Karren Williams was almost at mile 24, when she yelled “no!” at a bear charging her.
Williams just crested the top of a hill during a New Mexico marathon event, she wrote on Facebook, and threw her arms up before she was taken down by the bear. Her body soon was “being raked with claws and bitten.”
When she cried out in pain, the bear bit into her neck and tried to shake her.
Williams rolled into a ball and played dead. The bear had a cub nearby. Thankfully, her attacker was distracted by the cub up a tree. While the bear made her way to the cub, she glanced back at Williams.
“I was at that point afraid I might die,” Williams said.
Williams laid still on the ground, unable to see because of blood in her eyes. The bear didn't come back.
About a half an hour later, a runner came to her rescue. Then, others came to help.
"There are dozens of other people that helped me and I appreciate them all," Williams said.
She was airlifted to a hospital nearby, where she was treated for her injuries.
The attack happened the Valles Caldera National Preserve near Los Alamos, New Mexico June 18. The New Mexico Department of Game and Fish said June 19 they killed an adult female black bear believed to be the one responsible for the attack.
“It is regrettable when a wildlife encounter results in human injuries and requires we euthanize the animal,” said Department Director Alexandra Sandoval in a statement. “We are thankful that the injuries sustained by the victim were not worse and are hopeful that she is able to recover quickly.”
Officials are still looking for three cubs, believed to belong to the bear. They plan to use live traps to capture the cubs and place them in the New Mexico Wildlife Center in Espanola.
