Kelly Herron was four miles into her run when she decided to take a break and head into a public restroom. The Seattle jogger said she became aware that something wasn't right when as she was drying her hands. She turned around and noticed there was a man who was hiding in a stall.
Herron said the man, identified as 40-year-old Gary Steiner, took her down to the ground. Steiner struck both her legs and knees, but she decided to fight back. She said she kept screaming and shouting expletives at Steiner.
Herron felt like she was going to lose consciousness
Herron wore a GPS device. The device revealed her attempts to get away from Steiner, who is a registered sex-offender. Herron said she managed to pull herself out of the stall. However, the struggle continued. At one point Herron felt like she was going to lose consciousness. The jogger got a rush of adrenaline and then she finally made it out of the stall and was able to get away.
Self-defense lessons helped
Herron believes self-defense lessons helped her. She learn self-defense tactics just three weeks prior to the incident. Herron said she learned about hard bones and soft fleshy places, which is why she was trying to hit Steiner's head with part of her hand.
Jordan Giarratano, of Fighting Chance Seattle, described the incident as surreal. He has been running the self-defense workshop for four years and he said it was humbling and overwhelming. Giarratano has been teaching self-defense for over 20 years.
Steiner was arrested
As for Steiner, the sex-offender ended up being locked inside the bathroom.
This was due to a passerby that aided Herron. Steiner was kept in the bathroom until police arrived and hauled him off to jail.
Herron shared a post on Instagram, which showed her with bruises. In the post, she wrote how she felt empowered. She said her spirit was intact, even though her faced was stitched and her body was bruised. Herron added that police said she did a good job. Steiner also suffered some injuries, as police told her that she did a number on his face.
