California family saves runner from bear attack

August 15, 2024

In Long Barn, Calif., a young man’s regular evening training run turned into a life-threatening bear chase, and a nearby family was forced to step in.

Out on a regular run, the man encountered a black bear cub, triggering an angry pursuit by the mother bear. The runner, desperate and injured, attempted to hide behind a tree, but the bear found him, leaving him with severe scratches, bite marks and torn clothes—he even lost a shoe.

Heather Silfies and her family sprang into action, managing to scare the bear away and providing crucial aid to the injured runner until paramedics arrived. Running Magazine