Free Self-Defense Course Offered for Tewksbury Women Runners

Master Garafano of ATA Martial Arts will run two-day training

A study released in February showed that, among women runners responding to a survey, 68% said they had experienced some form of abusive behavior. The most common type was verbal abuse, with 58% of the women who responded reporting that they had experienced this. However, a substantial number of women also said they had been followed while out running (19%) or received abuse from men in vehicles (13%). Thirteen women said they had been physically assaulted while out running, and seven women had been sexually assaulted. And of course in February, a female runner was killed in Georgia on her run, in broad daylight, on her college campus.

In response to that story, Jennifer Dillon reached out to the No Excuse Mom Tewksbury members, as well as members of the Sole Sisters running club, to see if there was interest in hosting a self defense class specifically for women.

“The response was overwhelmingly yes,” said Dillon.

She reached out to Master Garafano at ATA Martial Arts in Tewksbury for help. Garafano leads Krav Maga classes and generously agreed to host four hours of self defense training for women over the course of two days, on May 4 and 5, free of charge.

“The focus will be on safety while running or walking alone,” said Dillon. 

Attendees must commit to both days to participate. A few spots are still available via this link: https://member-site.net/VIP/default.aspx?EV–bbhgMb