Margaret Zylka House: Running in her shoes

The past few weeks have been hard for the running community, a community of over 60 million Americans, as we bear the heartbreaking loss of Eliza Fletcher, who was abducted and killed while on an early-morning run in Memphis.

I began running more than 30 years ago in the sixth grade, mostly the country roads of Bullskin Township and the streets of Connellsville. By age 15, I had my first encounter with a truck following me and unwanted attention from two men on a side road. Unfortunately, I have had more scares over the years — according to Runner’s World, that’s no different than 84% of female runners. This same violence plagues my brothers and sisters of color, too.

I take numerous precautions: varying my routine, carrying a weapon, Mace and a cellphone with Life 360, leaving a detailed note to my husband every time I leave the house. That is something I did for my parents many years ago, but shocked my husband the first time I left a note for him. He had no idea of the measures women take every day just to safely occupy public space with their bodies.

Over the years, I made sure I knew the people on my route, the ones who would welcome me if something wasn’t right, the ones who looked out for me. But every run, I constantly evaluate my surroundings, every slow car, cat-call or uncomfortable person. It shocked me when a neighbor stopped and handed me a reflective vest that he and friends purchased for me to stay safe. This is a big reason I choose to live a small town. Our community looks out for each other. Having allies, especially male allies, makes a big difference in staying safe.

Be an ally. If you can use your power to make a situation safer, do it.

In spite of good neighbors, many of us still have negative experiences. We must evaluate whether the friendly guy who slowed down to say hi, or the stranger on the trail dressed out of place, is a safe person or a predator who could gravely hurt us and take us away from those we love.

We know that statistically, 90% of violent crime is perpetrated by men in the U.S. And, according to the American Psychiatric Association (APA), toxic masculinity is one trait shared by most male perpetrators. We know that violence against women, as well as racial and marginalized groups, is perpetrated to show power over the person by the perpetrator. Negative factors such as drugs, economics and covid-19 have negatively affected these numbers.

While proactive measures can be taken by women, responsibility also rests on our communities. When children are raised to respect and value women and other groups, violence diminishes. I am so grateful that my own children have been raised during the times of Serena Williams, Simone Biles and the U.S. women’s national soccer team. They have had opportunities to play co-ed sports with many fantastic athletes in our WPIAL.

While we are witnessing the fruits of Title IX in the growth of women’s sports, boys still far outpace girls in participation rates in high school sports. Girls leave sports at a rate of 2 to 1 compared to boys in middle school, with 3.2 million girls and 4.4 million boys in high school sports, according to the National Federation of State High School Associations. And yet, we know that girls who play sports are much less likely to become pregnant as teens, more likely to go to college and be successful adults.

Increased female sports participation and exposure is only part of the answer. Representation in leadership matters, too. When children, especially boys, see women as coaches, officials, athletic directors and members of our community sports boards, it demonstrates the capabilities of women’s leadership.

Unfortunately, equitable representation is not the reality in our local community. According to a study of the PIAA by USA Today, the state’s largest district, the WPIAL, also has the lowest ratio of female to male coaches in core female sports, by nearly 2-1 in girls soccer (57-29), girls basketball (84-43) and girls softball (80-41), volleyball being the exception at (38-78). Further, we have the lowest percentage of female athletic directors of any district in the commonwealth at 11 out of 134.

And while we cannot prevent every evil predator from acts of violence against women, our communities can do better when it comes to looking out for each other: by being allies for females in our community, investing in youth sports, especially for females, and increasing female sports leadership.

I ran for Eliza Fletcher Sept. 9, just as I ran for Mollie Tibbits, Vanessa Marcott, Wendy Martinez and for Ahmaud Arbery. Their stories shouldn’t just be memorialized; they should be the impetus for change, a legacy for freedom from violence for all bodies in our public spaces.

Margaret Zylka House is a runner, mother, coach and attorney from Connellsville.