New Survey Finds 43 Percent Of Women Harassed On Runs

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A new nationwide survey has found many women are harassed while out running.

The survey conducted by Runner's World Magazine found that 43 percent of all women at least sometimes experienced harassment on their runs, compared to just four percent of men. More than half of female runners under 30 -- 58 percent -- report having been harassed.

The survey also found that female runners are more likely to be harassed in an urban area.

CBS2's Vanessa Murdock spoke with some women in Central Park.

"It's really scary and something I'm always aware of," Meghan Ross, of Prospect Heights, said.

"There's little respect for female runners," Marina Janssens, of Belgium, said.

"I do feel threatened," Columbia University student Pegah Kamrami said.

Kamrami and her friend Sydney Segal said it happened to them Thursday morning.

"We're running and we see these guys, and they're like 'oh my god beautiful, gorgeous,'" Segal said.

And it wasn't the first time.

"All the time. It's white noise at this point," Segal said.

Many runners were shocked and concerned about their own safety following the murders of three female joggers in three different states over the past summer.

No suspects have been named in any of the three cases, including the Karina Vetrano murder. The 30-year-old was killed while running through Spring Creek Park in Howard Beach on Aug. 2. Police said she was strangled and possibly sexually assaulted. Her father along with authorities found her body hours after she didn't return home from her jog.

Those stories sparked outrage and fear and started a conversation about what women can do to stay safe.

One of the tips women often hear is that they shouldn't run alone.

"That was unacceptable to say something like that, because that's not a tip you would ever give a man," Meghan Kita, Senior Editor of Runner's World Magazine, told Murdock.

The survey found 60 percent of all runners limit their runs to daylight hours and 21 percent of women bring pepper spray with them on their runs. About one percent of women say they carry a loaded gun.

"What I found most shocking was that 30 percent of women that took our survey reported they'd been followed," Kita said.

In addition, 18 percent said they were sexually propositioned, five percent were flashed and three percent were groped.

"It worries me if the woman feels like she can't go out and run, and enjoy her run, and feel you know empowered by the run," Kamrami said.