To go running alone at night in the park

[MamaGhina]

YABU - why on earth would anyone think this is ok
YANBU - anyone should be able to run at night alone

Have been running in the evening in my local park. It’s a London borough, fairly safe but the park has no lighting and a number of exits and entrances. Impossible to see who else is in the park. I take a torch mainly so I don’t get tangled in any dog walkers leads but generally the park is quiet at night. The torch means my location is obvious to anyone else in the park and obvious I am alone.

Every single person I have told that I do this is surprised, says I am mad or it’s dangerous. That I shouldn’t run alone, I need to find someone to run with or run during the day. I don’t want to run during the day because the park is busy, I end up bumping into loads of people I know and I just want to get on with my run. It’s not always convenient to go during the day, then shower, do hair etc. I prefer to run at night and then shower, get ready for bed. I don’t want to find someone to run with, have to wait for them, meet them, make chit chat etc I want to run to my own schedule.

FWIW I’m female, fairly small, mid 40s.

There is no way I would do this in a London park. It's not safe unless your like secretly trained in Jujitsu or something 😅

But if you insist you want to definitely make sure you change your route each time and don't run the same route at the same time and definitely take a screech alarm or something

There was a long thread very recently about whether women had been sexually assaulted at work - most had - but no one ever says women shouldn't work in case of sexual assault. I think it's almost certainly more common than being assaulted after dark

Kathleen Stock wrote a brilliant article in The Times recently arguing that is it not victim blaming to suggest ways that women can reduce their vulnerability to being attacked.

I haven't read the article but what I always find telling is that nobody ever talks about victim blaming when men are concerned, even though they're by far the principle victims of violence.

It's actually the stark opposite on here in many discussions. It's often stated that men suffer more violence because they go to places many women avoid such as pubs and bars where alcohol/rowdy behaviour are commonplace. This is the very definition of victim blaming!

Same when people say 'oh, but it's other men visiting the violence on them'. That's not the victim's fault either!

One thing being considered more dangerous (if it is, I’m not convinced) doesn’t render another thing safe.
That’s not how risk works.

And also while you may be in danger of being assaulted at work surely it’s wise to do whatever you can to reduce the chances of it happening eg don’t go out drinking on your own with the office pervert for example.

I run in the dark, otherwise I wouldn’t be able to run for 8 months of the year. However, I only run in residential areas so I can be heard, I take my phone (I don’t in daylight, I prefer to travel light) and I have an Empowered by Ashley alarm in the palm of my hand, at the ready. I avoid parks and snickets. I tell DH I’m going and where I’m going.

It pisses me off that I have to do this.

I live in a leafy London borough that has lower crime rates than others (so probably similar area to OP) but sadly I wouldn’t feel safe doing this.

Despite it being a relatively low crime area, there are still violent crimes reported in parks during the day and at night.

Statistically chances of something happening are low but so is being involved in a car accident and I still always wear a seat belt.

Women shouldn’t have to be so afraid of male violence but here we are.

https://m.imdb.com/title/tt10016180/

Watch the Netflix film, the little things, about a jogger who goes missing after running alone at night......

I’m fairly laid back and have always run in the evening but once it’s dark never in a park. I just move my runs to roadside. I know it’s not ideal and I’m always happy once we get the long evenings again so I can go back to field/ beach/ park runs but no way would a run in a park badly lit and at dark. And I live in a town with a very low crime rate. I guess you obviously feel safe to do that and I wish it was safe to do that but just too much of a risk in my opinion.

On the one hand the immediate reaction is no it’s not safe! But on the other hand, are women ever really safe?
It should be safe to go about our business!
It’s so fucking frustrating that we can’t even leave the house without somehow deserving whatever befalls us.

Download strava and have it send a beacon to a family member or friend, at least then if you go missing they can track you.