We shouldn’t have to run scared

In 2024, I asked my community a fairly simple question:

Did they feel safe going out for a run?

Close to 2,000 people responded. More than 99% of those people identified as a woman.

And the stats were horrifying:

• More than 77% of them had experienced harassment when they went for a run
• 78.9% had changed their running routine because of harassment or safety concerns
• More than 65% sometimes felt their life was in danger when they went for a run.

The harassment ranged from catcalling, beeping and comments about women’s bodies to being followed, blocked, threatened, photographed without consent and sexually assaulted.

Behind every statistic was a person describing the calculations she makes simply to exercise outside.

Women told me they avoided running in the dark, changed their routes, stopped listening to music, shared their location, crossed the road when they saw men approaching or stopped running.

Many described being constantly alert: scanning their surroundings, identifying houses they could run to and mentally preparing an escape plan.

That hypervigilance takes away the freedom and joy of running.

Does anyone else find it outrageous that we are expected to carry this additional load just so we can exercise?

Over the past year, this has become the main focus of my work. I’d describe my interest in it as…. obsessive. I’ve made numerous calls, wrote about it in my last book, visited state forests, interviewed experts, applied for fellowships and even started doing my Masters in Women’s Health so that I can better understand this issue.

Since releasing the findings, I’ve been working to bring this issue into conversations with government, researchers, sporting organisations and others who have the power to create change.

The original 2024 research focused specifically on women. Now, I’m excited to be working with the NSW Government through Run My Way, a partnership between the Office of Sport and Transport for NSW through the Safer Cities Program, to develop and test campaign messages that reflect the experiences of women, girls and gender-diverse runners.

The aim is to shift the burden away from runners having to constantly protect themselves. We’ll explore how campaign messaging can build empathy, show the lived experience of runners without blame or shame, model practical ally behaviours for men and boys, and reinforce safer community norms.

We’ll listen to runners, identify gaps in the existing research and test different ideas with the community.

What we learn will inform recommendations to the NSW Government for a broader campaign that could be brought to life through running groups, schools, sporting organisations and community events.

I cannot wait to get stuck in.

Haere tātou!
(Let’s go!)

Aroha nui
(Big love)

Turia x

Read the 2024 Safety Report here.