DEAR man on the street,

I’m writing to ask for your help.

As a female runner, I am constantly aware of my safety when I’m out on an evening run. What is behind me? Do I hear anything strange? Why is that man running towards me? What is making those bushes rustle?

And I am always home before dark.

Author Margaret Atwood said, “Men are afraid women will laugh at them. Women are afraid men will kill them.”

You may think that’s hyperbole, but I promise you, it’s not. Every woman I know has been in a situation at least once in their life when they thought their life was actually in danger.

Can you imagine that?

When we go out running, we are putting ourselves in a vulnerable situation. We’re out of our comfort zone, and often on our own.

While the stories of rape and murder are the ones that gain the most media attention, we’re aware that it’s unlikely to happen to us. Unlikely, but always possible.

What we’re more like to encounter, though, is sexual harassment: catcalls, leering, suggestive comments and gesticulations … the list goes on.

What that harassment does is remind us that we are forever vulnerable. That we can never feel truly safe.

A recent study conducted by Runner’s World found that a whopping 43 per cent of women sometimes experience harassment on the street when they run. That’s in contrast to the 4 per cent of men who experienced the same.

The problem with harassment is that it isn’t just lighthearted banter — and it’s certainly not a compliment. (Has a call of ‘nice tits’ ever been the start of a great love story?) Harassment is all about power, and letting us know we’re in that man’s space.

Why am I telling you this? Because as a man, you fall into one of two categories:

1. You’re a genuinely nice guy who needs to be more aware of this problem

2. You’re a man who makes women feel unsafe when she’s running in public (shame on you!).

Either way, the fact that women feel unsafe when they’re out running in public is directly attributable to men.

So why are all the articles and safety tips aimed at women? Why are we gathering safety groups to run with, running with personal alarms, and cutting our runs short so we’re not out after dark?

Why aren’t we asking men to fix what they broke?

I know, I know it’s #notallmen, but the thing is, it’s some men. Runner’s World reported that it was men in 94 per cent of cases where women felt threatened. And there are enough men out there contributing to this problem to make most women at least wary when they go running by themselves.

The problem is that women can’t tell the difference between those problem men and the genuinely nice guys.

If you’re one of the good guys, you probably don’t think of yourself as intimidating but your presence in certain circumstances can make a woman feel unnerved. If you don’t believe me, ask the women you know.

The good news is you’re in a great position to help us to feel more safe when we’re out running. Here’s what you can do:

• Don’t run directly behind us at the same pace. Either overtake or fall behind.

• When you’re overtaking us, say something like, ‘Passing on your left’. And then pass quickly.

• Don’t hang around running trails or paths wearing a hoodie and doing nothing in particular.

• Smile and/or wave as you run past us — we like feeling like we’re part of a community. But ignoring us works fine too, if that’s your thing.

• Don’t stop and chat. Mid-run is no place to strike up a new friendship.

• Keep eye contact to a minimum. Anything longer than two seconds is creepy.

• If you see a woman who could be being harassed, stop and ask if she needs help. At worst, you’re wrong and you feel a little sheepish. At best, you could stop something terrible from happening.

• Tell us if you’ve seen something threatening ahead. Are the lights under the bridge out? We love to know stuff like that.

• If a woman is wearing headphones, and you absolutely must approach her for some reason, do it from the front.

• Don’t ask us for help if your car or bike has broken down. Find someone else.

• Give us a wide berth when you’re passing and share the footpath. Even better, step off to the side. You already have global domination; you can give us a bit of concrete.

• There is no reason to gesticulate towards your crotch. Don’t even scratch yourself until you’ve passed us.

• Don’t spit anywhere near us please.

• If you have a female partner or friend who runs, ask her if she’d like some company.

As for the smaller set of men, who have contributed to this feeling of being unsafe for women everywhere, I have a special set of requests for you:

• Stop leering.

• Stop commenting on our bodies.

• Stop catcalling.

• Stop propositioning us.

• Stop groping us.

• Stop flashing us.

• Stop raping us.

• Stop murdering us.

So please, share the responsibility for making women feel safe, and make the streets a fun place to run again.