Most men do not think twice about their safety when they go running.
Unfortunately, the same cannot be said for women.
TV writer Amanda Deibert posed a question on Twitter, asking how women arm themselves for protection.
The response to her thread was overwhelming and a sad indication of women feeling vulnerable as they exercise around their neighborhood.
Deibert, who writes for Al Gore's 24 Hours of Reality, tweeted:
"One of my mom groups has a thread that is just women listing and recommending which kind of protection they take when them when they go out running (Ie. pepper spray, alarm necklaces, whistles, etc) in case you wondered what being a woman is like."
She asked in a followup:
"Also, women: what do you use when you go out running?"
Users shared their precautionary measures to protect themselves in the event of an attack.
Deibert told Buzzfeed News she used to be a runner but now takes walks and hikes.
A question in a Facebook group got her thinking about the various ways in which she protects herself, like running in well-lit areas, pretending to be on the phone, and carrying her keys between her knuckles.
At one point, she pretended to go into a building to avoid a possible confrontation.
"It just hit me like...wow, this is something most women think about every time we go out to get exercise or even just walk to our car."
She is not alone in her thinking.
Her thread went viral, but the responses were not reassuring and only reinforced the fact that female runners are more vulnerable than men.
If you search on Amazon for "women safety running," you get a whole list of various devices specifically designed to make women feel safer while running, including pepper spray, personal alarms. While it's good that these exist, it's pretty damning that they have to.
Still, Deibert felt the discussion was important for raising awareness.
"It makes me sad that it is so common for us as women to feel the need to take extra safety measures, but ultimately I feel like discussing it is a good thing."
This runner relies on arming herself with Katy Perry.
Sadly, heckling is still a thing.
Some male runners make a conscious effort to distance themselves on the sidewalk.
Dogs are a popular running companion.
The reality of the dangers involved for female runners is a wake-up call for men.
"I've had so many men respond to the thread saying they have never even considered it because when they go for a run, they just go for a run — and it made them sad to realize it was different for women," she said.
@jaketapoer/Bluesky
@BillAckman/Twitter