Member-only story
Female Runners Are Finishing Eliza Fletcher’s Run by Adopting New Self-defense Strategies.
My running group on Facebook has been very concerned for the past week about Eliza Fletcher, an American runner who was abducted during her morning run. Eliza was forced last week into an SUV during her early morning run, so the police started an urgent investigation after they found footage of the brutal abduction event, which everyone hoped wouldn’t end as tragically as it did. Two days ago, police found her body.
Now, we don’t personally know Eliza, but female runners, all over the world can relate to her situation.
For most of us, running is a critical tool to maintain our mental and physical health, especially when juggling multiple responsibilities at work and home. This is why Eliza, like many women who run, had her training early morning, at 4:30 am, when everyone else was sleeping. She sacrificed her resting hours so she wouldn’t take time away from her other responsibilities. Because that’s what women do, they prioritize others.
We’re grieving Eliza because it could have been any of us, which is unfair. We shouldn’t be afraid to run in the wee hours or at night because of dangerous people. Yet, that’s the reality. If we’re not protecting ourselves, nobody does.
