Runner 'prepares for dangers that men do not face'

Before Vikki Hartfree goes out running she considers the way her hair is tied and what clothing she can easily get out of if she is suddenly grabbed and attacked.

Her actions are something she says men do not experience or understand, but thousands of women will.

Last year while running the 49-year-old personal trainer from Brampton, Cambridgeshire, was also left sickened when a man exposed himself to her early one morning.

No-one has ever been arrested and Hartfree is not alone in her experiences. But just how threatened do female runners feel?

Vikki says she was running at about 09:00 BST on a Sunday last summer when the man exposed himself to her and a friend near Huntingdon, which was then reported to police.

She believes it is the thrill of scaring women that spurs some people on and after this she no longer runs on her own in that area.

"If I am out on my own I have a low ponytail or plaits so nobody can grab my hair from behind," she adds.

"If I'm wearing a jacket in the winter I make sure it's one that I can get out of easily that's not tight fitting.

"As women we have to take those things into consideration which men don't have to."

Pia Carson-Moore, 31, from Ipswich, is a personal trainer and dance teacher who set up a women-only running club.

During group runs, she said they have been shouted at early in the mornings and men in vans have circled roundabouts several times to direct comments at them.

Pia questions what these men think they are trying to achieve and ensures the group runs in well-lit areas and the routes are changed regularly.

She also feels these are things men never have to consider.

"Twenty, 30 years ago, people were getting cat-called probably a lot more and as we've progressed, men should be evolving with that, but men aren't.

"They aren't getting any more clued up... and a lot of these men must have daughters, wives and granddaughters and if they've got younger men in their life, they should be [telling them] this is inappropriate.

"I don't think that's happening. I don't think a lot of men understand the severity of it."

Laura-May Land, 27, launched her Girls That Jog running club branch in Cambridge in 2023.

"Myself and a lot of the girls, we've experienced things like... men shouting at us, catcalling us or shouting abuse out of the window of the car," she says.

"We've had people be quite aggressive towards us. We've had some people - whether it's 18-year-old men or elderly men - up in our faces with cameras trying to film us and invading our space."

Laura-May believes there is safety in numbers, but she says their space is still invaded.

"We can't control everything. We do feel vulnerable."

Even while being interviewed by BBC Look East on Wednesday, Laura-May and her group were interrupted by a man on camera which she said was "so frustrating" and had "proved the point" of the issue.

Emily Brown helps run the Girls That Jog Ely branch in Cambridgeshire and echoes Laura-May.

She says she has even been spat at and now takes measures to protect herself like not running alone.

"It's scary because it's measures that we shouldn't have to take," she says.

"You feel the need to because unfortunately it's things that do happen.

"They know the fear that they are putting in people's heads and if they felt that fear, how would that make them feel?"

Rena, 47, is a member of Redway Runners in Milton Keynes and does go out running at night, but avoids certain places in the city like Willen Lake and Ouzel Valley Park where there is a lack of lighting.

"I get [the lack of lighting] is to protect the wildlife, but we're encouraged at the same time to get out, get exercise and be healthy," she said.

"If you work and you're not a morning person then that's going to be in the evening.

"So you've got no option to go out after 17:00 and at the moment it's dark so you need to choose carefully where you go and what you do, but how safe you feel has got to be judged."

There are many more examples of serious incidents against female runners such as in 2022 when runner Ashling Murphy was murdered by a complete stranger in Ireland and in Suffolk a woman was sexually assaulted last year.

Research has found 68% of women experience abuse while out running, but only 5% report it.

Sport England and This Girl Can's campaign Let's Lift the Curfew also found a lack of light in the winter meant that 72% of women in the UK change their exercising habits due to safety fears.

Kate Dale, director of marketing at This Girl Can, which campaigns to get women active, says these are not isolated incidents, and should be a "wake-up call for everyone with power to make a difference".

"All women and girls should know this is not inevitable and acceptable and feel confident that, if they report it, it will be taken seriously," she said.

"We stand with all women, and our work to advocate for a safer, fairer society does not stop."

It comes as the Labour MP for Lowestoft in Suffolk, Jess Asato, opened a debate in Parliament in the hope of raising awareness about women's safety.

A government spokesperson said its Violence Against Women and Girls strategy deployed "the full power of the state to keep people safe".

"We're investing in proper police training on sexual offences and backing Project Vigilant – a smart, pro-active policing approach to tackling predatory behaviour in public spaces," they added.

Det Supt Dave Taylor from Cambridgeshire Police said the force was investing in practical safety measures to help people anonymously flag places they feel unsafe and it was strengthening the way it investigated rape and sexual offences.

"Women should feel safe when out exercising and we are pro-actively making our streets a hostile place for perpetrators," he added.

Additional reporting by Amy Holmes and Zoe Applegate.

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