Welcome to S.C.U.M of the Earth Episode 8! In this episode, we sit down with Sherri Carr and Mikie Pylilo to discuss runner's safety and self defense while out on the road or trail.
Sherri’s Bio:
Sherri Marie is an estate planning and business law attorney admitted in multiple jurisdictions; she resides in Seneca, South Carolina. Sherri Marie runs in the morning with the Anderson, South Carolina, based running group SMR T-F and on Sundays. She completed several marathons and ultra marathons since law school and enjoys the 50k distance the most. You’ll see her at Upstate Ultra race events volunteering frequently.
My reasoning behind this podcast idea (which to me is more important than stuff about my bio): *I met Mikie at the Upstate Ultra Country Mile event while we were both running miles together during a bit of it. I was running the 50k race, and Mikie was logging even more miles than me going for the 100 miler I think. During our time running together Mikie told me that she has a law enforcement background, teaches self defense courses at a college where she lives, and so I thought she would be the perfect person to be involved in this podcast with Upstate Ultras. I believe knowledge is power (I’m a nerd) and that people, especially women runners, should empower themselves to stay safe and be able to do what they love; for instance, running. As an introvert I used to love running alone, but now I only run in the daylight in populated areas alone. It’s taken a long time to find a running group I click with that is closer to me; I used to drive to Greenville (over an hour away each way) to run in the mornings with friends in the dark. And I know a lot of women who run alone, even in the dark. There have been a lot of instances of women runners - even in daylight - getting abducted or attacked, etc., so hopefully this will help them with some resources, knowledge to empower them.
Mikie’s Bio
Mikie has been in law enforcement for 24 years. She retired from the Alaska State Troopers and moved to Myrtle Beach in 2016. Mikie is currently assigned to FBI Task Force working Human Trafficking and Violent Crimes against Children. Mikie also teaches Rape Agression Defense (RAD) Women’s self defense at Coastal Carolina University.
Not many people can say they have run the beach of the Arctic Ocean, Mikie can, she graduated from Barrow High School and that’s where the cross country team ran except in the fog. They didn’t run in the fog because Polar Bears came into the Village with the fog.
I am thankful for the opportunity to talk about women’s safety while running. Recently, there have been articles in Running world about women being attacked while running and most recently about women being sexually harassed during trail runs. I personally have not been sexually harassed at races but I have been followed while on a long run in Tennessee. I try to give women the confidence that they can take control of their environment when being confronted.
