Personal Safety while Running

Written by Judy Proteau

A few weeks ago, a team of HCS volunteers and runners attended the Vanessa Marcotte Foundation fundraising race. Vanessa was a young woman who went for a walk one afternoon in Princeton and was tragically murdered by a stranger. The Vanessa Marcotte foundation’s mission is to provide education and promote female empowerment.

Here are some safety tips that can be used every time you’re on a run:

• Maintain situational awareness. Be aware of your surroundings: empty buildings, passing vehicles, stray dogs and people. Trust your intuition if something feels wrong. 
• Project confidence when you walk or run. Keep your head up and limit your distractions on your phone or watch. 
• Take a self defense class and practice various scenarios. 
• If you wear headphones, use one earbud or try the bone conduction type that will allow you to still hear your surroundings. 
• Carry your phone for a couple reasons: navigation assistance and to call for help for yourself or others. 
• Some phones and smartwatches also have a built in sensor that will detect a fall and alert others in an emergency. 
• Consider carrying a personal safety device like a high decibel alarm or pepper spray.    
• Vary your route and try to avoid running very early or very late at night.
• Consider limiting personal information that is posted on social media and hide your start and end route on Strava. However, sharing your route with a close friend is always a good idea. 
• Wear bright colors on the road, orange on the trails and always wear reflective gear and lights at night. 
• Try to run facing traffic (unless there’s a tight turn) and make eye contact with drivers who are turning into intersections. 
• There’s safety in numbers. Here’s the schedule for upcoming HCS runs: https://highlandcitystriders.org/schedule/
• Take a self defense class and practice various scenarios. 

In 2021, The Karate School ( a Wolves and Race for the Refuge corporate sponsor) hosted a self defense class to HCS members. If you’d like to participate in a class in the future please use this form to let us know:

https://forms.gle/QJwYtNPAy3Xq2ubC9