"If I could be harmed, I'll definitely harm my assailant" - meet the woman arming herself to stay safe while running
Tennessee resident Angie Skinner told Running Tales she wouldn't feel safe going out alone without her "arsenal" of self-defence weapons
Angie Skinner is “mad as hell” about the abuse and harassment she faces when running.
And the Chattanooga, Tennessee resident is adamant if any man every attacked her, she’s going to do try and do something about it.
This article is the first of a series looking at a host of aspects to women’s safety when running. It is based on our podcast on the subject with Dr Ashley Morgan, Angie Skinner and Michele Heller.
That’s why Angie won’t leave her home to go running without an “arsenal” of self-defence weapons, including mace, pepper spray and a serrated plastic blade placed in a ring.
Part of our recent Running Tales Podcast special episode on women’s safety when running focused on the protective measures women can take when they go out.
The rules differ between America and Britain, and indeed between different States in the US, but everything Angie takes with her is legal in Tennessee.
In this article, we’ll explore those differences, look in-depth at the self-defence weapons Angie uses and examine why so many women feel they need protection while doing something as basic as going for a run.
From cat calls to murder: What women face for the ‘crime’ of running
A recent survey commissioned by Adidas taking in 9,000 women from the US, Mexico, UK, France, Germany, United Arab Emirates, China, Japan and South Korea, found nine in 10 of those questioned are concerned about their safety while running.
The list of issues women face ranges from cat calling, body shaming, wolf whistles, verbal abuse and heckling to indecent exposure, sexual attention and physical contact.
Worse, women all to often face the daunting prospect of being approached or followed by potential predators, or of being attacked while running.
In the very worst cases, women have been raped or killed for committing the 'crime' of exercising near a man.
High profile cases such as those of Ashling Murphy in Ireland and Eliza Fletcher in America, both tragically murdered while out running, have garnered media attention.
‘Go Guarded’ and come back safe
So, should women be able to ‘arm’ themselves for protection?
Angie is unequivocal.
The 56-year-old is originally from Memphis, where Eliza Fletcher was killed, and has experienced harassment herself.
Angie, who started running seriously in 2014, said: “It doesn’t matter what age you are.
“It just seems there is always an opportunity for someone to hang out their car window, to chase you, to swerve at you, yell all kinds of things or even to try and get close to you physically.
“I carry a lot of things with me to protect myself. I want to feel as safe as I possible can be.”
Those things include short range mace, which she carries in her water belt and that can spray up to 15 feet.
Angie also takes a flip-top pepper spray with her.
She told Running Tales: "There is a lot of argument about carrying it because it can blow back into your face."
However, both the mace and pepper spray are effective at stopping someone from a distance, and can act as a deterrent.
Angie said she has even spoken to another female runner in America who told her she uses bear spray, which is capable of spraying up to 30 feet.
“You are looking at an opportunity to tell someone if they are getting too close to you, ‘I have this and I’m prepared to use it’. Most men will cross the street or back off,” she said.
The situation in the UK:
The above video from Greater Manchester Police illustrates how self-defence in the UK is based around avoidance and demonstrates the use of personal attack alarms
In the UK, anyone is allowed to use force for self-defence - as long as that force is “reasonable” and “necessary”.
However, as outlined by West Yorkshire Police on its website, the only fully legal self-defence product at the moment is a rape alarm.
This means anything that may cause harm to anyone else, assailant or not, is illegal and use of such items could mean the users ends up in court on an assault charge.
Pepper spray, for example, is classed as a firearm and it is therefore against the law to carry it.
In 2021, more than 35,000 people signed a petition to the UK Government asking for the carrying of non-lethal self-defence weapons, such as pepper spray, to be legalised.
Dr Ashley Morgan, who has been a runner for 35 years, said: “In the UK, there is very much a discourse of avoidance - what do you need to do to sort your own safety out.
“I think if women in the UK were to carry the things Angie does, the women would be considered the problem.
“If a woman sprayed a man, it would be her fault.”
Angie also takes a whistle with her, something she said “most safety experts say is super effective.
“Mine happens to be ungodly loud. And why do people look when they hear a whistle? Because of guys team sports, that’s why.
"Unfortunately, it is a lot more effective than screaming or yelling for help."
But perhaps the most dangerous, and potentially controversial, item Angie carries is a Go Guarded Ring.
This piece of equipment is a ring which contains a sharply pointed, plastic serrated-edge
“They sell different sizes so you can custom fit it to your finger,” Angie said.
“I wear mine on my middle finger. It will easily cut you. I cut myself a tiny little bit, and because it is serrated it bled for two days. It’s designed to go into your assailant and pull out a plug of skin.”
This has the double advantage of meaning the blade will potentially collect DNA from the assailant.
“I will always say to my friends, if there was some potential I could be harmed out on the road then I will definitely harm my assailant,” Angie added.
“That is part of my plan. I am not going to go down without a fight.”
Also on Running Tales:
“A lot of the reactions to women who have been harassed or killed outside is that they shouldn’t go out in the dark,” Dr Ashley Morgan
“That it is the dark that is the problem. And I think that obfuscates the issue, which is the problem is men who want to attack women…”
Click the headline above or here to read this story in full
‘Protection equipment should be ubiquitous’
Michele Heller, an experienced runner who has completed a host of marathons including Boston, Chicago, New York and London, said she has no problem with Angie - or any other woman - taking such items out with her when she goes running.
The Illinois resident, who as a mother with a young child often runs very early in the morning, when it is dark, in order to be ready for the day when the rest of her family wake up, said: “Women should be able to do whatever they want to do to protect themselves, whether that is not having anything with them or having all these various items.
“For my safety, I always have pepper spray with me. That’s great, it’s a hand held. I always have my cell phone with me, as I am by myself in the dark every day.”
Angie is certain of the benefits of the protective equipment she carries: “I could be wrong, but out of all of the murderers and atrocities that have been committed on female runners in the US, I don’t believe one of them was armed with any protective device.
“If we don’t make protection ubiquitous, this will never stop.”
What do you think about the self-defence equipment women can and should carry? Should the UK change its laws, or would extra weapons - even for self-defence - cause more problems? What is the situation where you are in the world? We’d love to hear what you think of the issues raised in this article in the comments below.
Women’s safety and running - A Running Tales Podcast Special
This is the first of what will be a series of articles on this newsletter/website talking about women’s safety when running.
They are based on a discussion on the Running Tales Podcast, which featured Angie Skinner, Dr Ashley Morgan and Michele Heller.
You can listen to it in full here:
Our guests are:
Michele Heller: From Illinois in the US, Michele is a keen runner who has completed marathons included Boston, Chicago, New York and London. As a mother with a young child, Michele often runs very early in the morning, when it is dark, in order to be ready for the day when the rest of her family wake up.
Dr Ashley Morgan: From Cardiff in Wales and AKA The Doc from The Running Punks, Dr Ashley Morgan has been running for 35 years - and has experienced male harassment throughout that time. The Doc is a regular commentator on women's safety and the patriarchy, and one of those behind the Twitter hashtag #changethediscourse, which attempts to get people to think and talk about the issue differently.
Angie Skinner: From Chattanooga in Tennessee, America, Angie started running in 2014 for mental health benefits. She is originally from Memphis, close to where Eliza Fletcher was killed, and regularly receives harassment while out running - to the point where she will arm herself with pepper spray and a go guarded ring (a plastic serrated-edge self-defence weapon) for her own safety.