The Real Issue Behind Attacks on Running Women

Running women are constantly aware of their safety. We’re runners/walkers and get many questions from the running community about staying safe while running. Of course, we’re all shaken by the tragic murder of Laken Riley. Not only because a young woman was struck down, but also because we all realize that we face the same danger, just because we’re outdoors, quietly enjoying ourselves.

And while we can (and do) talk to women every day about how to be safe, the basic issue isn’t that women don’t keep themselves safe - it’s that of men’s violence against women.

The politicization of Ms. Riley’s murder is as tragic as her death is. Because the furor over the legality of the perpetrator’s immigration status blurs the larger issue that is SO common that it is completely ignored. The harsh reality that women are at risk of men’s violence. Period. Whether we’re simply out and about, or in our homes with our family, who supposedly loves us.

We went back and analyzed eight high-profile murders of women runners since 2016. And here’s what we found: It doesn’t matter WHEN or WHERE we’re out. From the streets of Manhattan to the rural paths of Iowa, from the early hours of the morning to the middle of the day, and into the early evening, female joggers have been targeted in acts of violence that have ended tragically. The victims, women who simply sought the freedom and peace that comes with a run, have become symbols of a pervasive issue that transcends location, time, and circumstance: Violence against women.

And the perpetrators of these heinous crimes have only one thing in common: They are men. They are men who killed women. While differing in background, method, and race, the ONLY thing that they did share was that they chose to attack a woman.

This fact alone unites the cases of Laken Riley, Karina Vetrano, Vanessa Marcotte, Mollie Tibbetts, and Eliza Fletcher, among others. These women, and sadly many more, met with violence while engaging in the simple act of running—a pursuit that should be safe for everyone.

While we have immigration laws that should be held to, let’s not forget the larger issue that women face every day, irrespective of anything else.