Women’s Running Safety, Why So Many Women Feel Unsafe Running

Run My Way: NSW Research on Women’s Running Safety + What’s Next

In this episode of the Women’s Running Collective, Hayles and Jussie take you behind the scenes of a really powerful night at the newly upgraded Sydney Olympic Park track, where they were invited to a female-only track event hosted by the We Run Foundation in collaboration with the NSW Office of Sport and Transport for NSW.

The night centred around the Run My Way program, a three-year initiative focused on understanding and improving safety for women when it comes to running.

Hayles and Jussie share what it was like being in a space filled with women, running under lights, and hearing directly from researchers, leaders and everyday runners about the very real barriers women face.

The research shared on the night was eye-opening with findings showing that 95% of women consider safety a major factor when choosing where to run, 70% have felt unsafe while running, and 50% have experienced harassment. The girls unpack what this actually means in real life from choosing well-lit routes, running at certain times, sticking to familiar places, and the mental load that comes with it.

They also share some of the stories from women in the community, which are powerful, confronting and incredibly important conversations to be having.

The episode dives into what’s next including proposed initiatives like awareness campaigns, safer running hubs, and better-connected, well-lit running routes — and how these changes could help more women feel confident to get out the door.

Hayles and Jussie also reflect on the importance of community, the power of running together, and how spaces like this where women feel safe, seen and supported are exactly what the running world needs more of.

As always, they wrap things up with their recommendations and a few final thoughts from the event.

Timestamps

00:00 Sponsor Message 00:19 Podcast Welcome 00:47 Sydney Track Event Setup 03:40 Run My Way Program 05:28 Hosts Weekend Recap 07:48 Kerry Opening Keynote 12:04 Challenges For Women 16:03 Research Approach 18:47 Survey Key Findings 22:37 Runner Voices Montage 24:41 Run Harassment Reality 25:14 Co-Design Ideas Unpacked 26:10 Campaigns Hubs Safe Routes 28:20 Women’s Running Collective Stories 32:16 Panel Safety Strategies 36:19 Joyful Running Community Wins 40:19 What’s Next Implementation Plan 41:57 Sponsor Shoe Break - This episode was brought to you by ASICS and the Brand NEW SUPERBLAST 3 43:20 Post-Event Reflections 45:22 Recommendations and Wrap Hayley recomends the https://www.lskd.co/products/functional-training-backpack-black

Jussie recomends https://www.werunfoundation.org/