Just spotted this...
bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-m...
Must admit, the dangers of the cord from the headphone bit, has occurred to me, when running in much remoter areas than this ! I put it down to my vivid imagination...naive of me ! 
Be careful out there everyone.
How frightening for her, I hope she is getting the support she needs and will be able to run again. I have been running now for about 6 months and thankfully never had any problems with dodgy people but from a safety point of view, I would find listening to music distracting and my ears would not be able to fully hear what is happening round me. I have got used to running in silence and find it relaxing and especially in isolated places, I guess I am aware of every sound and feel this is the safest way for me to run.
However, I am very saddened to think that any of us might be in danger while running and thankful that this is a very rare example. Bless her. Julie
That's awful. There really are some wicked people out there. I do wear music but I hate wires so I have Bluetooth. Everywhere I run is very busy at the times I run. Saying that I have often thought I might invest in an alarm of some sort.
I carry a personal alarm when I go out into the countryside but we are not allowed to carry anything in the UK that we could use to protect ourselves e.g. Pepper spray
Well we could if we said we were on our way to a BBQ!
I a'salted him officer with a pepper mill!
Hot pepper sauce and a steak mmmmmmm.
Hope everyone stays safe.
Nik
Horrible for her... But to be honest, it could just as easily have happened if she had been walking to work/shops/bus stop. Not a 'running' problem per se.
OMG! What a terrible thing to happen. There are some nut jobs out there.
We have to think about our safety when we're out on our runs, and wearing headphones can make us less aware of our surroundings, especially in traffic. We can't account for such incidents as this though so we have to try and run where there are other people
Yep.. nasty times. I always turn my phones off crossing roads, etc, and too many years of doing Green Cross Code, ( yep I am that old), with children, when I was teaching,from Reception up to Y 6 have ingrained the rules into my head!!!
I'm not sure wether other people constitute some form of safety; almost every day there are similar scenes in busy roads and the people present do nothing.
Also, where there is nobody, the is nobody who can assault you.
You could be right..but I just flagged this up merely to raise awareness.
Sure, that was clear. 
What I meant to highlight (in a very unclear way, sorry) is that the presence of others is more a psychological comfort than a real safety so... one shouldn't rely on it and shouldn't be afraid of isolated places.
Horrible indeed, but as 5korbust points out, this is not about the dangers of running per se - there is a link on that story to another incident of a 50 yr old man being sexually assaulted while shopping in Next in the Arndale Centre.
Yep.. sad world..indeed.
Young folk with guns were the leading story in the local news for our area, two weeks ago and anywhere less likely as a candidate for gun crime, I can hardly imagine.
This story Just felt a bit close to home with running myself now.
Thank you Lady Floss, sharing the story shows you care x
How terrifying for her. I often think about it when I go to some of the more remote routes around Cambridge - yes there are some...This one happened at 3 PM so in broad daylight, presumably in a busy park. I'm aware of danger, but I think you would never go anywhere if you thought too much..
Too right..!
I think the point is one should be aware of one's surroundings and how to evade situations wherever one is, but you cannot let it make you become paranoid. It alarms us when we see incidents happen to runners because we run, and can't help but imagine such things happening to ourselves, but I have the same reaction when I see these awful things of children getting attacked in schools. it doesn't stop me sending mine to school though. Statistically you are at much greater risk of being attacked at home than out of it, and I'm the figures for how many people get attacked in pubs and so on must be huge. Be vigilant, be prepared, but don't be scared to get out and live your life.
Thanks for the sound words; it won't stop me.. otherwise the instigators of violence win. Incidentally, I was on the wrong end of a gun at a parent's evening when I was teaching...( parent did not like what he was hearing, clearly, fortunately we did have panic buttons... ), but it did not stop me going to school either 
Running tomorrow anyway... and looking forward to it.
Blimey! that sounds terrifying! Was that in this country? Well done you for not being discouraged by it. We have the joys of parents evening tomorrow, by coincidence, although it has never occurred to me to go packing ordnance.
It was terrifying, and yep, in this country, in an inner city school in Stoke on Trent , not where you would generally expect to find this happening.
When I first qualified, aeons ago, we got an additional allowance for working in the inner city schools, they were described as , can you believe it , 'rough' !
That got phased out though, this incident was in 1998... I could tell you some tales...It did toughen me up, though, and according to one of my wonderful children's dad, when he arrived 'in his cups', shall we say... I was ''...well 'ard...'!
Loved every minute of it...did all of my teaching in the inner city and do not regret a single moment... (except maybe the one with the gun)
Floss that's awful! I'm sure that was terrifying but did he know who he was taking on? Ha! My mum and dad got held up at gunpoint once and I was more stressed about it afterwards than they were! Run safely. x
Well yes...if I had got mad.. that would have been it
Horrid at the time. and for your Mum and Dad ! Awful..!!
On a slightly more cheery note, after witnessing the end of an armed robbery at one of the farms near us, a lot of years ago, I got to go down to London to the Crimewatch studios to do a photo-fit..!! I was very overexcited...!
Scary. She must have been terrified. I'm paranoid about safety (watch too many scary films) and carry an alarm but once another runner overtook me in a deserted area and I didn't even hear him behind which frightened the hell of me (I wasn't wearing ear plugs at the time either). But we can't hide away and luckily such attacks are rare.
I'm naturally suspicious and look at every person I meet as a potential attacker but even that doesn't guarantee safety.
Thanks for posting floss and reminding us to take care out there.
You are welcome... and as some of the others say, we have to just get on and live our lives, but things like this do make us even more aware, I feel.
Oh my god, I read this and it made me feel sick. After my incident I don't run alone, ever, now.
Male or Female, everyone deserves to be safe. Its not fair that we *still* live in a society where its unsafe to be alone, its crazy, its not the eighteenth century anymore, we shouldn't have to fear being alone.
I still get spooked really easily and when we were on holiday a few weeks ago in Orlando, I wasn't brave enough to walk under a bridge to some restaurants and we ended up going somewhere else (probably didn't help hearing about shootings on the news everyday), but when stuff happens it makes you nervous for a long time afterwards.
I have been going to two clubs and it is much better for me. I'd recommend joining a club to anyone now. I was already planning on doing the Manchester 10k but now with their encouragement I have also signed up to the Lincoln 10k and actually feel ready for it and like I can do it. Join a club everyone, you stay safe and have fun!
Keep safe people xx
Floss..I heard this also on news..and have another worry/warning for fellow runners.. as I'm mid way through..I've just started using map my run.. now I'm not great with tech.. but I noticed on this app..if you look on routes it gives local routes and actual names of people who have ran them..dates ect.. So please everyone make sure if you use this app to check your settings are PRIVATE! Stay safe out there x
Thanks for that..I am sure folks will note this😊
Side note - TDF 
Maybe, just maybe I don't hate Laura now!
Maybe 10k is achievable...
W7R3 and a note to myself
A note to Sarah 
