I Could Never Do That 36 Taylor Dutch - Fighting Back After An Assault
In December of 2017, Austinite Taylor Dutch was running at Lady Bird Lake with a friend. It was a crowded day on the trail — about 11 am — right near Austin High under the Mopac Bridge. She stopped to use the restroom and what happened next is nothing short of shocking, sad, pathetic and pretty much horrific.
Taylor was assaulted…in broad daylight.
Her essay about this incident and the aftermath recently appeared on RunnersWorld.com and today, she’s brave enough to talk through it again with me, a stranger who became like a sister in one short conversation.
A friend had forwarded me the essay and it very unexpectedly brought up emotions from a past event in my life - 23 years ago- that I wasn’t expecting.
We both processed a lot with each other, but I think you’ll find that, even though the aftermath of a traumatic incident is incredibly frustrating and confusing, Taylor is armed with hope and resolve to help other women and assist in their proverbial chase for closure.