The news was stunning and tragic, and makes all runners − especially women − take pause to think about what we do. A young woman in Tennessee, out for her early-morning run, stalked, attacked and murdered.

Most reading this by now have heard of the details of Eliza Fletcher's killing early this month.

Running, a natural activity, free and easy, good for the soul, therapy for many … in one unthinkable moment like that, it robs all the joy from it. Worse yet, it puts fear in the hearts of so many people all over the country and the world.

How do we come to grips with this senseless act of brutality? It’s a wake-up call, one that we don’t want to think about. But now, we must.

Fleet Feet Poughkeepsie owner Kim Caruso was asked for her thoughts on this. As usual, she provided great insights, tips and context. Since opening her store more than five years ago, Caruso has done a great job in enhancing the sense of community among local runners.

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That, she said, is what we must lean into at a time like this.

“I think this topic really speaks to the importance of having a community of runners when you are in a situation where you may need to run in the dark or at odd times of the day,’’ Caruso wrote in an email. “We all know that there is safety in numbers and I really believe that not running alone is the best way to stay safe from this type of attack.’’

As we head into autumn, with daylight in both the early morning and early evening rapidly on the wane, finding a community with which to run is even more crucial, Caruso said. She noted she almost never runs alone. Usually, she’s part of a big training group, joining another running buddy or being accompanied by one of her trusty four-legged running buddies − her dogs.

“I've been very lucky that I haven't really had any close calls or bad experiences while out running," she said. “I've had more close calls with cars almost hitting me, but I think that's a topic for another column."

“I know many women are very rattled by what happened in Tennessee and many have been nervous to lace up and get out there. It's totally understandable, but I think it's also a great opportunity to try to find a group to run with so that you don't have to be alone.’’

Not surprisingly, this event evoked a lot of emotion from women’s runners on social media. When something like this happens and it brings out fear in others, that is the definition of terrorism. A few Facebook posts addressed this with courage and defiance.

“Girls and women should never feel unsafe doing something that brings them peace … no one should.”

“Therefore, I’m not going to let fear get in the way of my love of running.”

However, the reality of this situation is that actionable plans need to be considered. Caruso contributed several safety tips as well:

Caruso summed up that because the Tennessee tragedy was so highly publicized, it serves as a strong reminder − for women and men − to be vigilant about all aspects of runner safety.

“Other than running in groups and utilizing the safety features mentioned above, let's not forget about other things such as wearing highly visible clothing, running against traffic when running on roads, wearing a flashing reflective vest during low light hours, not running with sound blocking earbuds, etc.’’

Mid-Hudson Road Runners Club member Pete Colaizzo, the track coach at Marist College in Poughkeepsie, writes on running every week. He can be reached at runhed246@hotmail.com. For more club information, go to www.mhrrc.org