She runs but she’s never just running

Written by: Bree Rizzo

OUR WHY

It usually starts before the run even begins. You put your shoes on, tie your hair back, grab your headphones. But at the same time, there’s another checklist running in the background. Is your phone charged? Does someone know where you’re going? Do you have your keys in your hand?

Once you step outside, you’re not just thinking about the run. You’re paying attention to who’s around, which streets feel safer, and whether you should change your route. It’s not always something you actively think about - it just kind of happens.

As you’re running, that awareness doesn’t go away. You notice cars that slow down, people walking behind you, places that feel a bit too quiet. Sometimes nothing happens, but you’re still aware that it could. So you adjust. You keep moving. You tell yourself to ignore things, not react, not look back.

This is the part of running that doesn’t really get talked about. For a lot of women, running isn’t just about getting out and moving. There’s always a level of awareness that comes with it.

We created this video to share real experiences of women running alone and help show what it feels like to run as a woman.

WHY IT MATTERS

Running is meant to feel simple. You go out, you move, you clear your head. But for a lot of women, it’s not quite that straightforward. Before even leaving the house, there are small decisions being made - what time feels safest, which route makes the most sense, whether it’s better to stick to busier streets. And those decisions don’t stop once the run starts. You stay aware of who’s around, you notice when something feels off, and sometimes you adjust without even thinking about it.

It’s not always about something happening in the moment. Most of the time, it’s just habit. Things you’ve learned over time, based on past experiences or things you’ve seen and heard. That’s what often gets missed. From the outside, it just looks like a run. But there’s usually more going on in the background.

The more people understand that, the more likely it is that those small, everyday behaviours start to shift.

HOW ARE WE SOLVING THE PROBLEM?

This video isn’t the solution. It’s more of a starting point.

The idea is simple - if people are more aware of what’s actually going on, they’re more likely to think differently about it. And if that thinking changes, behaviour can too.

That might look small. Someone thinking twice before yelling something out of a car. Someone checking in on a friend. Someone realising that what they thought was harmless might not feel that way to someone else.

Those things might seem minor, but they add up.

If this video helps even a few people see things differently or understand something they hadn’t thought about before, then it’s done its job.