Women share stories of running in public and their safety concerns

Have you ever checked the clock and realized it was too dark to run? Have you ever changed your clothes because they may be too revealing? Have you ever carried a credit card in your pocket?

If you are a woman who has ever exercised outside, you would answer all of these questions.

Ashling Murphy left her house in January and never returned.

The teacher was exercising at 4pm and running along the banks of the Grand Canal when he was killed. Jozef Puska is awaiting trial for her murder.

The death of Murphy led to a lot of grief and support on social media, as people tried to make sense of another female life being taken too soon.

She was doing something that she enjoyed. She should feel safe doing that. She was running.

Most women know the mental checklist you complete before training outside: you ponder the time of day you leave the house, you pick the most populated or well-lit roads and paths and dress appropriately - because you want to avoid sparking unwanted and unwarranted attention.

Amy Hughes, the first woman to run 53 marathons in 53 days, lives in the same area as she does and has always been wary of what time she goes for a run.

She told the radio station that in the day she is not bothered, but you have to think about it if it is dark.

You shouldn't have to think about what you put on to go for a run, but in case someone says or does something, you have to think about what you wear.

Many women are questioning how safe they are training and exercising on the streets alone after the death of Murphy.

This Girl Can research was done by Sport England.

One in five women worry about the risk of sexual harassment if they do physical activity and exercise, including 42% of those aged 16-20 and 30% of those aged 21-30.

28% of people worry about personal safety exercising in the dark.

Hughes had an experience while running.

There was a traffic jam and these guys were in the car and they were shouting disgusting things at me as I ran past.

A man took a picture of Charlotte while she was running in broad daylight.

She said that she was running in a wooded area in the summer and there was no one else around. He just took a photo of me.

I ran home as fast as I could after it made me feel uncomfortable and upset. I wondered if I had enough energy left to sprint away if I needed to, when I ran past everyone on my way home.

I was playing it in my head after I got home. The idea that there was a picture of me on that man's phone without my consent made me sick.

Charlotte got encouragement from her friends to report it.

She said that she now has the same worries on every run. I was just a woman exercising that he wanted to look at, and that man thought I was not worthy of his respect.

Emma, a runner in London, says harassment has changed how she exercises.

Almost every time I run near a road, men are yelling sexual abuse. I only run near a road because I am nervous to go to the park. She said that she stopped running alone because she felt unsafe.

Professional athletes have spoken out about how this type of intimidation affects them while training.

Georgia Taylor-Brown, a British triathlon and Olympic gold medal winner, said on her website that she left her house for a run a few days ago and as she ran past three workmen, they whistled at her. Did they really need to make me feel uncomfortable?

Rhiannon Linington-Payne questioned what governing bodies were doing to help women train safely outdoors when indoor venues are closed during the winter.

Welsh governing bodies worked with Welsh police to tackle intimidating behavior. A report by the UN Women last year found that the majority of sexual harassment in the UK is not reported.

The Mayor of Greater Manchester believes it is up to men and boys to question and change their behavior towards women.

In his video campaign, "Is This OK?", which was released in December 2021, he says it is on men to fix the issue not women.

Blokes have to look themselves in the mirror. Why do you think it is embarrassing to behave that way? It is not right. It is not respectful. It is not acceptable what women have to face.

Sometimes there is too much tolerance of the macho, laddish banter but there are boundaries and we should not let that go unaddressed.

If you have mates that do that regularly, if you have mates that do worse in pubs and clubs, you should report them. Just have a different approach to this issue.

The campaign is important on many levels. It is about men, boys and men. This one is on us. We have to own it. We have to sort it out. It is time for change.