A Black Bear killed a teen who was participating in a race on Sunday, June 18. The identity of the teenager was not disclosed. The 16-year-old was running over the mountainous terrain as a part of the Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb race, in the junior division.
The incident took place just south of Anchorage in Alaska. The race director shared that the teen was starting his descent near the mid-point on Bird Ridge Trail when the black bear attacked him. The halfway point takes the runners up over a mountain, which leads them to the Seward Highway placed between Anchorage and Girdwood.
Runners were participating in the juniors division race till the halfway point, before going down. The halfway point is almost 1.5 miles from the starting point.
Bear kills runner
Race director Brad Precosky revealed that encountering a bear is not an unnatural event in Alaska or the trail. Precosky, who is also a Runner for the last 30 years, stated that many times people who have gone down the path say that they have run into a bear. Most of the time it turns out to be okay, but sometimes the incidents are serious (like on this occasion) and end in tragedy.
The officials shared that the teenager texted a family member recounting the run-in with the creature. The family member immediately informed Precosky about the incident.
Anchorage Police Dept. Sgt Nathan Mitchell said that the runner’s mother was present at the venue with family members and other children.
Teen runners body found a mile away from trail
As soon as the news of the attack reached the organizers, the other runners and officials went searching for the victim. One runner even stated that he had seen a black bear circling the teen.
The searchers were able to find the body using the GPS coordinates from his phone. However, even after locating the place, the officials and park rangers were unable to close into the spot as the animal remained in the area where the body was found.
The bear was shot in the face by a ranger, but he was unable to capture it.
Rangers, along with officials from the Alaska Department of Fish and Game, are continuing the search for the animal. The runner was declared spot dead, and officials discovered the body almost a mile upward from the race trail. Mitchell said that the place where the runner was found dead was “really, really rugged” territory located at the height of 1,500 feet. The body was airlifted off the mountain.
