‘I don’t feel safe’: how dark winter evenings restrict women’s freedom to exercise

Marie’s usual running route takes her through Hyde Park in London. In the summer, this is scenic - and a good chance to get outside. But in the winter months, with the bitterly dark mornings and evenings, it’s just not possible.

“It changes everything,” Marie Wale told NationalWorld. “In the summer, I love getting up at 5am to go for a run through the park. It makes me feel healthy - physically and mentally. But there’s no way I could do that now. I wouldn’t feel safe, and I don’t think I would be safe.”

But if Marie still wants to exercise, she has no choice but to venture out in the dark - since the daylight hours come and go while she’s at work. So she makes a lot of changes to her routine and lifestyle.

Marie will choose a better-lit, busier, and of course, more inconvenient running route - and cross to the other side of the road when she comes across a stranger. She won’t listen to music, so she can be more aware of her surroundings. Marie even admitted she “consciously decides” what she is going to wear - something that “frustrates” her to no end.

“It’s really sad that this is how things are,” Marie said. “I understand that dark mornings and evenings are a concern for men too, but I don’t think they have to change their behaviour the way women do. I think a lot of men feel safe to live their lives however they please. Women are just completely different targets.”

She suggested that part of the reason women think so consciously about safety is due to hearing the tragic stories of women like Sarah Everard and Zara Aleena, both of whom were killed whilst walking home.

“Those stories are always at the back of my mind,” Marie admitted. “It means my heart races a bit whenever I see someone. Of course, they could be a normal, safe person - but there’s no way for me to know that at the time.”

As a consequence, running - which for Marie, is a huge part of her life, health, and mental wellbeing, becomes “less enjoyable”. She has to stay on “high-alert”.

However, although the dark evenings admittedly make things feel more “sinister”, Marie added that it’s important to note that things have happened to her in broad daylight. “People catcall of course - make lewd comments. But I’ve also been followed whilst out on a run.”

A new survey by Sports Direct found that more than half (56%) of women quit exercising completely in winter. Seven in 10 (71%) said darker evenings means it’s difficult to find well-lit running routes, while nearly half (44%) said they simply don’t feel safe running in the winter.

Meanwhile, a report by Runners World in 2021 found that 60% of women had been harassed while out running. A quarter said they were regularly subjected to sexist comments or unwanted sexual advances whilst exercising, and 6% said they had been harassed so badly while running that they feared for their lives.

So while Marie, along with many other women, is anxiously looking forward to the lighter months when her passion can be fun again - this is still a challenge that comes up every year for women, and more needs to be done.

Many say outdoor exercise needs to be made safer since gyms, whether that be for financial or proximity reasons, are not always accessible to everyone. “It also just feels good to be outside,” Marie added. “It’s nice to see things, explore new areas, get fresh air. It feels healthy.”

Marie told NationalWorld that the most effective small change for her would be better street lighting - especially in parks. “The main change of course,” she added, “is attitudes towards women. But that’s not such an easy fix.”