Jogger Safety on Delmarva

The nation is still in shock after learning about a young woman who went jogging in a D.C. neighborhood earlier this week.

Wendy Martinez was stabbed in the neck by a man investigators say she didn’t know and died.

So many health-conscious people right here on Delmarva do the same thing everyday, but are they prepared for the unknown?

Captain Babe Wilson of the Wicomico County Sheriff’s department says you have to be smart.

“Make sure you let somebody know where you’re going. what time you plan to be there and you can have a buddy system to have someone to go out to exercise with during your time period that also increases your safety.”

Salisbury resident, Donna Olson agrees with Wilson.

She always has *someone* with her when working out.

“Just to be safe. And you know, some things have happened here in the park and I think being a female also I think its better to be paired up.”

But Olson takes her personal safety one step further. She has some other safeguards in place.

“We carry mace. And also I always carry my phone so you have just in case you have to hit 911.”

If you can’t fight back, Melody Mitchell says her dad taught her something that everybody can do.

“Unfortunately a lot of people don’t pay attention when they hear somebody yelling for help unless its a child. But alot of times they don’t want to get involved. so he taught me to holler fire!”

Mitchell says people naturally come to see what’s going on if you yell fire but sometimes hesitate when you yell for help.

She says you can protect yourself from an assailant several ways which includes going for a vulnerable place on the body most folks don’t think of.

“Go right to the eyes. Poke them in the eyes. If you’ve got keys in your hand, especially if you’re running. Keep something in your hand. Poke ’em with your keys.”

One of the biggest things that both law enforcement and self-defense experts like Mitchell agree on is that taking these out of your ears make the biggest difference when you’re exercising.

“You want to be able to hear what’s going on around you. If you’re focusing on your run and whats going on in your ears you get tunnel vision.”

Although you can’t prep for every situation, being aware of your surroundings is key, and might be the deciding factor in whether you make it home safely from that jog.

If you’d like some more tips to stay safe during your job, you can find some here:
https://www.runnersworld.com/beginner/a20805743/11-tips-for-staying-safe-on-the-roads/