After Murder of Marathoner Eliza Fletcher, Women Share Tips for Safe Running

In the aftermath of the gruesome kidnapping and murder of Eliza Fletcher (34) earlier this month, female runners woke up to another reality as they face a physical threat that male runners do not and hence shared numerous tips for safe running.    

Fletcher had gone for a 4 a.m. training run on September 2 near the University of Memphis campus and never returned. Following a missing report filed by her husband, the police launched an intense search after they discovered surveillance footage showing Eliza Fletcher being forced into a black SUV. Her dead body was found many days later. Though the arrest has been made in connection with Fletcher’s abduction and murder, women runners found little comfort in the act.  

In 2016, a survey conducted by Runner’s World found that 43% of female runners said that they have regularly experienced harassment, including catcalls, whistles, honked horns, and sexual propositions. These women runners said that such incidents made them feel unsafe.  

What was more troubling was that 54% of the women said that they feared assault or unwanted physical contact during their solo runs. 30% of the women said that they had been followed by a car, cyclist, or pedestrian at least once while running. The murder of Eliza Fletcher is not a case in isolation, or rare, for that matter. There have been other recent murders of female runners.  

Two years ago, Sydney Sutherland, 25, was discovered dead two days after she disappeared after having gone for a run in Jackson County, Ark.  

In another shocking incident in 2018, Mollie Tibbetts, a 20-year-old student, was found murdered after having gone out on a run in her rural town of Brooklyn, Iowa. Later that year, Wendy Martinez (35) was also stabbed to death while on a run in the heart of Washington city.  

In 2016, the country saw a wave of back-to-back murders of female runners. This included Alexandra Brueger, who was shot dead in Detroit, Karina Vetrano, who was raped and then killed while she was running in the Queens, NY, park, and Vanessa Marcotte, a resident of New York City, who was found dead, burned, and possibly sexually assaulted.  

While statistics indicate that such incidents against women joggers and runners may be relatively rare, the threat is constant. It did not come as a surprise that following Fletcher’s murder, countless women took to social media to express their emotions and told the world how sick and tired they were of living in fear. The fair side of this anguish was that while women runners will have to constantly live under the threat that they will be the next victims while running solo, they are determined not to let it prevent them from following their passion for running. Therefore, many women shared safety tips for safe running. We have curated some of them in this article for your reference.  

Tip 1. Malissa Kenner, a user on Twitter, said that she tries to avoid dark spaces. She always runs in a well-lit public area and often traverses the same blocks repeatedly.  

Tip 2. Sarah Kelly wrote that she always carries her mobile phone so that her boyfriend has access to her location. 

Tip 3. Rachel Bell said that she has developed a habit of carrying pepper spray on her. 

Apart from these safety suggestions, experts recommend numerous safety measures for women runners. 

• Try to run with your partner or in a group.  
• Don’t listen to music, but if you have to, use a single earbud. 
• Never forget to carry your mobile phone and flashlight. 
• Download a free safety app available for runners. 
• Tell at least one or more people about where you are going and when you may be back. 
• Know your trail. 
• Be familiar with dark and/or isolated places in your route.  
• Change your route periodically.  
• Be hyperaware and if something is suspicious, call someone immediately. 
• You can try using a handheld self-defense device. Many of these have been designed keeping the female runners in mind.