A runner has spoken out about the terrifying moment she realized she was being followed during a 13-mile run and urged people to always be aware of their surroundings.
Samantha Macintyre, an avid runner, regularly posts on TikTok about her active lifestyle, showcasing her outfits and workout routines.
However, in a resurfaced clip from 2022, the marathon runner is deeply unsettled after an incident during her run.
“Good morning, it’s 42 degrees, let’s go for an eight-mile run,” the 25-year-old said at the start of the video. “Fit check: cute.”
Samantha Macintyre, an avid runner, regularly posts on TikTok about her running workouts and shows off her outfits and workout routines
In a resurfaced clip from 2022, the marathon runner headed out for her race in a fairly remote area and filmed herself ticking off the miles
Then Samantha begins her run, filming herself ticking off the miles and checking in periodically to share how she’s feeling.
In the first few miles she mentions that she has a half marathon coming up that she is training for and what music she listens to.
However, about halfway through her run at mile five – which was in a fairly remote area – Samantha’s tone changes and she mentions that she repeatedly saw a man in what she thought was a red Pontiac driving past her.
“There’s this guy in a red car that I’ve driven twice and every time he passes me (because I’m standing at the window) and he looks behind him but he passes,” she explained, sounding more and more upset.
“It really makes me nervous.”
As she continued to run, Samantha became more and more anxious, waiting for the car to pass again.
She then mentioned that she was going back to her car, but noticed that it was parked right next to hers.
“I don’t have a good feeling about it,” she said. “I have to walk past this car to get back to my car even though there is literally no other way.”
At the five mile mark, Samantha noticed that a red car had passed her several times, which made her nervous
As Samantha continued her run, she became more and more anxious, waiting for the car to pass again
Samantha then decided to ask her parents to pick her up, saying she “couldn’t risk it”.
Then Samantha decided to ask her parents to pick her up, saying in a shaking voice that she “couldn’t risk it.”
“I don’t know what to do,” she tormented herself. “It’s just one of those things where you think it’s not going to happen to you until it happens to you.”
“I don’t want to risk anything. I’ll be picked up by my parents.’
Then Samantha went to a neighbor’s house and asked if she could wait in his yard until her parents got there.
After escaping, Samantha said she eventually called the police and reported the car to them.
“I listen to way too many murder podcasts,” she joked.
“Please just be aware of your surroundings when you go jogging. “Carry protection with you, just be safe.”
After her parents raised her, Samantha reflected on her run and urged people to always be careful and trust their instincts
Many TikTok users said they could relate to Samantha’s experience and reassured her that she made the right decision to call her parents and the police
She further urged, “If you feel like something doesn’t feel right, please trust that gut feeling. ‘Just be safe, you’d rather be safe than sorry.’
The clip has garnered thousands of comments, many from women who have found themselves in similar situations.
“Why am I crying right now?” As a woman, this is incredibly difficult to experience. “So real,” someone shared.
“You did the absolute right thing!!” another assured her. “I’ve been running for 40 years.” I’ve had to do this more than once. ALWAYS trust your instincts.’
“Ugh, when you said “I don’t know what to do” and almost cried, I felt it in my soul. “It’s such a remote area, way too isolated, I’d be scared too,” wrote a third user.
“It’s always better to be safe than sorry, even if you feel like you’re just being paranoid,” another explained. “Safety is a priority.”