Illuminating Darkness: Shining a Light on Women's Safety in Running

Collingwood Yards

35 Johnston Street, 3066, Collingwood, VIC, Australia

Katie Kelso

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Katie Kelso (she/her) is a freelance creative with a Bachelor of Industrial Design and an ambassador for New Balance Running.___________________Having worked as a project consultant in the furniture industry for the last decade, I am now in the early stages of starting my own eponymous multidisciplinary design studio in Brunswick. I love drawing, painting, illustration and all visual arts, interior design consultation and furniture procurement, spatial design, project management, set design and construction, architectural and mural painting, CAD, product design, sewing… simply put, working with my hands. Watch this space.The other love of my life is running and marathon training, especially alongside AM:PM Run Crew. The ritual and discipline of running has been a source of self-regulation since my teenage years, and strangely kicked up a notch following a life-altering accident in 2020. Around 7am on the 10th of January that year, I was struck by a bus that ran a red light through a major intersection – I was a pedestrian. The resulting intraparenchymal haemorrhage meant I was unable to work for over 6 months, during which time my practise and my love for the sport dramatically escalated. Doctors told me my fitness saved my life, and I ultimately turned back to training in order to heal – both emotionally and physically – and regain control of my life.The connection between running and design might seem obscure on face value, but the more thought I give it, the more I feel they are strongly linked.Running helps us to make sense of landscape, time and space, architecture and sculptures, roads and footpaths, waterways, flora and fauna, the change in seasons. I believe it provides a mental reset that increases my ability to think creatively. We may find a sense of identity in sporting colours, which are inherently tied to locations and landmarks. Personally, my favourite thing about both running and design are the communities of both worlds, which often overlap. I don't think enough credit is given to the idea that running in itself is a form of creativity - even just mentally mapping a route engages a creative part of the brain. I've witnessed countless creative pursuits and collaborations borne after intense track sessions and cruisy group jogs. Communities create spaces for people to feel comfortable to be themselves, and the good ones provide a sense of safety. And that's when creativity thrives.