28yo runner reveals gross norm she’s had to put up with

A young Aussie based in Perth has revealed the gross norm she’s had to put up with and why it makes her scared.

Brooke McIntosh loves to run, but she can’t do it without being catcalled. At best, it gives her the “ick”, and at worst, she feels scared.

Ms McIntosh, 28, lives in Perth and runs six days a week. She even does marathons. On an average run, she covers 10 kilometres.

The 28-year-old runs in the afternoons because she does strength training in the mornings; it has become what she does for herself.

“It is my time to zone out and make sense of the world. When I finish my run, I’ll be so calm, centred, and grounded. I’m just way less stressed.” She told news.com.au.

She loves to run, but ultimately, the experience can be ruined by men.

“Every single time I go for a run, I get catcalled,” she said.

Someone makes a remark every time she goes for a jog. Picture: Supplied

She doesn't wear headphones when she runs. Picture: Supplied

It can be anything from someone tooting their horn, yelling out of their window, or a passerby making a remark as she jogs past.

She recently went out for a run, and an older man called out to her, “You have a tight ass and a stunning figure.”

The remark sent her reeling. One minute she was out enjoying her run, and the next, she had to get her bearings and make sure she felt safe.

“I can calm myself down, but you feel so safe, and then someone makes a comment, and it sends you into a spiral,” she said.

Ms McIntosh doesn’t ever respond to the men who make lewd and unwanted comments to her because she doesn’t feel like that is a safe option.

The 28-year-old is fed-up with being cat called. Picture: Supplied

She runs six days a week. Picture: Supplied

Instead, she keeps running, and at times, she actually has to run away from them to make herself feel safe again.

“This is one time, and I was running at about 6pm, and I felt like someone was following me. I ended up running close to the highway, making my way back home, and cutting my run short,” she explained.

Despite the common experience, she refuses to give up running, but she remains vigilant and always on alert.

“One of the reasons I don’t run with headphones is because you never know,” she admitted.  

Ms McIntosh said she knows she’s not alone in this experience. Whenever she meets up with other runners, the women swap catcalling stories and try to make light of it.

“We laugh it off! But internally, it is like, why can’t we be free?” She asked.

The 28-year-old ’s slightly exhausted by the sexism, and it is hard to know that it is just something she has to deal with.

There are no solutions; there’s nothing about the situation she can control, and all she can do is try to be as safe as possible.

As for the other male runners she knows, “not one” of them has ever said they’ve been cat-called while going on a run.

Originally published as 28yo runner reveals gross norm she’s had to put up with