Chugach State Park, Alaska – On Sunday, June 18, 2017 a 16-year-old trail runner was chased and killed by a black bear near the Bird Ridge Trail during the 29th annual Robert Spurr Memorial Hill Climb near Mile 100 on the Seward Highway east of Anchorage, Alaska.
The unidentified teen had reached the turnaround point of the race and was descending when the incident occurred. Apparently he had gotten off trail. At 12:37, he alerted his brother, who was near the finish line, that he was being chased by a bear. At that point, authorities initiated a rescue and located the boy by pinging his cell phone.
The body was found in rugged terrain and the bear was guarding the body. ADN.com reports that the teen was located “about a mile from the trailhead about 500 yards off the trail in steep, heavily wooded terrain at about a 30-degree slope.” Alaska Air National Guard responded by helicopter to retrieve the body.
Chugach State Park Rangers were able to locate the 250-pound black bear and shot it in the face. Rangers and the Alaska Department of Fish and Game are actively searching for the wounded bear.
We will try to update this post when more information is available.
