Boy sent text saying he was being chased.
A 16-year-old runner competing in a popular Alaskan footrace Sunday texted a family member he was being chased by a black bear before the animal caught and killed him, the Alaska Dispatch News reported.
The identity of the teenager has not been released, but race officials told the newspaper the boy was attacked while descending Bird Ridge overlooking the Seward Highway near Anchorage.
Race Director Brad Precosky said he was in the middle of issuing awards when the teenager’s family member approached and informed him about the ominous text.
« I went off and talked to him about it, trying to get a straight story, » Precosky told the newspaper. « He was very shaken. »
Crews began immediately to search for the boy, using GPS coordinates from his phone as a guide. When they arrived, however, they found the bear guarding the boy’s body.
A park ranger shot the bear in the face, and the animal fled.
The runner’s body was found about 500 yards off the trail in a steep, heavily wooded area with a 30-degree slope, park ranger Tom Crockett told the newspaper. Pararescuers had to use a helicopter to remove the body.
The black bear was estimated at 250 pounds. As of Monday afternoon, officials were still searching for the wounded animal.
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Todd Masson can be reached at tmasson@nola.com or 504.232.3054.
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