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Running
Safety Tips for Women
from
Run
The Planet and the Hudson Mohawk Running
Club Before the run:
- Try to get a running partner.
- Leave word with someone or write down
where you plan to run and when you will return.
- Carry some I. D. and change for a phone
call.
- Take a whistle with you.
- Do not wear a radio/headset/earphones or
anything which distracts you so that you are completely aware of your
environment.
- Avoid unpopular areas, deserted streets,
lonely trails - and especially avoid unlighted routes at night.
- Vary the route and the time of day that
you run.
- Run in familiar areas. Be aware of
emergency phones and how they work, note the location of neighbors you trust
along your route.
- Know where police are usually to be found
and where businesses, stores, offices are likely to be open and active.
During
the Run:
- Always stay alert. The more aware you
are, the less vulnerable you are. Think about possible escape routes in case of
a confrontation.
- Take notice of who is ahead of you and
who is behind you. Know where the nearest public sites are with some general
activity - there is usually safety in numbers.
- When in doubt, follow your intuition and
avoid potential trouble. If something seems suspicious, do not panic, but run
in a different direction.
- Run clear of parked cars, bushes, dark
areas.
- Run against traffic so that you can
observe the approach of automobiles.
- If the same car cruises past you more
than once, take down even a partial license number and make it obvious that you
are aware of its presence (but keep your distance).
If
Confronted:
- Run toward populated areas, busy streets,
open businesses.
- Ignore jeers and verbal harassment. Keep
moving.
- Use discretion in acknowledging
strangers. Be friendly, but keep your distance and keep moving.
- Do not approach a car to give directions,
or the time of day. Point toward the nearest police or information source,
shrug your shoulders, but keep moving. If you feel you must respond, do it
while moving.
- Do not panic. Do not run toward a more
isolated area.
If
Attacked:
- Keep as calm as possible. Try to fix a
description of the attacker in your mind.
- Do not show fear or plead - this
intensifies aggression in most cases.
- Try to talk to the aggressor and look for
an escape opportunity - a moment of indecision or distraction on the attacker's
part.
- Do not fight or struggle with the
attacker unless there is clearly no other way out, especially if you are
untrained in self defense.
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