Can Girls Run The World?

TW: This article discusses harassment, sexual assault, and violence.

Frankie Cole

Contrary to Beyoncé’s popular lyrics, women around the world are limiting their running miles due to concerns over safety and harassment on their daily run.

The Staggering Statistics

Interviewing athletes across nine different countries, a survey conducted by Adidas in March 2023 revealed that a staggering 92% of women feel unsafe when running. 51% of women said they are afraid of being physically attacked, compared to 28% of men.* Additionally, the study highlighted that 38% of women have experienced physical or verbal harassment while out running.

According to Adidas and White Ribbon’s Allyship Playbook, harassment can take many forms, including, but not limited to, sexist comments and unwanted attention, ‘flashing’ or exposing body parts, unwanted communication attempts, groping and physical contact without consent, and online trolling and abuse.

What’s more, a study carried out by St. Mary’s University, Twickenham in June 2021 revealed an equally shocking figure. In London, 84% of female runners have experienced harassment, with 30% of women reporting instances of being followed.**

‘The Ridiculous Run’

Adidas’ survey also showed that while 62% of men recognise the issue, only 18% believe the responsibility of helping women feel safe lies with men.

In light of this, Adidas’ campaign, The Ridiculous Run – ‘a ridiculous run for a ridiculous reality’ – presents a group of women running at night with a support crew of motorbikes, quad bikes, and cars.

Adidas strive to encourage male education and allyship through their extensive Playbook and ongoing With Women We Run groups. Sina Neubrandt, Adidas Women’s Global Communications Director, states: “Addressing this issue is a marathon, not a sprint, and our campaign will not solve this overnight. But if we can encourage more men to understand their role as allies, we can create progress and, hopefully, change.”

Tragedies

There have been a number of high-profile cases of targeted, gendered murders of women runners. In January 2022, Ashling Murphy was tragically murdered on an afternoon run in Tullamore, County Ireland. Ashling tried to fight off her attacker with a set of keys – a popular safety tip portrayed in the media. Just a few months later, Eliza Fletcher was kidnapped and murdered on a morning run in Memphis, Tenessee.

In the aftermath of these murders, the press was bombarded with even more safety tips for runners. But, in Eliza’s case, individuals quickly turned to victim blaming. Fellow runner Ali Ferrer took to Instagram where she poignantly critiqued this response to Fletcher’s death.

“Why was she running at 4:30 AM?

“Sure, when you’re running in the dark in what is basically a bikini…

“OK, but if you’re a billionaire, can’t you afford to hire 1–3 bodyguards to run with you? Seems like an obvious solution.

“Hope she wasn’t wearing headphones… So unsafe,” where a few of the damaging phrases that Ferrer quoted.

It’s time to change the narrative. Women deserve to run without fear. We deserve more than a list of safety precautions and self-defence tips. Women deserve change.

My Experience

My running journey started at eight-years-old. Having had my fair share of last-place stickers at school sports days, I decided to make a change and joined my local athletics club. Whilst I relished ‘that winning feeling’ on the track, my real passion for running began when I started training for half and full marathons. Meandering the open roads and trails, a long run is my perfect remedy to a busy day of studying. I simply switch off, clock up some miles, and let the runner’s high take over.

“I often wish I had the freedom and choice to run alone at night”

Whilst I’m lucky to have a friendly athletics club to train with, I often wish I had the freedom and choice to run alone at night, without an endless list of questions, like: Should I wear headphones? Should I tie my hair in a bun? Have I told my friends about my running route…?

The euphoric feeling of running is seasonally limited. I – like many other women – find myself hibernating in the gym over winter, afraid to run alone in the dark.

Yet it’s not all that great when the days are long and light either. Yes, summer running involves beautiful blue skies, the smell of freshly cut grass, but it also entails the vulnerability of summer clothing. Frightened of being honked or cat called, I repeatedly shy away from running in a pair of shorts and a crop top, and retreat to my predictable winter wardrobe.

“many women across the world are scared to take part in a sport they truly love”

A study conducted by Strong Women (The Stylist) shows that I am not alone. 72% of women revealed that they wouldn’t walk or run in just a sports bra and bottoms, and over 50% highlighted that ‘under no circumstances’ would they stop wearing leggings to run in, even in the summer heat.

Alarm Bells

My university running route takes me through the heart of Yorkshire – the county of the infamous Yorkshire Ripper. By 1977, Peter Sutcliffe had murdered and assaulted several women, urging the police to place a night-time curfew on women. Enter the Reclaim the Night movement in cities across the UK. Fast forward 46 years and unfortunately, women are still fighting for a place of safety during the day, and especially at night.

“swapping safety precautions with education is the first step in making running a safer sport”

Moreover, I recently competed in Clapham Common 10k and I couldn’t help but think of Sarah Evergard – kidnapped, raped, and murdered after leaving a friend’s house in March 2021. Whilst running past the park’s bandstand, my mind flashed back to an image flooded with flowers, candles, and hundreds of women, who stood mourning for a lost life that could have been theirs. As I crossed the finish line, I felt a mixture of emotions – relief, joy, pride – but also anger, as so many women across the world are scared to take part in a sport they truly love.

So I return to my initial question: Can girls run the world? In 2023, the answer is sadly no. However, swapping safety precautions with education is the first step in making running a safer sport for both women across the world. One day women will run the streets without worry.

*Adidas’ survey involved 4,500 runners who identified as men and 4,500 runners who identified as women across Japan, China, US, UK, Mexico, UAE, France, Germany and South Korea, aged 16-34.

** St. Mary’s University, Twickenham interviewed 121 runners across 26 of London’s boroughs.

Frankie

English Literature Student at the University of York, who is passionate about sports and travel.