Please Stay Alert!

On my run last week I went past the hillside playground parking lot as always. I had slowed to a walk and this guy came out from between the trees that border the lot. He was dressed to go running and was putting in ear buds, playing with his phone so I thought nothing of it. When I started to run, he started to run. Right behind me and then next to me. People driving by probably thought we were running together. (And let me just say, this guy looked way too fit to be shuffling along at my 12 min/mile)

I slowed to a walk again so he'd get ahead of me. He did for about a minute and then stopped to tie his shoe until I was in front again. Needless to say, at this point, I was assessing my surroundings and options for safety since my normal route takes me off the street and through a secluded area. Yeah. That wasn't happening. My final test was to drop back and make a quick turn down a residential street. If he doubled back, I knew I was in trouble. Thankfully, he stopped only briefly to look back and continued on the way he had initially chosen.

I tell you, though, that's the first time I have truly felt threatened since moving to Ashburn. Perhaps he was harmless and just oblivious to the paranoia he was causing, but once those internal bells start going off, it's scary. That said, I more or less shrugged it off until I saw him again today in the same spot.

Again, he popped out behind me and gave me the runner's nod. He ran very close behind me and again I pulled off to the side and slowed down to allow him to pass. This time, he got about 15- 20 feet ahead of me before he stopped to "fix" something on his phone. I booked it across the street towards the shopping center and when I turned back to see if he was still following, he had disappeared. Unfortunately, he reappeared in his car and, though I took avery circuitous route on my run, he passed me at least four times. He never said anything to me or slowed down but nevertheless, he had to do some pretty fancy driving to be in all of those places, and it freaked me out.

I called LCSO when I got home and a deputy was sent to the house. He was very understanding and agreed that the whole situation is very creepy, but nothing he did was technically illegal. There's not much they can do unless he is overtly threatening. I am always very conscious of my surroundings when I run, take every possible precaution and don't rattle easily, but this really upset me.

All this to say, be aware of your surroundings, ladies and gents. If you have a regular route, know where there are places of refuge. Also, try to give yourself some options: change up when and where you run. Don't be afraid to report suspicious activity! Finally, try to get to a self defense class because (a) running with confidence just might make a potential attacker think twice and (b) a well placed elbow or knee strike could save your life.

 

Take your smart phone with you (assumption), take his pic and immediately send it to a friend/spouse. Just in case.
Start running with a friend if that is an option.

Be Safe!

 

Did you have an iPhone on you? The 3rd time he pulled that stunt, I would have started videotaping him and made sure he knew it. Growing up we were taught that if you think someone is following you, continue to a busy area and loudly shout 'who are you and why are you following me'. Get everyone's attention focused on this guy - he was probably trying to intimidate you. Don't give him that power. Get angry so you can react without fear clouding your reason...just in case. As for the car - did you get the make, model, and license plate number?

 

Believe me I am hyper vigilant and far from defenseless, but I was only able to get a partial plate. I didn't want to get any closer to the car in order to get a better look. The cops have all the info - silver nissan (not sure if it was maxima or altima) first three on the VA tags: JZX

 

Hey do a search on the Boards.... I remember something like this happening around 3 years ago. There was a running guy jumping out at women... and in some cases even wearing women's running gear too I think. He was really creeping people out. It would be worth seeing if there is a continuing pattern here or maybe LCSO got involved with that too.

 

He was nicknamed the "Ashburn Creeper". If you search on those words there's a general location of where he was making his appearances.

 

Thanks for sharing this information. What time of day did this occur and was it a weekday or weekend?

 

I asked the Deputy about the Ashburn creeper and he didn't match the description. This was a Tuesday about 11:30ish.

 

Can you give us a description of the guy?

 

5'8"-5'10" slim medium complexioned black man. Very short (but not shaved) hair. Scruffy facial hair (maybe a week's worth of grow out?) both times he was wearing black track pants (once with a wide red stripe) and the second instance he was wearing a white knit cap with a pompom on top and big sunglasses.

 

Any chance of running with a friend? Following you in his car was a big escalation; scary.

 

spidey senses MEAN something- don't ignore it. seriously- stop running alone, change your route, carry mace- you've already got a warning bell going off in your head.

 

Good for you for trusting your intuition and being aware. There is a great book by Gavin De Becker called, "The Gift of Fear". Everyone should read it.

 

Get a large dog to run with. Nobody will bother you.

 

I agree with taking a self-defense class. It could save your life. The karate school my boys attend offers free self defense seminar. I know we have one coming up on runner's safety. It will be done out on the jogging paths. Send me a pm and I can give you more info if you are interested. I have taken their self defense classes and they are real life situations.

 

Thanks, Elena. I think my boys and I attend the same karate school!

 

I second the recommendation for the Gavin de Becker book "The Gift of Fear." Glad you're safe, Twinmama, and thanks for the report!