It’s amazing that Chris Boardman’s words can be so basic and obvious to female athletes and yet so necessary to men (Calling all men: Here’s what we can do to help women feel safe exercising in the dark, October 30). Exercising alone, especially at night, is often a different experience for the two of you. One day last year I was cycling along the (very wide) Forth and Clyde Canal; my physical condition was excellent and I had a good tailwind. I passed a man who had been loitering, when he suddenly sped up and started to slide me a couple of feet. This was in broad daylight, but the canal was empty.
I was worried that he would somehow get upset that I was passing him, so I kept going for about 5km, after which my panic really started to interfere aerobically. I signaled to him that I was going to stop since he was very close to me, I sat down on a bench and took out some food. He stopped too. “Thanks. I needed that,” he said, before asking me about the rest of my cycle. I refused to participate as I recovered from the shock. A perfect example of how some men have no idea how intimidating their actions can be to women. .
Dr. Kathy Dodworth
University of Edinburgh
Thanks to Chris Boardman for his excellent and timely article. As a recent graduate of the excellent Couch to 5K program, I had to force myself to leave the house to run at 4 pm on Monday instead of 5 pm because the clocks had changed. When traveling, running after work was out of the question this time of year.
Given the women’s concerns about their safety when training, and Boardman’s acknowledgment of this, and although I never see myself close to a full marathon (I have run a half marathon in the past), I deplore the decision of the Marathon directors. From london. to push it back to April next year, making it harder for women to train in the evenings. It may not be possible for 2023, but perhaps now they could reconsider that decision in light of this article from a respected athlete, and return the London Marathon permanently to early October from 2024 onwards.
alison fat
Charlton, London
Chris Boardman’s article gave practical and unexpectedly thought-provoking advice, at least to me. I will cross the road in the future to avoid alarming single women exercising in public at night. I will call men who comment on them disrespectfully. I was also surprised to read that your daughters walk around clutching hidden keys for safety, and your insinuation that this is normal. As a middle-aged man with teenage nieces but no daughters, this was depressing, but exactly the encouragement I needed to take his advice.
david winter
Hove, East Sussex
Chris Boardman’s steps to making women feel as safe exercising in the dark as most men, of course, can easily be extended into daylight hours. Our great urban trails in Norwich start in the heart of the city and sometimes head out into the countryside. They are used by many runners, walkers, and bikers.
Some stages are lonely and so even in the light it is essential that everyone, including this 73-year-old male rider, cheer others on by following Boardman’s suggestions. A minor amendment is that if someone, male or female, says “Hello”, as many do, I am free to respond with a “Hello!”
frank paice
Norwich
I visited the Sarah Everard memorial and then had a conversation with my 37-year-old daughter that I’ve never had before. My eyes were opened to the harassment, petting, and verbal comments from men that she and her friends experience on a daily basis. She shocked me, upset me and embarrassed me that it took me 37 years and the death of a young woman to know the truth of what Chris Boardman says.
irish keith
Horndon on the Hill, Essex
