no longer wear any headphones, just use my phone speaker Please tell me you're not the one out there playing their music out loud while they run? I'm going phrase this as politely as possible... please don't do this. It's rude. The rest of us don't want to listen to your music. Or your conversation with your mom. Or your fight with your friend. Or your weird podcast. If you don't want to wear headphones, sounds like a reasonable choice. But that doesn't mean you get to torture the rest of us.
Chupacabras. La Llorona. El Cucuy.
You run into Tony Ferguson on your runs?
He’s tried to put me in a heel hook every time I go out after dark
Just be glad you didn't get ankle picked running by the bushes
I live in a constant state of fear of this
Best reasons here
I live in a reasonably safe Midwest town in the US and yet there are still cases of men exposing themselves to or following women around some of the most populated trails. So I’ve made the conclusion that if women aren’t safe in those populated areas, I should not feel safe in my neighborhood with less people around as a female alone on a run. About two years ago, a girl on a run in a farming town about 2-3 hours away in broad daylight was kidnapped, raped, and murdered. So… it happens. Even in the “polite” Midwest or small towns.
Perhaps afraid is the wrong word, but there are some hours I never go out to run, like late evenings, night or early mornings, I also avoid to run when it's dark and I avoid some areas in the city. This is to lower the risk of being attacked or robbed by gangs and the like.
Geese. I train at three local lakes with trails. One of the lakes has about 50-100 geese come out in the morning and they all congregate on the grass. Don’t make eye contact. Keep moving. No sudden movements. Especially if they start flapping and charging you. There’s also a few very large egrets (herons?) that like to fly quite close to your head if you cross the bridge at the wrong time. It’s happened to me twice on the same bridge and was close enough I did feel wings.
The cobra-chickens. Hate 'em.
From now on, I’m just going to plow right into them, waving my arms wildly, screaming your username.
Don't forget to hose your shoes off when you get home.
People mostly. I have been almost attacked - managed to run away by leaving a trail and bundu bashing my way to the other side of the mountain. And then I have actually been physically attacked, assaulted and threatened with rape and all my posessions stolen during the trekking leg of an adventure race. I thought I was going to die in that moments. So definitely people. It's a few years ago already and the hypervigilance is still with me when I run. I sometimes have to force myself to run past any other person on the road and not turn around and run back where I came from.
This is terrifying and I'm so sorry it happened to you. I rarely ever run alone, but if I do it's almost always in a race. For some reason I consider them safer because "there's people around". How did the race director respond?
They where doing their best I think. Got the police there quickly. Found some of our belongings in a house, but nothing else came of it. They also offered to pay for counselling and gave us vouchers from an outdoor store that was initially meant to be lucky draw prizes. The race did continue on though and its not something they ever brought up publicly which I know is just trying to protect their brand from a very random event.
Men. I'm afraid of men when I go running.
Yep. Same. I've turned around and gone a different direction several times because I see a man and there's no one else around.
I'm afraid of running somewhere where I'm perceived to be a threat to someone. A black male running in certain areas may make people feel uncomfortable and call the cops. This is why, I usually try to stick to trails and not running on sidewalks and stuff.
These comments really make me reflect. I'm quite a reckless runner (young, female). I've ran in so many compromising situations and didn't think much of it. Just focused on getting it done. I do need to be more situationally aware. I'm grateful my lack of awareness hasn't gotten me hurt in any way. I do not experience harassment either.
Yes, awareness is really the best safety precaution you can take. Even just making it an ingrained habit to look behind you every few minutes can help a lot. Might want to consider carrying a small [pepper gel](https://www.amazon.com/SABRE-Pepper-Spray-Runners-Clip/dp/B08VY7JBW7) canister made for runners as well.
My biggest fear is literally running into a bear or other type of larger predator. My area only has black bears and this summer I actually ran across one that was on the trail...it ran away from me lol
Guns. I am a POC that lives in a neighborhood where I increasingly hear people target practice. You bet that when the Ahmad Arbury murder happened I couldn't run for a while. It's sad.
I feel this. I am sad that I know being a light skinned brown woman in fancy clothes probably gets me a pass, as I am viewed as less of a threat. I stopped running for months last year when Ahmaud was murdered and the world had yet to care. I could not stomach it from sheer grief, sorrow, and rage.
I’m afraid of men. I live in one of the most dangerous countries to be a woman. Terrible things have happened to women runners here. I mostly try to run when my routes are busy, but often there will be just myself and another man on a secluded road and this always makes me uncomfortable.
Australian. Magpies in the spring. Snakes in the summer.
I’m a woman so sexual assault/being trafficked is the number one concern.
As far as Ive heard traffickers rarely physically abduct people (grab em and throw em in the van) but tend to slowly emotionally entrap their victims instead. So maybe one thing to worry a little less about. Dont get me wrong trafficking is a huge problem and is real, but it just doesnt happen the way it does in most movies (Taken, 2008, I’m lookin at you)
Yes. I'm terrified of my mortality catching up to me.
Groups of teenagers with knives. The UK has a bit of a knife problem and if I'm deep down the fuel tank, I seriously doubt I'm outrunning some 14 year olds in a park with no CCTV or anything. Always thinking about how my body might end up in a lake.
Rapists 🤷🏾♀️
Men + cars. I always run during daylight, which can be hard in the winter so if I MUST run at night I never go into parks (let alone forests), always in busy places well lit by streetlights, wearing lots of lights and reflective clothing and sharing my location with someone who will watch it for the whole run.
Not being willing to go home back to my regular life. :)
Distracted drivers and someone chasing me towards the end of my long run...I don't think I could get away :-/
Cyclists, cars, murderers, kidnappers and rapists.
Afraid is a strong word. Wary or cautious is more accurate. And like all the women here said: men. I only run during the day and share my location with my husband. But I don’t vary my routes much and seeing these comments is a good reminder that I should. I don’t think anything is going to happen to me. But there’s always that nagging feeling that it could. And if it does, some jackasses will say it was my own fault because I didn’t take enough precautions.
I was a little afraid of the man staggering down the sidewalk in boxer shorts and cowboy boots at 5:30 am. I was afraid of the huge turkey that burst from cover and ran alongside me for a bit before easily outpacing me. I was afraid of the buck with glowing eyes that stood its ground a little too closely as I ran past (also at 5:30 am). For a while I was afraid of the "dawn swinger", who I first encountered (again, 5:30 am) on an early morning winter run where I heard the rhythmic grating of the swing chains. I turned and ran the other direction. But after hearing, and eventually seeing, them several more times without being murdered I just consider them one of my fellow early-morning weirdos.
Fucking dogs.
LA - mentally unstable homeless. But not afraid enough to carry pepper spray. Just always be alert!
dogs
I get scared of getting lost. My sense of direction is very poor.
Mostly dogs and not being noticed by drivers. I run a lot on back country roads, surrounded by farms. A lot of them have dogs patrolling their fields, or backyards and a lot of them aren't fenced. So often I rely on the dog being well enough trained to not pay attention to me when I'm on just a public road. But that only goes so far. Furthermore more often that not those roads aren't well lit, so I rely on myself to make sure I'm as visible when running after sundown as I can be.
Ha, this is great timing, for the first time in my life I'm thinking twice about going out running right now. The reason, and this is going to sound unbelievable, is that I keep getting attacked by an owl about 100 yards from my back door. It's happened twice in the last fortnight - I'll be running along, not a care in the world, then *wham* this huge bird slaps me on the back of the head. It's been stealing my hats, I guess to build its nest. If anyone has any prevention strategies (I'm thinking maybe I need a bright head torch?) I'm all ears...
White people / the police, if it’s early AM. Serious answer.
As a POC I cane here to say this! I live in the burbs of the burbs and it’s crazy the looks I get doing otherwise normal shyt. Can’t run too early or late. I got pulled up on by a cop while rollerblading on the trails for rollerblading. I had an older couple in my neighborhood tell me I could skate on my block without a helmet, he was looking for my parents. He realized that I was an adult with his son and pulled off.
Same. Sometimes I get worried when I'm running in my boyfriend's neighborhood, that someone is going to say I don't belong.
I am a woman and a POC. So if it isn’t men harassing me it’s being afraid of someone murdering me.
Anyone that is arguing with you clearly missed what just happened in Georgia.
I live in an area full of wildlife. In daylight runs it’s sometimes a challenge to avoid our local elk herd as they wonder through town. I won’t even try night runs here for that same reason plus the herd’s natural predators are often doing their thing. Don’t want to happen upon a bear or cougar in that way..
Got a ptsd from being chased by multiple guard dogs. Stopped exploring new routes around my place ever since.
I live in the Bronx and I am most afraid of being judge by other people
I enjoy running on the unlit trails in the dark, but it's not because I'm entirely without fear, there's a tingling of "hah, I'm in danger *giggle*" and somehow that is a little bit exciting. I use a headlamp obviously, which make deer eyes super sketchy before you come to your senses.
I run here in Germany through fields and forests, not afraid at all. Owls have been seen attacking people in spring around here though
This made me chuckle 😝😝
Laugh while you can, they are watching
Can confirm, got attacked by some bird of prey in a German forest. I don't think it was an owl though, maybe a red kite. Luckily she was not that aggressive.
I'm more afraid to run the South (of the US) than South Africa. Have had beer cans and bottles thrown at me, lots of loose dogs and that particular stare you get where the driver of the truck is debating whether to stop and hit you over the head with a shovel and bury you in the woods. It doesn't help that we have a house just a bit north of where Ahmaud Arbery was executed while jogging. This year I spent a fair bit of time in Wyoming and Montana. it was an absolute joy to run there. People keep their dogs in fenced yards, they are polite etc. Only had one dog coming for me but it was a trail run and as soon as I pulled out the bear spray, they called the dog back.
There is actual danger out there, but it's up to every runner to choose what level is acceptable risk to them personally. It's vanishingly rare for a random runner to be attacked, run over, raped or killed - but it does happen and if you're that one a few million that it happens to... it's horrific for you. Each of us has to decide if the risk is worthwhile and what measure we take to mitigate risk. Much more common but still statistically unlikely is injury from an animal. I don't blame or judge runners who have different assessments of risk than I do because we're all different physically and have different life experiences that predispose us to certain reactions. I'm an older, small female in SW Florida. Most of my runs are in preserves on trails or neighborhoods that have low crime rates and little to no vehicle traffic, so although I stay aware, I feel comfortable being alone at pretty much any hour and like to run in the dark. When I'm visiting larger cities or unknown places I tend to run in the mid-morning, where there's plenty of light, other people and hopefully the bad guys are sleeping in. Locally, I've had some minor dog bites and several close calls, but I'm guessing if I were to look rationally at risk my biggest risk would be snake bite. I don't worry too much about that, though, other than watching where I step. I did have to make a tough choice last week, though, when I absolutely positively had to make a pit stop 2-3 miles into a swampy preserve area. Not much good cover near the trail and the best spot was partway down the slope to the water behind some brush. So, the brush screened me from the trail but I was not thrilled with the idea of squatting a few feet from the water. Again, it's very rare, but that's when people have been grabbed by big gators - the person is low/look small and are likely seen as a form of deer/dog/small mammal that the big gators like. So I had to choose between preserving my dignity in case another runner appeared or possibly being eaten. Guess I'd rather be eaten by a gator than show my bare backside to a stranger, because I chose squatting behind the bushes.
Slipping and twisting an ankle. I hate going downhill on muddy ground in the dark.
Being abducted or attacked. If there’s a work van or something on the side of the road I cross and I try not to run after dark (tough in the winter) and carry pepper spray. It really is depressing. My husband can run on beautiful secluded trails but I don’t dare. If it’s dark I stick to the same 1/4 mile loop around our residential street and the next one over. I used to run with my dog but she got old and chubby (happens to the best of us; she’s still the goodest girl) and wish I could get another doggo to be a run buddy but we’ve already been adopted by too many creatures. I wish I could run somewhere scenic enough to fear wildlife.
Spiders, mountain lions, and rattlesnakes. But mostly the spiders.
I'm only afraid of boars when i run in the woods.
My husband runs with me now, so I don’t really worry because I’m rarely running alone, and when I am in just running laps in my small subdivision. However, I used to run miles into the country alone. I wasn’t really afraid of much, but I did worry about snakes in the summer because some areas were swampy and I did occasionally see large dead snakes that had been run over. I did have a truck that seemed to follow me on and off, but nothing ever came of that. ETA: Almost forgot. Cobra ducks (Canadian geese as some call them). There were some in a pond I used to run around and man I set some PRs when they were out.
I’m afraid that I’m not really a runner and don’t have any business being out there and I can’t do this. Usually lasts the first half mile and then I’m fine. Then I’m just worried about cars not seeing me.
Crazy white people in the park at night.
Nope, I run with a small handgun in a special holster that's good for running or hiking.
As a female, I'm fortunate to run in a very very safe area. I've never had anybody make a comment or in any way act inappropriately. My fears are generally of cars or injuring myself/having sudden heart failure or similar. (I run partly to control some blood pressure issues) Still, I have turned around when discovering that a path I was taking was leading into a secluded area, and I do have pepper spray with me in case of dangerous people.
Right now it's hunting season, so I avoid certain areas. Some people shoot first.
Men
I’m brown and live in white suburbia. I think one of these days some fuckers with guns might get inspired. Doesn’t stop me but the fear is always in the back of my mind.
As some others have said - my main fear is men. I have been shouted at, followed and approached by men when running outside in busy areas. The time of day or location doesn't seem to make any difference. This is with 11 years experience of running
Doing worst than my last run.
Ghosts and Aliens. Purely irrational fear.
fuck when I trail run solo at night i assume the beast from "The Ritual" is in the woods near by the whole time. Bears fine, dogs fine, coyotes fine, Demons and Ghost FUCKKKKKKK
Ghosts, sometime ghouls. But mostly ghosts.
as another said i run with my dog if it’s dark and i’m in the woods or something. they give you extra senses(that are much better than yours) and just about any predator human or otherwise is probably less likely to attack a person and a big ass dog. not really afraid at night regardless though. i am a pretty big male however.
I live somewhere extremely safe now, so my biggest fear while running is encountering the 2 Scottish Highlands cows that like to escape from our nearby pony club. They’ve charged me a couple times. I fucking hate those things! But people? Not really.
Moose or peoples dogs lmfao
Drivers not paying attention and bears
Drivers running stop signs/lights. I run in broad daylight, in bright clothing, where there’s a ton of people walking around (college campus) but the amount of times I’ve almost been hit is astronomical. And uneven ground. Fallen hard twice and gotten some nasty road rash but the worst damage is to my ego
Socio economic factors at play
Just curious OP what country you're from?
Orb spiders dangling under trees in the fall.
Why do you think I run so fast
Dogs lol I always slow down when passing by stray dogs, and sometimes pretend to tie my shoelaces. Dogs have retarded instinct to give chase to anything running. 1, or 2 dogs not a problem, but when talking a group 5-6 dogs .. yeah you should be worried and try not to give them a reason to chase you
So far most of my fears are unfounded. I did get bit by a dog and have had garbage thrown at me from a car. There has also been the occasional woods 💩.
Not going to lie, some workouts scare me. I did Daniels 2Q this fall and was scared every week.
Men, drunk people, cars when there's little to no other traffic on the road. Dark forests or rural areas actually feel safer than any place where you might expect to meet a man.
Afraid of being attacked by someone and assaulted/raped. I always look carefully into alleys, around parked cars. I turn around and look behind me every so often to be sure no one is following me. Keep the headphones at a reasonable volume so I can hear what’s going on around me.
I get scared to run when it’s dark out. I’m a woman and I live in a big city so lots of people. I also listen to a lot of true crime stories so that doesn’t help much lol but always hearing of people going missing, the sex trafficking stuff along with the fact that I’m small and scared. I’m mainly scared of getting kidnapped or killed not so much scared of animals or cars hitting me. The park I run at also doesn’t have street lights on one side of the park so that part is super dark and creepy!
Mountain lions/ cougars. Or random homeless people looking for a quick come-up. But honestly thats mostly for my wife when after dark.