First, I understand that my title can be misleading. Let’s start by a short clarification. It is true that in the end, you can feel unsafe in your own country or your home city. To be honest, I would feel more confident to run at night in Berlin, Vienna or even Hanoi than in Grenoble.
But when you live far from home, in another continent, in a place where you don’t speak the language, where you have no relatives, or where you are perceived (understandably or not) as rich, as vulnerable, as a target, things can get more complicated.
Especially in developing countries where poverty and inequalities are striking (Africa, South and Central America etc), the ostentatious expat standard of living can be indecent compared to the locals’. Sometimes, foreigners (i.e westerners) earn in one day what locals earn in one month. That was even more the case during the covid lockdown, when a large part of the population working in the informal sector have been deprived of their job, in countries where welfare benefits don’t exist. Hence, robing/attacking them may appear as an attractive way to make quick money. To be clear, I do not excuse these acts, but I think it is important that expats and travellers understand the context where they live. I never had serious safety issues in Uganda (which is relatively safe, in comparison with other African countries), but many of my friends and colleagues have been attacked more or less violently (at least two of them have been knocked out).
So how to run abroad safely? Here are some tips I have developed or thought about these last years to reduce safety risks while running abroad (and/or at home). Of course, they won’t keep you 100% clear from trouble, and they are probably far from being enough if you live in a very risky country. We should always keep in mind that risk is part of expatriation (in the end, none forced us to live abroad). This article concerns both women and men, but, clearly, wherever you live, women are (much) more likely to experience safety threats, without mentioning verbal harassment and inappropriate remarks of all kinds… but that’s the subject of another blog.
Route choice
The most obvious advice to steer clear of troubles is to avoid certain areas during your run. Whether you live in South Africa, India or Brazil, you won’t take your run within the neighbouring township, slum or favela (especially if you’re wearing your new $700 Garmin watch).
“Of course, no need to be a genius to understand that” (I hear you from here). “I’ll just stick to my expat neighbourhood and everything will be fine”. From my experience in Kampala, yes and no. Yes because on one hand, these are the areas where you will find the biggest concentration of private guards and/or policemen (to secure the ambassies, ambassador’s houses and upper class compounds…). No, because on the other hand, they are an obvious and the favourite target for robbery and burglary. All of my friends have been attacked as they were close to their place in an expat neighbourhood. For instance in Kampala, attacks are often reported on Prince Charles drive in Kololo.
Expats areas are runner’s favourites because they are the quietest places (if not the only quiet part of the city) in terms of traffic, and the greenest, which is basically what you’re looking for when going running. But in terms of safety, they can actually be a bit too quiet sometimes…
So what should we do?
- Ask locals to know which areas are safe. The very first time I went out running in Kampala, the military at the hotel’s entrance immediately asked me where I was planning to go. She looked rather reassured when I told her Kololo (which is, in fact, the “expatest” of the expat areas). Colleagues also dissuaded me to go running along certain streets (Kira road for example). Finally, many expats ask on Facebook groups about the best areas for running. Don’t feel shy to ask, and later, share your favourite running areas with others!
- In general, try not to repeat the exact same route at the same time, whether it is for running, going for a walk or going to work. Remember that if you live in Africa, Asia or South America you are easy to spot, so it is easy to identify your routine and you usual route. Unfortunately, this kind of advice can be complicated to put into practice, it takes time, preparation, and sometimes you don’t have so many options. But even without discovering a 100% new route every time, try at least to make small variants, to reverse your usual directions (except if you’re going to work), to add a small loop here and there, to take another street to go to the same area, etc. As for timing, try to vary your routine and alternate between morning/lunch break/afternoon runs (even if in some countries, your schedule can be heavily dependent on the pollution level).
- Stay alert and aware of your environment and people around you (try to spot unusual behaviours, check if none has been following you when you get back home, ect). Trust your instinct, if you feel uncomfortable in a certain place, or when you cross someone, turn around, stop to talk to someone (pretend to ask directions for example), enter a shop…
- Tell people where you’re going (Ok, I never do it, unless I’m running around my parent’s village). If you really want to take your Garmin with you, there is a LiveTrack feature that allows you to share your live location with your conctacts (but it means you have to take your phone + have signal).
- Be careful about the sports app that share (potentially publicly) your route, with your start and finish point and your favourite running areas. I know that there is an option on Strava that allows you to enter several addresses so that people browsing your profile cannot know the exact address where you start and finish.
Time
Second obvious advice, timing. That one also depends on the city you live in.
Clearly, whatever the neighbourhood, it is not a good idea to be out at night in Kampala streets, even more alone. However, running early morning when it’s still a bit dark could be fine (unless that it is often very polluted), since there are already many people out. In Hanoi, I had no problem going running at night (fortunately!), as it was one of the “least hot” moment during summer.
Then, in other cities like in Europe, it’s a question of place, you will quickly notice if a street is safe or dodgy at night. I guess you wouldn’t risk much going running late on the banks of the Seine (at least around the île de la cité), but it’s not the right time to run up the steps of Montmartre. Parks in general should be avoided if you don’t want to disturb the dealers’ transactions. Bois de Boulogne in Paris, parc Paul Mistral in Grenoble, Görlitzer park in Berlin (talking from experience here…) Trust your feelings: if there’s no one around, or if people look weird or creepy, better to sacrifice your run than taking useless risks.
Identification
In case anything happens (danger, injury etc), you need to be identifiable. Does that mean that you should go running with your passport? Better not if you don’t want it to be stolen. So what?
I adopted a few years ago a basic customisable wristband where on which you can write or carve essential information about you: name and surname, nationality, date of birth, numbers of the people to be contacted in case of emergency and anything you think could turn up to be useful (blood group, allergies…). You can of course write everything on a piece of paper, a small card or whatever to take with you, but if find the bracelet particularly convenient, it’s not cumbersome, you don’t need pockets, it basically lasts forever and it becomes a habit to take it (one wrist for the watch, one wrist for the identification bracelet!). Ok, it sounds a bit like a collar for stray dogs, but at least it reassuring for yourself and for your relatives, which, in the end, is the most important (hello Mum!).
Phone: take it or not?
Well, I have to recognise that I virtually never take my phone with my when I’m running, except for the first runs when I’m looking for my way. It’s too big, too cumbersome, and I don’t need it since I have my watch… But it’s probably not safe in case anything happens, if I need to contact the police, a friend, an ambulance or the embassy.
But on the other hand, I was always wondering if it is really safe and smart to take my smartphone with me when I was running in Kampala. In a developing country, where some people struggle to make a living, running with your phone hung on your arm (or in my hand in my case) is showing your wealth and can attract troubles.
So I don’t have a clear opinion on that point, the debate is open! The best option would be probably to take it but hide it well (in a flipbelt for example) or to take an old feature phone (you know, this good old Nokia everyone has in Africa) with only emergency numbers in it (even if this can be quite inconvenient). Speaking of digital devices, I don’t really recommend wearing earphones, as music can cut you from your environment and reduce your alertness level (and you won’t hear the traffic!)
Running with someone else
Probably the best way to stay away from troubles! Even if, I have to recognise (again), that what I like about running is that you can practice on your own, when you want, where you want, disconnecting your brain or getting lost in thoughts. Still, I don’t say no when I can have some company sometimes, and it’s a good way to get to know people in your new country or city. So bring up a friend, your neighbour, or join another jogger you bumped into during your last run, post an announcement on Facebook, join a local running group…
Equipment…?
A small teargas canister to defend yourself, a whistle around your neck to attract attention, a dog to discourage potential attackers… I don’t have any of this (yet), but I have already considered some of them (including borrowing a colleague’s German shepherd) several times. Again, you will maybe (and hopefully) never need them, but it can make you feel more comfortable and reassure you when running alone.
I hope I didn’t scare you or discouraged you from going running! In the end, we go running because we want to feel free, to release our stress, to clear our mind and enjoy the moment… and most of the time, things are going well. I hope these few tips will come in handy for you, don’t hesitate to share yours in comments!