Own the Night | Championing Women's Running & Safety Across Wales

Women’s running across Wales is at an all-time high, with more females than ever before regularly lacing up their trainers to enter mass participation races, join clubs and groups, or to simply run for their physical and mental wellbeing.      

It’s been well documented that women’s participation levels in the winter months (particularly in running) decrease due to the darker nights and a nervousness to run in unlit, unsafe locations. According to This Girl Can research, almost three quarters (72%) of women in the UK change their activity behaviour during the winter months and “One in four (24%) ensure to take well-lit routes, almost a quarter (23%) avoid certain areas altogether and one in five (20%) glance behind them to ensure they’re not being followed”. Adding to this a recent report by Our Streets now found that 93% of those surveyed experienced some form of public sexual harassment while running. There is clearly work that needs to be done to ensure that running is accessible and safe for all that want to participate.     

 We want to change this by empowering women and increasing their confidence to continue to be active from the Autumn onwards. To do this we launched our award winning national campaign, Own the Night, which starts in the early Autumn to raise awareness of women’s safety whilst running.  In 2026 there will be a greater focus on allyship and action, with allies encouraged to pledge to support the campaign and opportunities to upskill themselves in how best to support women’s safer running.

The key aims of the Own The Night campaign are:    

1. Raise awareness of women’s safety concerns when running at night or early mornings.
2. Empower women to continue running through the winter months with confidence.
3. Educate running communities and the wider public on allyship and practical ways to support women.
4. ‘Reclaim the streets’ – encourage groups and clubs across Wales to host a group run on Sunday 26 October, the day the clocks go back.

This infographic demonstrates the huge success that Own The Night received in its first year, we look forward to building on this in its second year.