Survey: high numbers of female runners harassed

NEW YORK (FOX5NY) - Runner's World  magazine is out with a survey of  runners and harassment. The findings are likely not surprising to most avid, female runners.

According to the unscientific survey, 58 percent of women under 30 are harassed mid-run. 43 percent of women who responded to the online survey say they sometimes experienced harassment. While most instances are not life-threatening they are "pervasive and upsetting." And most are sexual.

From cat-calls to flashing and groping, women are mostly the victims with only four percent of men surveyed having experienced any form of harassment.

94 percent of the women who answered the questions say men were the primary perpetrators.

Fears of increased by female runners after the August killings of a woman who had gone running in New York City and another in rural Massachusetts.

So what to do was about it? Some women told the magazine they have turned to running indoors on treadmills. Others choose to only run in groups, in broad daylight and in populated places.

"There’s no immediate, easy solution, because sexual harassment is a complex societal problem," reports RW.