It's time to end the victim blaming of women runners, it's time for 'Why did he?'
After the murder of Eliza Fletcher in Memphis, women runners were questioned about what they wear and when they run - we need to change the discourse
“It really pisses me off that people are ‘why did she, why did she, why did she?’, instead of ‘why did he?’.”
Michele Heller goes running early in the morning. On her own. When it’s dark.
So when Eliza Fletcher was abducted and killed while running just after 4am, Michele was struck by the similarities between the manner of the 34-year-old Tennessee teacher’s run and those she embarks on most mornings.
This article is the latest in 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.
And by the victim blaming thrown at a woman who had “been doing absolutely nothing wrong”.
Michele, from Illinois in the US, has completed a host of marathons, including Boston, Chicago, New York and London.
Her ultimate aim is not only to complete all six marathon majors, but to run a marathon in every state in America.
What happened to Eliza Fletcher?
Eliza Fletcher had been out for her usual morning run close to the University of Memphis campus when she abducted on Friday, September 2, 2022.
Surveillance footage showed the mother-of-two had been pulled into a black SUV following a struggle.
Her body was found three days later. She had been shot in the back of the head.
Following the incident, Cleotha Henderson, a 38-year-old convicted kidnapper who had been released from prison in 2020 after serving 19 years, was arrested.
He was later charged with Eliza’s murder and pleaded not guilty in February 2023. A trial is yet to take place.
Thousands of people took part in a series of events to complete Eliza’s run, with the intention of emphasising that women should be able to run at any time of day.
Such goals require commitment and often intensive training. When you factor in that Michele is mother to a young child and has a full time job, it becomes clear why running in the early hours is the only option for her.
“With what happened in Tennessee last year, there was a lot of victim blaming - why did she do this? Why did she do that?,” she told the Running Tales Podcast.
“It did scare me. Eliza really resonated with me. She was running early in the morning, in the dark, by herself, which is exactly what I do every single day. I’m always by myself.
“No-one wants to come at meet me in the country at 4.30 in the morning - it’s weird!
“I have a treadmill in my house. I could easily just stay inside, and be safe. The thought did cross my mind, but at the same time, it was like ‘this is what I do, this is what I love, I don’t want to let this take over my life',’ and I just continued.”
Fellow runner Angie Skinner was particularly affected by Eliza Fletcher’s murder.
The 56-year-old is originally from Memphis, where Eliza was killed, and has experienced harassment herself.
“It doesn’t matter what age you are,” she said.
“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.
“When the first news clips came out, and Eliza had on a sports bra and little bitty running shorts, the media jumped on the idea that it had something to do with what she was wearing.”
She said Eliza, an experienced runner, could almost certainly have out run her attacker, but was not given the chance to do so due to his aggressive actions.
“People blame her,” Angie said. “But if she could have avoided him or had the chance to run faster than him, she would still be alive today. She wasn’t given that chance.”
Running Tales and women’s safety - Further content:
Dr Ashley Murphy, from Cardiff in the UK, has been running for 35 years, often on her own.
“I don’t like running with people - I don’t like people very much, and I like running with people even less,” she said.
It is not entirely obvious how much she is joking or not, but what is certain is her insistence that women should be able to run whenever and wherever they want.
“People say you shouldn’t run on your own,” she said. “But in the UK, it seems that even when people are together if a man is committed enough to want to kill women, then it doesn’t matter how many people are there.
“We’ve had an instance of two women who were having a picnic in the park one evening. They were sisters, they were both killed**.
“Ashling Murphy*** was killed at four o’clock in the afternoon. She was running.
“There are many, many, many incidents of women who are killed at all times of the day, and the media and everybody else focuses on why they are there, what they should do to avoid things.”
Dr Ashley said the conversation in the UK is focused on “a discourse of avoidance”.
“In Britain, the discourse is very much around what women should and shouldn’t do. The police say things like ‘here’s how to keep safe when running, don’t wear earphones, tell someone where you are going, change your route all the time’ and my thing is ‘hang on, what are you telling men not to do?’
“Talking about women’s safety and staying safe is a nonsense, because we can’t.
“You have no idea when you might be attacked, when you might suffer harassment, when some man might lean out of a car.
“There’s a very strong feeling of ‘why are women even out?’ My answer is as half the population, we should be able to go wherever we want, whenever we want, do whatever we want, in whatever clothes we wish to wear.”
Back in America, Michele Heller is adamant no-one is going to decide when and where she should go running except her.
“After Eliza’s murder, I had lots of friends and family reach out and say ‘you’re not still doing this are you?’ and I was, ‘yeah, I am’.
“I try to be safe, but I’m not going to turn my life upside down out of fear.
“The victim blaming is insane. I remember watching a major news broadcast and they were, of course, sympathetic, but one of the first things the woman said was ‘that’s why women shouldn’t be alone’.
“I had people say I shouldn’t be alone, I shouldn’t be doing it. It pisses me off.
“Eliza was out for a run. She didn’t do anything wrong.
“If a girl wants to go out, in her sports bra, by herself, in the dark with no weapons, she’s doing absolutely nothing wrong.”
** Bibaa Henry and Nicole Smallman were stabbed to death in a London park. Danyal Hussein of Guy Barnet Grove, Eltham, in south-east London, was later convicted of murdering both sisters and sentenced to a minimum term of 35 years in jail.
*** Ashling Murphy, a 23-year-old teacher, was murdered while running beside a canal in Tullamore, County Offaly, on January 12, 2022. Josef Puska, 31, from County Offaly, is due to go on trial for murder later this year.
Women’s safety and running - A Running Tales Podcast Special
This is the latest piece in 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.
I feel the same. Let's continue to share and advocate. I am trying to work with brands, organisations and communities. Be great to see what we can do together.
Thank you for sharing this. Many years later what has changed? Very sad that this continues to be the thought process. Thinking of Eliza and all the women who have suffered, been harmed and killed for just going outside.