SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS RADIO) – While embarking upon a 150-mile trail race through the Marin Headlands last Thursday, a Bay Area ultramarathon runner was brutally attacked by a coyote.
For more, stream KCBS Radio now.
The bizarre turn of events occurred just before 3 a.m., while 59-year-old Dean Karnazes jogged through the Headlands Endurance Run. He had covered around 40 miles when he was attacked by the animal near the west parking lot of the Golden Gate Bridge.
Karnazes took to Instagram to recount the events, recording a video directly after the incident with blood running down his chin. According to the Marin County ultramarathon runner, the coyote knocked him over from behind, but he was able to fight it off with the help of a walking pole, calling the experience "terrifying."
"I whacked it and it ran away," he said. "I guess I've got to keep going or else it will probably come back for me."
In a separate Instagram post, Karnazes encouraged people to stop feeding wild coyotes, as this may be the reason he was attacked.
"As I've witnessed firsthand, people (mostly tourist) have been feeding wild coyotes in the Marin Headlands area of California. This has got to stop," he urged. "If you see someone feeding a coyote, please say something. The local Rangers are doing the best they can, but we trail runners are out in these areas more than anyone."
Virginia Donohue, director of San Francisco Animal Care and Control, told KCBS Radio's Matt Bigler feeding coyotes makes the wild dogs much more bold around humans. "Last year in San Francisco we had a coyote that needed to be eliminated because it was approaching small children. It was approaching small children because it had been fed for years by many people across the city."
Surprisingly, Karnazes said this isn't the first time he has been attacked by a wild animal. "I've been attacked by a shark, and now a coyote. Both incidents were terrifying," he wrote. He suffered minor injuries from the incident.
DOWNLOAD the Audacy App
SIGN UP and follow KCBS Radio
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram
Related
