Runner attacked by black bear during New Mexico marathon

In the middle of this New Mexico race, one woman was attacked by a black bear and had to be airlifted to hospital.

Adult North American Black Bear

Adult North American Black Bear

Over the weekend, one runner’s marathon experience had a tragic twist when she was attacked by a female black bear mid race.

The marathon took place on Saturday in New Mexico and had runners run the route through the Valles Caldera National Preserve. The woman was about 23.5 miles through her race and according to officers who responded to the attack, she surprised the black bear and her cub. The bear responded by attacking.

“I cried out in pain and Mama bear did not like that so she hit me with a left hook and bit my neck and started to try to shake me,” she wrote in a Facebook post after the incident. “The cub cried a bit while trying to get down the tree. Mama bear kept glancing my way to make sure that I was still “dead.” I was at that point afraid I might die.”

This incident, while extremely unlucky, is not as traumatic as when this runner was attacked by the same bear twice south of Seattle.

The incident was reported on by the Associated Press which also reported that runners took care of the woman until emergency response arrived. At that point, she was airlifted to Albuquerque hospital. Her injuries included scratches, bites and injuries to her head, upper body and neck. Though she needed immediate care, these injuries were not life threatening.

The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish is warning runners to stay out of the national preserve. Since the incident, officials have euthanized the bear and tested it for rabies.

The woman has shared her route from her Garmin here.

Are you running in bear territory this summer? Trail runners should be cautious of animals that they may encounter on the run this summer. Here are a few tips on how to stay safe around bears.

 

 

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