Jeanette Ward would carry a gun when she runs “if it was lighter and easier to carry,” she said.
Instead, she holds a canister of pepper spray on her 7-mile jaunts on the Prairie Path, from her West Chicago home to her workplace outside Elgin.
For some new defense strategies, she attended a class Tuesday in Lisle that targeted women who run and walk for exercise. Sponsored by Nike and Dick Pond Athletics, the 90-minute session covered basic self-defense strategies for women in unsafe situations.
“Just a couple of weeks ago, there was a guy on a bicycle who gave me a creepy feeling,” Ward said. “He had stopped to watch me.”
Ward and 30 others in the class learned to first use their confidence, expressed in their voice, eye contact and body language, to protect themselves.
Such simple steps often work, said Martha Thompson, an instructor from IMPACT Chicago, which specializes in teaching women self-defense.
“We know from our research that there are verbal strategy skills that hundreds of women have used,” Thompson said.
She advocates using a strong vocal command, like “go away,” repeated firmly and loudly, rather than screaming.
Thompson demonstrated some basic physical moves with Rob Babcock, also from IMPACT Chicago.
“Anywhere on the face between the top of the nose to above the throat is vulnerable,” Babcock told the women. Other areas, like the top of the feet, “are vulnerable no matter how much a man works out.”
The goal of such classes is to enable women to pursue outdoor interests like running and prevent them from giving up something they love, Thompson said.
“The existence of a violent culture creates fear, and as a consequence, we don’t do things because of that fear,” she said. “Statistics show that three-quarters of all women living in urban and suburban areas modify their behavior due to their fears.”
When the employees of Dick Pond Athletics started promoting the class at running events in the area, they were surprised at the response, said Lindy Pond, owner of the Carol Stream-based company.
“Obviously there’s a demand,” Pond said. “We had over 100 calls and had to close this session for a lack of space. We’ll offer it again.”
Pond added that she, too, was interested in the subject because she was attacked several years ago outside a convenience store. And her sister-in-law was attacked on the Prairie Path while jogging at 6 one morning.
The age range of the participants suggests that fear while running affects women of all levels and abilities. Four members of the track and cross-country teams at Wheaton-Warrenville South High School signed up for the class.
“Sometimes you split off in small groups [for training], and during the off-season we often run alone,” said Kate Indrelie, 17, of Warrenville. “We thought it would be a good idea to attend.”
Linda Feiler of St. Charles came at her husband’s suggestion. “I run alone on trails,” she said. “Sometimes it occurs to me that maybe I shouldn’t be alone and be so far away. I wouldn’t know what to do, other than turn around and run the other way.”
