Protect us from the men during races, urges female runner
FEMALE marathon runners should be given better protection to stop men disrespecting them during races, a British athlete has claimed.
Lily Partridge, a long-distance runner from Surrey, revealed that she and other women were “violently pushed around” during a half marathon last month, causing some to suffer “heavy falls”.
Ms Partridge said she was recently forced to confront a male runner who followed her “intimately close” while she was out on a trail path.
The 28-year-old shared her experiences on Instagram, calling on competitors to be more “respectful” and women to be given a designated space on the start line.
She wrote that she was “happily bumbling” along when she overtook one male runner who then followed her at an unnerving distance.
“I realised he was running really close and I mean close – intimately close. Not creepy, I wasn’t scared or intimidated, happy to share the path, but a bit ‘you OK mate?’,” wrote Ms Partridge.
“It seemed off and I felt I was being tracked so I moved across the path and he followed, so I did it again and again he followed me.
This continued for a few minutes.” She said she “tried to make it obvious” that she wasn’t comfortable, but ended up confronting him. “I turned round and asked what the hell he was playing at,” wrote Ms Partridge.
Reflecting on a bad experience at a half marathon, where she said she was jostled on the start line, she wrote: “All I ask is that male runners be an ally to women and let this sport be a safe and happy space for everyone. I’m happy to spar with you in races/training, push each other to great performances and shake your hand at the finish, but this isn’t OK. Please be respectful.”
♦ Participants in North Wales’s largest running event were warned yesterday that they would be disqualified if they dropped water bottles. The organisers of the Conwy Half Marathon told 3,000 participants in yesterday’s race that their results would be erased if they littered while running.