Women share stories of running in public and their safety concerns

Have you ever checked the clock and realised it was too dark go for a run? Have you ever changed your clothes because they may be 'too revealing' to avoid yet another car beeping at you? Have you ever carried a credit card in your leggings pocket 'just in case'?

It is likely that if you're a woman who has ever exercised outside, you would answer 'yes' to all of these questions.

In January this year, Ashling Murphy put on her trainers, left her house and never returned.

The 23-year-old teacher was killed while out exercising at 4pm, running along the banks of the Grand Canal outside Tullamore, Ireland. Jozef Puska, 31, has been charged with her murder and is awaiting trial.

Murphy's death led to outpourings of grief and support, especially on social media, with #shewasonarun trending across posts and stories, as people tried to make sense of yet another female life being taken too soon.

She was doing something she enjoyed. She was doing something she should feel safe to do. She was just running.

Most women know the mental checklist you complete before training outside: you contemplate the time of day you leave the house, you pick the most populated or well-lit roads and paths and dress appropriately — because you're trying to minimise the likelihood of sparking unwanted and unwarranted attention.

Amy Hughes, the first women to run 53 marathons in 53 days, lives in Cheshire and knows the checklist well: «I've always been wary of what time I go out [for a run].

»In the day I'm not really bothered at all, but you do have to think about it if it's dark," she told BBC Sport.

«You've also got to think about what you're wearing and you shouldn't have to think about what you put on to go for a run, but it's just in case someone says