EDR #35: “If you can run today, then actually, that’s good enough”, interview with Sarah Ackland

Hello and welcome to Episode 35 of Everyday Runners. 

How do women experience space differently from men? What does it mean to run through a city as a woman? What is this thing with cat calls, harassment and interference of women while running? What is the gendered labor of fear? What does 'running to repair' mean? 

These are some of the points I discussed with architect, researcher, runner (and feminist) Sarah Ackland of Newcastle University. I enjoyed this conversation very much and I hope you do too. 

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I can’t really choose between favourite episodes as each one has been special to me. So, although I can’t call this a ‘favourite’ so to speak, this one does hold a special place. I found myself being challenged a fair bit, both in my preparation and during the actual conversation. I say challenged because I got the impression that Sarah wasn’t taking any of my questions for granted and was answering each of them with a very straight bat, to use a cricket metaphor. Although I had sent questions to Sarah before the interview, I don’t think we stuck to the script. Each of her answers prompted a new question, probably in a different direction from which I had planned. 

 

This is also the first episode in which I must state a trigger warning, for this conversation does discuss male sexual violence against women. Sarah does talk about rape. At the conclusion of the conversation, I asked Sarah if we would need a ‘trigger warning’ and yes she said that would be appropriate. So, I implore listeners to listen with open and responsible ears. This is not a sensationalist podcast and we don’t look for controversy or polarisation. The issues Sarah and I speak of are real and embodied. Thus, I hope this episode is a part of a wider discussion on the gendered nature of public space and how access to running is not even. 

 

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Andy Fuller/Reading Sideways Press

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