‘I’M MORE CAUTIOUS THAN EVER AFTER SARAH’S DEATH’

Caitlin Sullivan, 29, a primary school teacher from South London

‘I work in Clapham, and often run through the area, so Sarah Everard’s tragic death resonates acutely. As a teacher, I start work at 7.30am, so I tend to run in the evenings. I’ve switched my long-run routes so they’re now in busy parks and I use safety features on my fitness tracker so my friends and family can track where I am. These changes make me feel safer, yet I resent having to make them; the onus shouldn’t be on women to keep ourselves safe. Street harassment is a normal occurrence for me. I’m determined to keep a cool exterior – to act like I’m not fazed by it – but I’d be lying if I said I didn’t feel threatened. I once hid behind a tree to check someone had gone before continuing on my run; I’ve changed direction and even sped up to avoid men. A few months back, a van pulled up behind where I was running and the driver asked if I wanted to get in the back. I’m happy to see the conversation evolve, but I fear it’s got a long way to go.