Local gym offers safe space to women:"we just want you to feel safe while you are running"

MOBILE, Ala (WPMI) — Women becoming targets of sex trafficking and kidnapping in recent months has many scared to do certain activities, like going out for a simple jog. 34-year-old Eliza Fletcher was killed after she was kidnapped during a run in the predawn hours. Now a local gym is offering women a place to seek refuge if they feel unsafe during their work outs.

In early September, Eliza fletcher, a 34-year-old kindergarten teacher was kidnapped and killed during an early morning run in Memphis.

2 weeks later, Tik Tok star, Samantha Macintyre, was going on a run and was documenting it on Tik Tok, but what should've been a leisurely activity turned into every woman’s worst nightmare.

"I'm on a run right now and there's this guy in a red car that's driven by me twice and every time he drives by me, he has his arm out the window and he's like looking behind while he's driving by and it's making me really nervous," Macintyre said in her Tik Tok video.

As Macintyre continued her run, she described the car that continued to pass by her and as she tried to make her way back to her car...

"I see the car up here. I do not feel good about this. I have to run by this car to get back to my car though,” Macintyre said. "I don't know what to do."

Fortunately, she was able to seek refuge at a neighbor’s house, but not every woman is as lucky. One local gym is trying to change that by offering a safe space.

“While you're running, if you feel like you're threatened or you're being followed we have a safe place for you to come into. You could use our phone, use our restrooms. We have water fountains we just want you to feel safe while you are running," said Stephanie Ward, a fitness trainer at 9Round Fitness.

9Round Fitness is a gym with multiple female owners. Ward says women can park their cars and start their runs at 9Round because its well-lit and the loop around the block is about a mile.

"You can do that loop and know that every time you make it around if something is going on that you're not comfortable with you can always come inside,” said Ward. "When I've gone off on my runs by myself, I don't even think about it or did not think about it. Now I do."

9Round opens as early as 5:30 am and ward tells me you do not have to be a member to take advantage.