What should you do if someone follows you while running?
If you think someone is following you on a run, trust the feeling and test it: cross the street or turn around and see if they match you. Then head toward people, open businesses and light, not toward home or a quiet path. Call 911 if they keep coming or you feel threatened. Tap SOS in Holler so your Guardians see exactly where you are while you move to safety.
What to do, in order
01Check whether it is really a follow
Runners share paths with other runners, so first make a small, safe test. Cross the road, slow to a walk, or double back on your loop. If the same person copies two changes of direction, treat it as real and stop second-guessing yourself.
02Take out your earbuds and look up
Pull out one or both earbuds so you can hear footsteps and traffic. Glance back openly. Making it obvious that you have noticed someone often ends the interest, and it lets you describe them later: clothing, height, direction of travel.
03Run toward people, not toward home
Change your route to the busiest place within reach: a gas station, a coffee shop, a lit intersection, a group of other runners. Do not lead a stranger to your front door or into a park trail with no exits. Speed is your advantage on foot, so use it to get somewhere public, not somewhere isolated.
04Call 911 if you feel threatened
If the person closes the gap, shouts at you, blocks your way or keeps pace after you have changed direction twice, call 911. Say it plainly: "I'm running on Elm Street heading north toward Main, a man in a gray hoodie has followed me for ten minutes." Keep the call going while you move. On an iPhone, pressing the side button five times starts an Emergency SOS countdown if you can't dial.
05Tap SOS so someone who knows you is watching
Holler's SOS alert notifies your Guardians by email and push with your live location. They can follow your pin in a browser and call you or the police. Holler does not contact 911 for you, so the 911 call still has to come from you or a Guardian.
06Write it down and report it afterward
Once you are safe, note the time, the spot and what the person looked like. Report it to the non-emergency police line, even if nothing happened. A pattern of reports on one stretch of path is how police and park staff know where to patrol.
Related questions
Should I confront the person following me?
No. A confrontation on a quiet road puts you close to someone whose intentions you do not know. Distance, witnesses and a 911 call are safer tools than an argument. If they speak to you, a short, loud "Back off" while you keep moving toward people is enough.
Is it safer to keep running or to stop?
Keep moving, but choose where. Running toward a lit, busy spot is usually the best option. Stopping in the open to use your phone can make you easier to approach, so make the call while walking briskly toward other people.
How can I make this less likely on future runs?
Vary your times and routes so your pattern is harder to predict, run with one earbud or none, and pick loops that pass open businesses. Our guide to running alone at night covers route choice in more detail.
What should my Guardian do if they get my SOS?
Open the live link, call you, and if you do not answer or you sound in danger, call 911 with the location shown on the map. Your Guardian should give the dispatcher the street names and the direction you were moving.
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Sources, checked September 2026: Alexandria (Indiana) Police Department: Personal safety tips, Apple Support: Use Emergency SOS on your iPhone.
More safety answers, or see the safety guides.