This year, three women runners have been murdered in Michigan, New York City and Massachusetts. So the magazine ‘Runner’s World’ asked its readers how often they’re harassed while out for a jog.
The results might be shocking to some. But it’s a frightening thing many women face every time they lace up their shoes.
“Every day, five days a week, through the park, into town,” said runner Kris Christus.
Our weather this time of year makes running outside very appealing. But for some women, this often means unwanted attention.
“Hoking, get yelled at,” said Christus.
Forty-three percent of women like Christus say they’re frequently harassed while running.
“No, it doesn’t surprise me. That’s really sad,” she said.
It’s worse for women under 30 at nearly 60 percent.
“Just kind of like, hooting and hollering, just kind of saying disrespectful remarks, that kind of thing,” said Courtney Lamanna, another runner.
And it’s not just catcalls. One in three women say they’ve been followed, and five percent have been flashed.
“That’s never happened to me thank goodness. But that is very inappropriate,” said Lamanna.
Christus no longer runs alone for this very reason.
“It never happens when you’re with me,” she said to her husband.
Guys are not immune to harassment while running, but it happens much less often. Only four percent have experienced it, according to this same survey.
“They assume that it’s just a joke or ‘Oh I didn’t mean it’ but you don’t know how you just affected somebody based off of that choice and that decision that you just made,” said runner Shawn Dutch, when asked about these new statistics from the male perspective.
Women are responding. Twenty-one percent of them now carry pepper spray, and one percent carry a loaded gun.
