This couple are both running 97 km around Edi for women who have experienced sexual harassment

An Edinburgh couple have challenged themselves to both run 97 km around the city as a show of support for the 97 per cent of women aged 18 to 24 who have experienced sexual harassment.

Mary Macintosh and her partner Jackson Offor hope to complete the challenge this week, with the aim of raising awareness of gender based violence and sexism, as well as showing solidarity with all women who feel unsafe on the streets.

The couple will be wearing homemade ‘Reclaim the Streets’ banners whilst they run, and encourage others to make banners of their own and take to the streets themselves this week.

They have also set up a JustGiving page, with all donations going directly to Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre.

Speaking to The Tab Edinburgh, Mary and Jackson said: “Following the tragic news surrounding Sarah Everard, an outbreak of social media support and discussion arose surrounding women’s safety. Media brought to light that a shocking 97 per cent of women aged 18-24 in the UK have experienced some form of sexual harassment and we were blown away by this figure.

“Having experienced situations of sexual harassment myself before as well as many of our friends, it was something that really resonated with us, and we decided we wanted to do something to raise awareness to try and help spark some important discussions.

“Considering the current COVID situation, vigils and that alike are not so safe. So, after some inspiration from a fellow meadows share user, we decided to use our passion for fitness to raise awareness and perform a 97 km running challenge while wearing our ‘Reclaim the Streets’ tops. We knew we would pass a lot of people whilst running so what better way to spread a message.

“Our main goal was to spread awareness, start conversation and eventually inspire changes in behaviour. However, we decided to make it a fundraising effort to increase our possible impact, choosing to raise money for Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre.

“We chose this charity because they offer a variety of support surrounding sexual harassment, as well as educating young people on such matters – which is important as they go into the adult world.

We have been blown away by the support we have received so far, so thank you so much to everyone who has liked our posts, donated to our JustGiving or smiled/waved as we’ve run past.”

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