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<h2><strong>Another tragedy we didn't need.</strong></h2>
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<p>Some news hit yesterday that rocked a small town, and runners everywhere, to their core. Who is Mollie Tibbetts, what happened, and how do we move forward... and stay safe?</p>
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<h2><strong>There are few things worse than a life cut short.</strong></h2>
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<p>Mollie Tibbetts was by all accounts a wonderful person. She was 20 years old, enjoying summer break before Junior year at U of Iowa, and staying healthy. She had big dreams, a great attitude, and was well-liked - kind of what you hope your own daughter would be like. And then, one evening run changed everything.</p>
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<h3><strong>Why is it always men against women?</strong></h3>
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<p>I don't want to come across as sexist, but more often than not it seems that women are the victims and men the aggressor. Yes, I understand sometimes it's the other way around, and yes, sometimes it's same-sex violence. But by and large - men vs women. I fail to understand why women have to be constantly under attack. This is a point I didn't delve too deeply into in the podcast episode for fear of sounding like women are weak or inferior... but seriously. <strong>Men - we can do better.</strong> Catcalling, whistling, and unwanted attention while a woman is working out or just generally <em>existing</em> - well, you know better. So DO better. And if she blows you off - just deal with it and move on, man. Seriously.</p>
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<h3><strong>The problem is not the many, but the few.</strong></h3>
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<p>I can rant and rave and get bent out of shape all I want, but at the end of the day I understand, as I hope you all do too, that most of us guys are generally good. MOST of us are not only your ally, ladies, but we are doing our best to look out for you. We would cheerfully swoop in at a moment's notice to help out if you're in trouble. It's the few that are the big problem. The few are the ones who are going to escalate things, not deal with rejection well, and cause an issue that can become dangerous.</p>
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<h3><strong>The scary part is - it could be any of us.</strong></h3>
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<p>Unfortunately, Mollie's story is not the first one like it, and will probably not be the last. The best thing we can do is be as prepared, safe, and aware as possible as we go about our day and our running. It's sad that we have to think this way, and sad that I feel compelled to say it, but here we are. So who IS Mollie Tibbetts? What happened? And how do we move forward - what do we do now?</p>
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