JogOn campaign is clamping down on harassment of city's female runners

It's the campaign with a non-nonsense message that harassment of women and girls while exercising will not be tolerated.

- by Andrew Hutchinson

The Leeds JogOn campaign is encouraging people to report incidents and aims to make outdoor spaces safer and more inclusive.

The Leeds JogOn campaign is encouraging people to report incidents and aims to make outdoor spaces safer and more inclusive.

Originally started in Bradford in 2024, the measures were taken after a survey by Runner's World magazine showed that 60 per cent of women runners said they had been harassed when running.

A survey run by Women Friendly Leeds in 2021 also found that 85 per cent of the respondents had experienced being leered at, catcalled or wolf-whistled. As a result, women stated they have changed their behaviour due to feeling unsafe when using outside spaces, with some saying that they no longer exercise outside.

For the Leeds campaign, the Safer Leeds partnership and Get Set Leeds Local will be working with local running clubs and park runs to raise awareness and encourage women to report any harassment they experience.

Grace Whalley, who runs with Leeds Dock Running Club, spoke about her experience of being harassed, something she says has been happening ever since she started running at age 14.