Torquay Run Club keeps women safe on night jogs
A Surf Coast run club is helping females feel safe when they go for a jog in the dark amid a horrifying spike in violence against women.
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A Surf Coast run club is helping females feel safe when they go for a jog in the dark amid a horrifying spike in violence against women.
Torquay Run Club started in October last year and meets every Friday morning but co-founder Katelyn Dooley, 26, decided to host a Monday night job specifically for women and the LGBTQIA+ community.
“Run clubs can be intimidating, especially when you’re just starting out,” Ms Dooley said.
“We thought it might encourage females to start running.”
The club meet about 6pm, meaning it is typically already dark when they start running.
“It’s so much better going for a run with a group at night,” Ms Dooley said.
“I wouldn’t do it by myself.”
Ms Dooley said she would generally avoid running at night prior to starting the club.
“I’d never gone for a night run until starting this club up,” she said.
“I’d go for a run in the morning when it was dark because I wouldn’t feel as unsafe but I would run on really well lit streets and not along the (Torquay) foreshore.”
It comes after a horror spike in violence against women.
According to Australian anti-violence against women organisation, Our Watch, 39 per cent of women have experienced violence from the age of 15.
Ballarat woman Samantha Murphy went for a morning run in February this year but never came home.
Police allege the mother of three was murdered.
“She was just on her morning run in broad daylight,” Ms Dooley said.
“You don’t think anything is going to happen to you when you go for a run but you never know.”
Ms Dooley said women commonly crossed over to the other side of the road if they saw a figure or a man on their run in the dark.
“It’s annoying,” she said.
“It makes me feel upset that we have to change the way we behave to feel safer.
“A lot of the time, I don’t even realise I’m doing it because it’s just a natural instinct now.”
Sexual Assault and Family Violence Centre chief executive Helen Bolt said everyone had a right to feel safe.
“Women’s independence, safety and autonomy in public and private life is essential to preventing violence against women, this includes how safe women are, and feel in public spaces,” she said.
“We commend the Torquay Run Club for supporting women to feel empowered, supported, and safe in public spaces.”
Ms Dooley said the club attracted between 15 and 20 people each run, aiming to improve both their mental and physical health.
“We run to feel good in the mind,” she said.
“You definitely get that through exercise, being outside and through social connections.
“We hope (the club) gives each person a bit of a boost they may need.”
The Torquay Run Club night run meets on Monday evenings at 6pm at the Salty Dog Cafe.
For more details, follow the club on Instagram @torquayrunclub.
The content summaries were created with the assistance of AI technology, then edited and approved for publication by an editor.
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Originally published as Torquay Run Club keeps women safe on night jogs
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