Women runners being spat on by random men

[boredboard]

https://metro.co.uk/2025/05/27/thousands-men-spitting-women-runners-happened-20472756/

The worst I have had is men shouting stupid comments out of cars, no spitting yet thankfully but this is disgusting and scary. Why do they do it!?

Yesterday, a man in his sixties stopped his car, stared for a good while, and then walked all the way across our fields and through a gate, to tell my wife off, and ultimately shout at me, for "letting" her chainsaw firewood.

With hindsight I wish I'd just punched him, because I'm assuming acting like that has never brought him any consequences.

I honestly don't know who they think they are.

Same!!! I’m pretty speedy too so unless they were in a vehicle, I’m 99% sure I would catch up with them 😂

Same. Judging by some of these posts, I should count myself lucky. I run regularly and have never been spat at/shouted at, or whatever else.

I had no idea this was a thing. Absolutely disgusting.

I get this if cycling on my own or with female friends. Bottles, etc thrown out of cars as they pass. Never when I’m cycling with guys. So I don’t think it’s an anti cyclist thing.

What little scrotes.

"Butsukari otoko" = translates as "bumping man". A new and recent "trend", from Japan, whereby, a man deliberately body-slams a woman, trying to do as much harm as possible.
Reading about it, seems to be mainly London, but I've no doubts it'll be elsewhere.
Another disgrace.

Because they can record it and get clout for it. Because it makes them feel powerful. Because they hate us and want our attention.

Fortunately the worst I've had is just the men running AT me.

There's a shoving epidemic going on at the moment. Near me a few women have been shoved off the pavement.

This is horrible.

I wonder what is going through their minds (probably not much!) when they do this? I know a bloke who used to call out compliments to women running and genuinely thought they liked it. I told him they probably didn’t and that he should stop, no idea if he took that advice!

I’ve not come across this at all. I’m trying to work out if it’s a London thing (Agro about pavement space?) or a thing young women get more?. I’m in a small city in the north and a big older and run with women older than me.

I was out walking a couple of weeks ago and a guy leant out of a van and threw a bottle of water over me and then sped off. I was so shocked and felt really humiliated actually, which I guess is exactly the reaction he was hoping for.

I'm in the North West and in my 50s. It's a man thing, not an age or location thing.

I had eggs thrown at me as a teen from a vehicle when cycling nearly 40 years ago. So it's not a new thing. It really hurt and I'm lucky it didn't hit me in the face. I thought at the time it was because people don't like cyclists. I was with a couple of female friends, also cycling.

They do it to fat middle-aged women like me as well though! Including young men who clearly wouldn’t be attracted to me (which is fine, I’m not interested in somebody barely older than my son either).

So it’s clearly not just that…

I remember reading an article in my running magazine a few years ago on tips for women staying safe whilst running.

It recommended women tucking their hair into their jackets/tops to avoid being grabbed by the ponytail - Bloody depressing in a so called civilised society.

Personally I have witnessed a van deliberately swerve into a deep puddle in order to drench a poor female runner from head to toe. Bet he wouldn’t have done that to a man! 😠

Fucking hell, what a absolute waste of skin of a man. I’m so sorry that happened to you. You have nothing to feel embarrassed about, he should feel nothing but shame for doing that to you.

A car full of blokes chucked a bottle of milk at me. It missed me luckily because it exploded off a shop window they had thrown it so hard. It was plastic not glass thank goodness.

some bloke slammed into me at the metro station. He deliberately walked straight into me full force and I honestly thought for a second he had dislocated my shoulder it was so painful. I’m embarrassed to say that in my confusion I actually apologised to him, I thought it was an accident because why would someone smash into you on purpose? It was when I saw his face I realised, it was twisted in hate is the best way to describe it. If it was an accident his shoulder would have gone back the same as mine but it didn’t and there was also loads of space, it wasn’t busy on the station so there was no need to walk into me.

Germaine Greer was right. I had no idea how much men hate us.

I’ve had plenty of “go on, put some effort in” type of shouts from men, usually from passing cars, or just men walking along. Last year I ran past a parked van, and got the usual crap from one of the work men. So I stopped and took several photos of the van logo and the registration plate , then rang the company. I spoke to a very nice woman who assured me this wasn’t the behaviour they expected of their employees, and that it would be dealt with. I have no if anything happened, but I like to think that he at least got a telling off.

Another time I ran past a building site and a man on a little forklift shouted something at me, the usual bollocks about running faster. I stopped and shouted back that I could run a lot faster than him with his fat arse holding him back.

I’m in my 50s now so as long as I feel I’m in a safe populated area, I’m happy to fight back a bit if I have the opportunity.

Oh yes, I forgot that I had local school boys throw a bottle of water at me from a bus. I got the bus to stop so I could yell at them.

I had cups thrown at me by teenage men when out cycling alone.

I probably shouldn’t admit this but I run ‘armed’ with something I shouldn’t have, because I have felt unbelievably unsafe when running in the city. I’ve had some terrifying moments. It’s nothing like a gun or a knife, but it’s something I can use to defend myself if I need to. The likelihood is I’d probably wind up in more trouble than the man who attacked me, but at least I might not be raped or killed.

I saw this on FB and lots of the comments from men were really depressing. Lots of them simply wouldn’t believe that this sort of thing is so commonplace. Heavily implying that women are exaggerating or making it up 😡 And then a fair few blokes assuming that the spitters are of particular ethnic background or religion.

I was already annoyed when I read about the spitting and then even more annoyed at the reaction from so called ‘nice/normal’ men.

Is it a mini hairspray?

I got shot in the arse with I presume a BB gun just walking 20 or so years ago by a car full of loud shouting young men. I had a bruise like I had been paintballing! I called the police and they didn’t care to take the number plate from me just said as no witnesses nothing they could do

Really makes you question what the f..k is going on in this world. Think us women have enough to put up with without this too.