Bethan Taylor-Swaine (2025)

08/10/2025

Yesterday I spoke on a panel at the Senedd lobbying the Welsh Government on behalf of as they launched their Own The Night campaign highlighting the right of women to feel safe when running at night. The panel was made up of politicians, policy experts, academics and two runners who bravely volunteered to publicly share their experiences of public sexual harassment while running.

Everyone on this panel was white. As someone who has spoken many times about the importance of platforming diverse voices, and particularly those from diverse ethnic backgrounds, I have quite rightly been asked to explain my participation....so let’s talk about it.

I have a long established and enduring commitment to social justice. Speaking on this panel is just one part of my work with Welsh Athletics. As soon as the panel was confirmed (on the day of the event, sadly too short notice for me to support a solution) I flagged my concerns and I continue to engage with Welsh Athletics to ensure diverse voices are heard. There is ALOT of work to do in sport and I will continue to use my expertise to contribute to this work. I want to note I do not get paid by Welsh Athletics, I contribute my time and expertise because I have strong ties to Wales and I am acutely aware of the vast social inequalities that affects Wales.

22/09/2025

What does an effective ally for women runners mean?

Last month I joined , / .club , / and / to chat about how we can make running better for women. It was a good conversation, but to be honest it was also the same conversation we’ve had so many times before, with the same people who’ve been in the room so many times before.

So often when we talk about women in running men opt out of the conversation, which is the opposite of what we actually need. Like it or not men are often still gatekeepers in sporting spaces, and men listen to other men. To make running better we need men to be in the conversation. This isn’t a ‘women’s issue’, this is a community issue we all need to play a part in resolving.

I really appreciate Raz asking the question, but I’m disappointed that none of the men in the running community he reached out to attended. The generous part of me wants to think that they’re stuck in the mindset that it’s ’not their place’ to join these conversations (it absolutely is, if you lead a community you need to be invested in this issue), but the cynical side of me feels like it demonstrates how much men really care about women’s experiences in sports (it’s not a priority).

One of my goals now my PhD is written is to find ways to get men in the room and listening. For change to happen we need men to invest in the issue and take the time to actually listen and actually understand. To be honest it feels a bit impossible, it’s not like we’ve not been saying this stuff for years, but I’m willing to give it a go.

Thanks to for the platform and to .ldn for their beautiful space.

11/09/2025

40 (and a brief recap of my 30s)

🎉

10/09/2025

I’ve experienced my fair share of misogynistic language on the internet. Just yesterday, a man insisted on finding ways to undermine my credibility when I was talking about the subject I have LITERALLY WRITTEN A THESIS ON.

Annoying as this was, what does it have to do with male violence against women and girls (MVAWG)? A lot actually. MVAWG is rooted in power, control and entitlement. Talking to women in ways that undermine their credibility (or mansplaining to us) is all about demonstrating power and control. It’s about men disregarding women’s autonomy and choosing to act in ways which reinforce their entitlement. Actively discrediting and undermining women is directly connected to systems of inequality that dehumanise women, while privileging men. This lays the foundations for a society where it becomes ok to harm women in increasingly violent ways - something the pyramid of sexual violence demonstrates really well (Google it).

HOWEVER, when we destabilise the foundations of a pyramid, the rest of it comes crumbling down. This is why I’m getting behind the Take It As Read campaign and making a personal pledge to call out misogynistic language whenever I encounter it. The more we talk, the more we draw attention to it, the more unstable misogyny will become. Everyone deserves respect.

04/09/2025

Thesis submitted.

21/08/2025

It’s been four years since Evie arrived in our lives and she’s still the kind, curious and often peckish soul we met in that operating theatre at Kings College Hospital ❤️

13/08/2025

Today shared the outcomes of a month long pilot scheme where undercover officers were deployed to tackle catcalling.

This approach isn’t new, undercover offers have been used for years as part of schemes to tackle curb crawling, and it makes sense to use the same approach when it comes to street harassment. In total there were 18 arrests made in one month, which is a pretty solid result in my opinion.

PSH is an underreported crime. Research from The University of Manchester suggests that just 5% of women report instances of PSH. There are all sorts of reasons for this, but the All Party Parliamentary Group for UN Women (2021) suggests that the two main reasons are that women don’t think it’s serious enough to report (55%) and they don’t think reporting would help (45%). From my perspective this is because PSH is so normalised in our society.

When initiatives to address PSH make headlines the trolls come out. Some of the responses to this pilot scheme have been vile, and these attitudes which are contributing to the normalisation of these crimes. A quick trawl of a post shared by and I came across hundreds of examples, people weren’t even hiding behind private accounts or troll accounts, businesses were commenting. It proved exactly why initiatives like the one from Surrey Police are so important.

21/07/2025

10 years since we met…we can all agree Mike’s hair has improved and Loki only looks more distinguished ❤️

19/07/2025

It’s hot here in Menorca, so obviously I ran in just my sports bra.

Or at least it should be obvious. For so many women the fear of judgement or harassment puts them off stripping off to run when it’s hot. That means women skip sessions, cut their runs short or are just wildly uncomfortable when the mercury rises. It’s like we just can’t catch a break.

Today is, incidentally, . In its 9th year, it is a day committed to challenging the idea women need to look or behave a certain way to be worthy. For me it’s a reminder that my body is neutral, that whatever it looks like what matters is what it can do and it shows up for me. We don’t have to love our bodies, but we shouldn’t hate them either. We should feel self conscious because they don’t conform to a manufactured ideal. Echoing , feeling strong feels good. Feeling fed feels good. Knowing that our bodies can do phenomenal things feels good.

Changing perspectives and undoing generations of shame and messaging about how we should conform, shrink ourselves, behave in certain ways is a process. It takes time. But I do love that once a year we get a reminder that we don’t need to follow those rules.

Want to strip down to your sports bra? Use code BETHAN15 for 15% off full price items

18/07/2025

I’m very excited to be joining in August .ldn to chat women in running alongside / , / and / .club.

This is a panel with a twist. People can be terrified of offending when discussing women’s experiences in running. I get it, people don’t want to offend. The challenge is that when we don’t speak openly, we rarely get to the heart of the issue. We need those tough questions. So here’s a chance to ask those tough questions without fear, submit them anonymously and Raz will ask them for you. Nothing to be scared of.

📅 12 August 2025
📍.ldn EC2V 6AH
🎟️ FREE - link in profile

10/07/2025

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09/07/2025

👋🏻 I’ve had a bit of an unintentional break from posting and I’ve kind of missed it. My phone broke while I was in France and then I’ve been so busy working, editing my thesis and trying to say on top of life I’ve just not had the headspace to be creative, which is kind of sad and frustrating. Even today I didn’t really know what I wanted to say, so I went old school and shared a bit of what’s been keeping me offline ❤️

1. Loki’s PA
2. Taylor-Swaine’s on the move
3. Running by Lake Annecy wearing (AD: ambassador)
4. trying to get more confident about my body. Also swimming.
5. Family lake time
6. Celebrating 20 years of friendship in France (thanks )
7. After working in gyms and in fields I’m back to working in an office
8. Making myself at home
9. Still editing my thesis. I’m pretty over it all at this point.

Bethan Taylor-Swaine

08/10/2025

22/09/2025

11/09/2025

10/09/2025

04/09/2025

21/08/2025

13/08/2025

21/07/2025

19/07/2025

18/07/2025

10/07/2025

09/07/2025

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