Running outdoors can be very dangerous, but taking the correct precautions can make it much safer.
Raelyn Viti, an outdoor education professor, spoke about the precautions runners can take in the Henniker community.
“It’s all safe, just know where you are and what time of day it is, so if you’re running at 5 o’clock, you’re gonna be running with home coming traffic,” Viti said, “Always run against traffic, making sure you’re running on the shoulder road.”
There’s not always a running lane, so running on the shoulder against traffic, is the safest way to avoid cars.
Viti also included protective gear such as “reflective gear that runners should absolutely wear,” and she also always runs with a head lamp on, to alert oncoming traffic.
New England College cross country runner and women’s lacrosse player Keegan Finley, backed up the point of wearing reflective gear, and also said to bring a smartphone or let someone know when and where you are running.
“Always take a phone or device to contact someone if needed,” Finley said.
Another point that Finley mentioned was to take precaution when running down Western ave towards Hillsboro because it is poorly lit, and people speed down the road.
“Coming from a big city, I think running in Henniker is far safer than most places. I rarely feel unsafe running in the town of Henniker,” Finley said.
Strava is an app on the app store that keeps track of your running, Viti uses it and says it is very safe for runners to use.
“Strava has a beacon option where you can have people alerted in your app if something were to go wrong,” Viti said.
Always pay attention to cars on the road, and run safe in Henniker.
