By Na’Tasha Jones and Dominique Burton, co-founders, RUNGRL

Women are VERY concerned about their safety when running alone.

If you’re a woman who runs, you probably already knew that. But what you may not have known is just how many women feel the same way.

Last month, we asked female readers how they felt about running alone and some of the things they did to help protect themselves in our RUNGRL Run Safe 2020 Survey. The results were troubling, to say the least.

If you sometimes worry that you might be assaulted or attacked on a run, you’re like a whopping 82 percent of our survey respondents. In fact, 41 percent of those women said they ALWAYS worry about it.

Why are women so worried?

Ninety percent of respondents said they have received unwanted comments or attention while running, with 24 percent stating that it happens "a lot". That means 9 out of 10 women get have gotten unwanted comments while they’re out trying to run. Additionally, 48 percent report that they have endured lewd hand gestures or comments as they passed and 86 percent of respondents report someone catcalling or trying to "holler" at them on the run.

What’s more terrifying, 33 percent have had someone actually follow them while out on a run, with five percent reporting an assault or unwelcome touching.

33 percent of women surveyed have had someone follow them while out on a run alone.

But what can be done? With so many women reporting this very real danger, it’s no wonder that the idea of running brings on thoughts of what can be done to protect ourselves.

What women wear while running is something they also consider as a factor in their running safety. 42 percent said that they ALWAYS consider what they are wearing and 32 percent saying they consider it sometimes (for a total of 74 percent). Despite ideal running clothes being fitted, cooling/moisture-wicking, etc., many women feel they have to consider what might make them a target to predators.

Where and when can women feel safe to run?

Women's top concerns when selecting what they hope will be a safe running route include a familiar route (88%), a route with other people around (86%), a route close to home or work (72%), and/or a route where they would be able to get help easily (64%). In addition, most women (42%) reported choosing to run most often in the early morning, with only four percent saying they run most often late at night.

A Checklist for Safety

Something else you may not have known? The very long list of things women do in an effort to stay safe while running solo. We asked women the sorts of things they do to prepare for a run in an effort to stay safe, here’s what they had to say.

92% bring a phone on the run (specifically for safety)
58% share their location throughout the entire run
66% run with other people (specifically for safety)
36% run with a weapon or defensive product
56% have cut a run short because they didn’t feel safe
54% have decided to cancel a run altogether (specifically for safety)

Our survey respondents leaned in on morning runs to feel safer, but does time of day really matter? On January 22, Runner’s Alliance, an expert-backed movement that outlines how to help runners in dangerous situations, hosted a self-defense workshop and discussion in New York City. The workshop featured Julie Morrill, owner and co-founder of Train your Roar. Julie reminded women that running in daylight isn’t always safe and that it also doesn’t matter what you wear.

Instead of focusing on these factors that are out of your control, Julie recommends staying alert throughout the run to try to avoid danger, trusting your gut when you feel something is off, using your voice to intimidate where necessary (“Back off!”), and then fighting as hard as you can as a last resort. Read more of Julie’s self-defense tips for runners.

View the full RUN Safe survey results in an easy-to-navigate format in the infographic below.

Download or print as a PDF

Have you had some scary experiences while running alone? Please share in the comments below, or shoot us an email at dominique@rungrl.co, with the subject line #RUNSAFE.