Dena Lewis has spent more than 20 years running marathons, triathlons, ultras and even 200-mile races. Running is where she clears her head and feels free. But twice, she has been harassed and assaulted while doing it. During one work trip, a man followed her on an early morning run, drove ahead and waited for her in a parking lot. She got away, but the experience left her with a question: “Why does this have to be part of running as a woman?”.
As she spoke with other women, Dena began to recognize how much planning could go into something as simple as heading out for a run. “We change our routes. We change the time we run. We leave one earbud out. We text someone before we leave. Sometimes we don’t go at all”, she explains.
She did not want another reason for women to give up the miles they loved. “I didn’t want to tell women to stop running alone. I wanted to give them another choice”. Drawing on 15 years in medical-device sales and management, as well as experience building and exiting three businesses, she created Running Mate. “Because of what I’ve personally experienced, this isn’t just another company I’m building. It’s incredibly personal to me”.
Someone to run with, at your pace
Dena’s shorthand for the app is “think Uber, but for running partners”. Users create a profile, complete a verification process and look for a local Mate based on pace and ability. Both sides of the platform are verified, and Mates can be paid to accompany someone on a run or walk.
“And you definitely don’t have to be fast”, she emphasizes. “If you run a 12-minute mile, great. If you’re walking, great. It’s about finding someone who fits you”.
The need can arise when a regular partner cancels, when the only time to run is before sunrise or when work takes someone to an unfamiliar city. Dena knows that last situation well. “I’ve been that woman traveling for work, standing in a hotel and thinking, Okay, where am I supposed to run? Is this area safe? Which direction do I go?”. She wants opening Running Mate and finding a local person to go with to become another available choice.
What she did not fully anticipate was how much people would value the company itself. “People aren’t only looking for safety. They’re looking for community. They want someone to talk to, someone who knows the city, someone who will keep their pace”, she says. “Safety is why we started Running Mate. But what we’re really creating is safe, social movement”.
Beyond the safety checklist
Dena’s role now extends beyond developing the app. She speaks at races and conferences, takes part in safety panels and works with brands and running organizations. In those conversations, she pushes back against the idea that runner safety can be addressed solely by giving women more precautions to follow.
“Don’t run in the dark. Don’t wear both earbuds. Change your route. Carry something. Share your location. Watch who’s behind you”, she lists. “Women hear this stuff constantly”.
She believes in taking precautions, but questions where the responsibility has been placed. “I also don’t think the entire burden should always be, Women, here’s another list of things you need to do so something doesn’t happen to you”.
Speaking openly about her own experiences matters to her for another reason. “After an assault or harassment, women sometimes wonder whether they’re overreacting or whether what happened was ‘bad enough’ to talk about”, she reflects. “I want women to know that their experience matters”. At the same time, she refuses to make fear the center of the message: “I want women running. I want us outside. I want us traveling. I want us exploring cities”.
When finding a Mate feels ordinary
Running Mate is already live in more than a dozen cities, and Dena hopes to make it available in many more. She also sees possibilities beyond the app, through races, hotels, corporate wellness and safety education. “I really believe runner safety has to become something the entire industry takes ownership of”, she says.
For her, success is not simply a number of downloads. It is a woman traveling alone who chooses to explore a new city instead of staying on a hotel treadmill, or someone who has just moved and finds a running partner who becomes a friend. Eventually, Dena hopes the idea will need no explanation: “You land somewhere and say, ‘I’m going to grab a Mate and go for a run’. And everybody knows exactly what that means”.
Keep moving together: Running Mate
