Ultrarunner Literally Ran Into a Bear in Yosemite Valley

Jon-Kyle Mohr did not expect his 50-mile run into Yosemite Valley to end with an unwanted bear hug, but that’s what he got. (He’s OK, thankfully.) It was after dark, and Mohr was so close to finishing his trek—less than a mile, in fact—when he suddenly saw a large shape coming toward him out of the corner of his eye. It was a black bear, and then they collided.

Mohr told the LA Times that after he and the bear ran into each other, Mohr stumbled back, regained his footing, then stood face-to-face with the large black bear. The bear appeared equally offended by the collision; Mohr had knocked the bear’s garbage meal right out of its mouth.

Luckily, Mohr and some Good Samaritans knew what to do—get big and loud. Mohr said he started yelling and “slapping his running poles on the pavement.” Some people camping nearby understood the assignment; they also yelled and banged on pots and pans.

The bear then left, and Mohr got medical help for the scratches on his shoulder, but declined a precautionary trip to the hospital. Perhaps what troubles Mohr most is the sheer outrageousness of such a collision—or, should we call it an attack?

“It was just a really strange, random collision,” Mohr told LA Times. “If I had rested my feet for 20 seconds longer at any point over the sixteen hours, it wouldn’t have happened.”

Yosemite has not yet released an official statement on the incident. We’re glad Mohr walked away startled but mostly unharmed.

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