IS IT SAFE? How can we exercise outside in winter?

The brilliant Japanese novelist Haruki Murakami says: “As long as you have a pair of running shoes and a good road you can run to your heart’s content.” But Murakami is a man, so he has few second thoughts about his own safety when the nights draw in.

Our triathlete Georgia Hamblett (below, left) addresses this issue, looks at how women can exercise outside in the dark safely, and gives practical tips.

In case it passed you by, British Summer Time has ended. But the turning back of the clocks isn’t just an inconvenience, something that plays havoc with plans for the following day. It’s the start of shorter days and earlier nights.

Many of us prefer the lighter months. There’s ample research into how the shorter days can affect our moods and energy levels.

But for women, especially those exercising outdoors, the changing of the clocks isn’t just a matter of convenience or preference. It’s a matter of safety.

HIDDEN CURFEW

At the end of October, This Girl Can, the nationwide public health campaign launched by Sport England, launched their 2026 Let’s Lift the Curfew Campaign.

Let’s Lift the Curfew began in 2023 aiming to bring together women and raise awareness of the barriers many women face to exercising outdoors at this time of year.

However, research released by Let’s Lift the Curfew suggests things have got worse over recent years, not better.

Their research shows 55% of women feel unsafe exercising alone in the dark, compared to 33% of men. In 2023, women’s safety concerns around sexual harassment and intimidation when exercising outdoors in the dark sat at 60%. In 2026, it’s grown to 69%. 67% of women agree women’s safety when exercising outdoors has worsened in recent years.

In Ireland, a survey revealed that 92% are concerned for their safety on runs, with 38% of women saying they’ve experienced verbal or even physical harassment while running. And 69% reported that they’ve taken specific safety precautions – like running with keys between their fingers.

LET’S LIFT THE CURFEW

As well as raising awareness of this issue, the Let’s Lift the Curfew campaign encourages people to organise Let’s Lift the Curfew activities. Supported by England Athletics, people are encouraged to organise runs and walks and register them with Let’s Lift the Curfew, so others can take part and feel able to exercise in a safe environment.

In addition to England Athletics, Good Gym also supports the campaign, further helping to bring activities to communities up and down the country.

And it isn’t just This Girl Can

Nike’s After Dark Tour is a women’s only race series founded in 2025 held in major international cities, with the UK race being a 10k run in London.

On Nike’s website, it says they aim to foster “a sense of community, expression and unapologetic self-belief that leaves participants feeling seen, supported, and motivated.”

In 2025, over 50,000 women took part worldwide, and the 2026 tour has already seen around 5,000 women run in London, and 12,000 in Los Angeles. Clearly, there is an appetite for spaces that allow women to run in safe, inclusive environments.

WHAT DO MEN THINK?

The vast majority of men never want to make a woman feel uncomfortable when exercising outdoors in the dark. According to the Let’s Lift the Curfew research, 58% of men believe they have a role to play in helping women feel safer outdoors, and 46% say they consciously change their behaviour when passing a woman in the dark to try prevent her feeling uncomfortable.

However, almost half (47%) of men admit they underestimate how much women think about their safety when exercising outdoors in the dark.

WHAT’S BEING DONE?

Events such as the Let’s Lift the Curfew activities and Nike After Dark tour are great for both raising awareness of this issue, and giving women a place to come together and feel comfortable. But it shouldn’t be that women only feel they can exercise outdoors safely in these settings. Women should feel comfortable enough to exercise outdoors when they please.

Desire for better lighting has been the biggest increase amongst women since 2023, 36% then vs 55% now. One would hope this would be one of the things improved through £400 million government investment into grassroots sports facilities which, according to Stephanie Peacock, Minister for Sport, aims to create more opportunities for women to exercise in environments where they feel safe.

I WANT TO CONTINUE EXERCISING OUTDOORS IN WINTER BUT FEEL UNSAFE

You’re not alone. The Let’s Lift the Curfew research suggests women are over three times more likely than men to stop exercising entirely in the dark, with 61% of women saying concerns about personal safety are a bigger barrier to exercising outdoors than factors such as a lack of time, lack of motivation or bad weather.

It shouldn’t be that women have to change their approaches to feel safe. But if tweaking things allows you to continue exercising outdoors and doing so in a way that feels safe, these are definitely things to consider.

SEVEN WAYS TO FEEL SAFER EXERCISING IN WINTER

1. Choose well-lit, busy areas, avoiding isolated parks, unlit footpaths and canals. If possible, move your exercise to during the day when it is light and more people are about.

2. Vary your routine so your schedule doesn’t become predictable. Avoid running the same route at the same time every day.

3. Tell someone where you’re going and when you should be back. Consider using live tracking on your phone so someone knows where you are.

4. Keep your phone secure and easily accessible, and be familiar with your phone’s emergency SOS shortcut. You could also carry a personal panic alarm.

5. Avoid noise-cancelling headphones so you can hear your surroundings. If you like to exercise with music, consider bone-conduction headphones instead.

6. Be seen – use a headtorch or chest light, and wear high-visibility and reflective gear.

7. Consider exercising with friends, family or a local club, or checking out the Let’s Lift the Curfew events.

TO REITERATE…

It’s sad that we live in a world where women feel considerably less safe being outdoors in the dark than men. But through raising awareness of this, through the likes of Let’s Lift the Curfew, there is hope that the trends in women’s safety perceptions will begin to swing the other way.

The goal is for women to be able to keep exercising outdoors during the winter in a way which is safe and enjoyable. And if for now that means employing the tips above, that’s better than feeling unsafe, or stopping exercise through fear.