Women's Safety and Running in the Dark
SAYSKY RunEase: Women's Safety
On December 4, SAYSKY arranged the RunEase event together with Danish Architecture Center and the event was created to focus on women's safety when running outside in the dark during the cold winter months.
We wanted to start the debate about missing street lights in the parks, gardens and on the smaller roads out there and therefore, we created this women's safety run to put focus on the small communities out there and for women to run together to feel more safe.
She thought she was running alone
In our latest blogpost about RunEase, we interviewed Laura who thought she was running alone an early December morning, but quickly found out she wasn't. If you are eager to read about the entire idea behind RunEase, you can do so here.
Safety tips for running in the dark
In this article, we would like to give you the best tips on running outside alone - and for you to feel more safe. The guide will take you through the following:
- Run in populated areas
- Be alert
- Take a phone with you
- Run with others
- Wear reflective gear
- Nail the self-defense manoeuvres
Scroll down below the picture to read more about the 6 tips for running safely through the night.
1. Run in populated areas
A good tip is to always run where other runners or people will likely run or walk. The more people, the better. So if you are running in the morning or late at night, stay away from the dark gardens or parks, where you will have a hard time navigating around.
You should therefore run in well-trafficked areas and streets, where you know the chance to be seen is bigger.
2. Be alert
Another good tip is not to run with music or in any other way be distracted by earplugs. If you are out alone, our best tip is to simply be alert. When you are running with music or listening to a podcast, you mind will be taken away from the surroundings.
Always try to look around and have an overview where you are running. If you are running on empty road, then look around and check if everything looks fine. If you are running around a park or lake, see if you can find others who are running or look around for something you should be alert about.
3. Take a phone with you
It might not come as a shock that running with a phone or any other GPS device is a good way for others to know where you are, but also for you to feel more safe. Running with a phone might be annoying for the most, where others will always run with a phone.
If you want to feel the most secure we always recommend for you to have a phone with you. This way you can easily call someone and let them know where you are.
Another good tip is to tell someone where you will be running. Simply by letting your friend, roomie, husband or boyfriend know before you run, so they will know exactly where you will be or can estimate when you will be home again.
4. Run with others
One of our best tips, is always to run with others. This doesn't only apply for women, but for everyone. Creating a social running community will make it easier to get out of the door in the morning or evening, and will keep you motivated.
Safety-vice, nothing beats being in numbers and simply by running more together will help eliminate the problem of feeling insecure in the dark.
5. Wear reflective gear
In the winter time it's always a very good idea to run with something reflective or to run with light. Make yourself more visible by wearing reflective gear, such as jackets, shirts and tights or a reflective vest.
You can also run with a headlamp or small lights around your jackets.
6. Nail the self-defense manoeuvres
If you are ever attacked on your run or ever feel unsafe, use your powerfull voice to speak up and let others know what is happening or where you are. By screaming, you will likely shock your attacker and hopefully make them change their minds.
If the situation gets physical, we recommend to:
- Stab your fingers into the attackers eyes
- Punching straight towards the throat
- Punch or knee towards the groin
We would also recommend to take a self-defense class. In this way, you will feel more secure when you are out running alone.
When these 6 tips are said and given to you, we also would like to stress that this shouldn't make you feel more insecure about running. We always encourage for everyone to run outside and feel safe, and with these tips it might seem that there will always happen something to you when you are running. Which is definitely not the case! Be aware, take care and run with others. These are our best tips for you!
Want to read more tips from SAYSKY? Head over to our guides to read our best tips and tricks for you. And in our journal you will be able to read the latest SAYSKY news and best shopping recommendations. Go nuts!
