Running Outdoors in Safety/Pleasure/Peace
📸: Sara Pak/Canva.com
Whether you’re a marathon winner or a recreational jogger, running can be an excellent way to clear the mind and become more in tune with yourself. If you’re running through busy city sidewalks or trail-running in the forest, you deserve a safe space to move. But running in nature or the outdoors is not safe for many folks and it is not the same experience for everyone. Many women, femme-presenting individuals, BIPOC folks, 2SLGBTQ+ folks, and other people often feel unsafe while running outdoors, even in areas they are familiar with.
Women and femme-presenting people are warned to never run alone or at night. For BIPOC folks and other marginalized groups, there is unease around being treated differently or outright harassed while running in outdoor spaces. As we continue to progress toward a more inclusive society, we need to ensure that people feel safe, seen, and recognized in the running community.
“ My body has shown me things that I didn’t know I could do.”
There are many reasons why people choose to run. For Tohono O’odham Nation Health Education Specialist Marlinda Bedonie (Francisco), running is a journey of movement. “When you see your progress changing, you will not stop. I have started my journey about 6 years ago… “My body has shown me things that I didn’t know I could do.”
Fat Running Coach Jill Angie loves the feeling and freedom running gives her. “…it’s such an easy way to move my body, I just need a sidewalk and running shoes.” She also enjoys where running can take her. “My favorite thing about running outside is exploring all the cool neighborhoods… But I also love running on trails when I can, because it’s very soothing to be under a canopy of trees and hearing the sounds of nature.”
Reaa Ali (📸: New York Road Runners)
And for Registered Dietitian Nutritionist Reaa Ali (MS, RDN), it’s about realizing your potential and going for it. “I love the feeling of empowerment I get after finishing a race or a run and looking back thinking wow I just did that… “I still surprise myself till this day”. Through this perseverance, Reaa Ali (MS, RDN) learned that we are far more capable than our self-doubt tells us. “I was waiting for other people to come and change my reality when I could change it myself, so I did… I booked my first race and started my journey.”
Everyone can be a Runner
It isn’t always just self-doubt that hinders certain people and communities from the benefits of running, especially in the outdoors. Reaa Ali (MS, RDN) admits, “I think the lack of representation of Muslim hijabi runners in itself was a big barrier that stopped me from even believing that I belong in this community or be welcomed, let alone cross the finish line of a real race.” The lack of diversity in sports and recreation creates a barrier by simply not offering an inclusive space for runners.
Even certain body types are excluded based on stereotypical ideas of what a runner should look like. Jill Angie admits that her act of running can be seen as an act of rebellion. “I’m a fat running coach, and I help fat women over 40 start running safely and confidently. And as a fat woman with a bit of a rebellious streak, I love proving that runners (and running coaches!) come in all shapes and sizes.”
There are no guidelines as to who or what a runner should be like. There are also no guidelines as to what running should mean to you. Whether you are running for exercise or running for peace of mind, the act of moving your body is a personal experience. Marlinda expresses running as an act of spirituality.
“As an Indigenous woman, we run to pray and follow the steps of our ancestors… “It’s a place where I can pray for myself and my family. Running is medicine to us.” As an Ultra runner preparing for a 50-mile marathon, Marlinda understands that “running in a diverse community is a beautiful thing. We run to celebrate life and to enjoy the outdoors on the road or on the trails.”
But despite running being an empowering and spiritual experience to some, truth is that discrimination and harassment of 2SLGBTQ+, BIPOC, women, and femme folks is still a very real threat. Even with growing inclusivity in the running community, we can’t overlook the fact that most people don’t feel safe running outdoors. Many women are harassed or assaulted, being told that being alone makes them vulnerable to male violence. And in recent years, we’ve seen black men arrested and even murdered for simply running in places others thought they shouldn’t be.
Jill Angie (📸: Teresa Earnest Photography)
Jill Angie shared an experience of running alone in which a man followed her with a large object. An experience that led her to not only trust her intuition but to run with defenses in place. “Now I don’t run in public parks where there aren’t other people around. If I’m running alone, I carry a ‘bulldog keychain’ as self-defense and I’m very aware of my surroundings.”
Reaa Ali (MS, RDN) acknowledges that “especially as a Muslim woman, safety is a huge concern for me with all the hate crimes going on.” And although Reaa admits it isn’t always convenient, “I can only run when there is sun outside, and when it is busy, which is not ideal but safety comes first.”
Even on remote desert trails, where ReNew Earth Running Team member Marlinda likes to run, safety is something to keep in mind. “I do let my family know where I go and when I should return. I run at two places where I feel more comfortable about my surroundings. I’ve been told I need to carry protection with me because I run alone in the early mornings or the late evenings after work.”
And while these forms of safety can create a sense of comfort for runners, we cannot afford to look past the very real threats of violence and discrimination that can come with being viewed as vulnerable or different. People must be held accountable for violence of all kinds. But while we continue to draw attention to these threats to safety, there are some ways people have come together to create a more inclusive and safe running community.
Cultivating a Diverse Running Community
Diversity in the running community is important not only for safety but for the inclusion and acceptance of those who choose to run. Jill Angie talks about being a Fat Running Coach for women over 40 and how running can be a way to connect to our ever-changing bodies. “I created a safe space for mid-life women to discuss the specific challenges they face as they become runners and continue to practice the sport. This means nobody has to feel alone, there’s always someone to cheer you on.”
For Reaa Ali (MS, RDN) it’s about being able to “expose more people to the image of a hijabi runner.”“I am broadening people's perspectives.” Reaa continues hoping that “one day, a younger girl will see us in sports and if she has a dream to be in that sport, she will not have that lacking sense of belonging that I had as a child.”
Marlinda Bedonie
It’s also important for beginners to feel safe and seen. If you’re simply not sure where or how to start your running journey, Marlinda suggests you “set a small goal for yourself and keep telling yourself, that you can do this.I lost an uncle and dedicated my first half marathon to him and told myself, I will keep going. And now, I’m an Ultra runner. Determination will get you where you want to be. Good luck and have fun!”
Whether you use running as a way to encourage or motivate yourself, as a time to relax or reflect, you should feel welcome, safe, and included in all outdoor spaces. In order to create an inclusive running environment, we have to acknowledge the experiences of marginalized communities. Only then can we can work to create a space where people feel accepted, represented, and safe. Run for strength, run for peace, run for prayer or connection, the outdoors is for everyone regardless of how you choose to move through it.