Sport England’s Let’s Lift the Curfew campaign is urging women to keep running and walking after dark as the clocks go back. The curfew drive, launched this week, is aimed at women who have started changing routes, avoiding certain areas or stopping altogether in darker evenings.
Kate Peers of This Girl Can said women are more than three times as likely as men to stop exercising outdoors entirely after dark. Sport England said its research suggests 55% of women feel unsafe exercising outdoors alone after dark, a concern the campaign is trying to push into the open.
Kate Bentham on local routines
Kate Bentham of the Shropshire Shufflers said the campaign is about making sure the whole community understands the problems women face when they are out “just trying to go for a simple run.” She said many members change routes, avoid certain areas and some decide not to run after dark.
The organised runs and walks this week are the practical part of the campaign. They give women a way to stay active in company while also drawing attention to the issue, rather than asking them to keep adapting alone.
Sarah Knight and the dark
Sarah Knight, a run leader with the Pontesbury Runners, said it is difficult because you do not necessarily feel safe on your own running in the dark. She said she runs with her dog to feel a little bit safer and added that she had been beeped at before by people going past in vans and things.
“You might think it's just a bit of fun, but actually if you're on the receiving end of that you can feel quite unsafe,” she said. Knight also said joining a running club and having the friendships, the company and people to run with is a great thing to do.
Bentham said fears of sexual harassment and intimidation were not limited to cities, which is why the campaign is being presented as a wider community issue rather than a local one. Women taking part this week are being asked to use the organised sessions as both exercise and a visible statement that darker evenings should not mean smaller routes, fewer options or no run at all.
