Non-profit organisation Run Her Way and the Bxl Girls Run Club have jointly launched a survey to investigate the experiences of women runners in Brussels and thereby map out safe running routes. “On [fitness app] Strava, you can often see how long a running route is and what the elevation gain is. However, it doesn’t say how the route is experienced by women,” said Kate Tellier, who founded Run Her Way in 2024. “For example, you don’t know if there’s lighting in the dark or
how isolated the area is.” Tellier’s main goal is to get more women running by making public spaces safer. “The number of women taking part in sport isn’t just down to motivation, health or fitness,” she said. “A key factor is their sense of safety. Running is really a sport practised in public spaces. Although you can of course also run on a treadmill or a track, for most runners, the city is the main setting.” Tellier said that there was already a great deal
of research into the sense of insecurity felt by women who run. “There is also evidence that female runners are more likely to face harassment than women who don’t run,” Tellier told Bruzz. Run Her Way is keen to change that sense of insecurity, first by collecting data on the experiences of women runners and sharing safe running routes with them, and secondly by sharing those results with policymakers and bringing about concrete changes. “That could involve better lighting, but also training bystanders to intervene
if something goes wrong,” Tellier said. The project is already under way in the Dutch cities of Utrecht, Amsterdam and The Hague and is now being expanded to London and Brussels. To launch the survey, Tellier is collaborating with the BXL Girls Run Club, a women-only running club founded in 2024 by Sybila Galera Hauer. Run crews are popping up more often and sometimes attract hundreds of runners. “Many of the large running clubs became a sort of real-life dating app, and I thought that
was a shame. I wanted to set up a club without men flirting, a safe space for women who just wanted to run,” said Galera. The survey is being shared via the Bxl Girls Run Club’s social media. Maps have been added where women runners can mark out their favourite running routes or indicate places they avoid. Runners can also indicate whether they have ever taken precautions out of fear of harassment, such as wearing covering clothing, carrying self-defence tools, or crossing the road when
they see large groups of men. “The survey was only launched recently, so we’ll be able to say more about Brussels in a few months’ time,” said Tellier. Some stories do recur across multiple cities: women are catcalled, spat at or even pelted with eggs. Women runners rarely report such intimidation officially, because they often do not consider the situation “serious enough” or worry that authorities would not take them seriously. “Our data shows that of the 65% of women who say they’ve experienced aggression,
fewer than 2% actually report it,” said Tellier. “Our research also shows that 5-6% of women stop running in public spaces after a negative experience. “Sometimes they only dare to run on a treadmill, which is a great shame. Harassment must never be normalised. “Women who report that they feel very safe later list all sorts of ways in which they adapt their behaviour to prevent potential harassment.” Galera is also familiar with harassment while running. “Many women in our club can relate to this,”
she said. “You get catcalled and people stare at you a lot, especially if you’re wearing shorts. Even when we’re in a group, we sometimes get shouted at, but it feels less scary then, because you’re not alone.” When she goes for a run on her own, Galera often wears a hoodie and a hat. She also never runs with headphones so she can stay alert at all times. Tellier, an American, lived in Brussels for five years. “Unfortunately, I had one of my worst
running experiences there,” she told Bruzz. “Near Bois de la Cambre, someone followed me right up to the front door of my flat in Ixelles. “Still, Brussels is also a great city for running: I took part in the 20-kilometre race there.” Galera, who lives in Forest, also sees Brussels as a real running city. “My favourite place to run is Bois de la Cambre, especially at the weekends, because there’s no traffic,” she told Bruzz. “I’ve had less pleasant experiences in Duden Park. I
like to run early in the morning, but the park isn’t lit. Sometimes it’s still too dark at 7.00, and if I don’t see anyone in the park, I decide not to run there that morning and turn back.” Galera and Tellier want to organise ‘Run & Reflect’ sessions in Brussels. These are small running groups where, while running, participants discuss the safety of women runners. Once the survey results are in, the pair will begin sharing routes with women runners and local authorities. “We
haven’t been around for very long, but we’re already seeing an impact, as awareness of the issue is growing,” said Tellier. “That’s just the start, of course, but I sense a lot of openness from both female runners and cities to get to work with the research findings.” Galera is hoping for a long list of good, women-friendly running routes. “That way, everyone will know where they can go for a run in Brussels,” she added.
Brussels, women runners, safe running routes, harassment, Run Her Way, Bxl Girls Run Club, survey, lighting, Strava