A Jogger Battled An Attacker During A Run And Her Fitness Tracker Captured The Scary Incident

It’s a fear for many female joggers, whether they are going for a run during the day or at night, that someone may attempt to harm them while they are focusing on their run. It may not be the first worry on their minds, or completely distracting at all times, but it is definitely in the back of many people’s mind as they go about their fitness regiment. That nightmare came true for one runner out for a jog around Seattle this week, as a scary incident occurred in the middle of her 10-mile trek.

Kelly Herron, a young woman currently training for a marathon, stopped in the middle of her run to take a quick bathroom break and before she knew it all hell broke loose. A known sex offender was hiding in the bathroom, jumped out at her when she made her pit stop, and started beating her around the face, legs, and knees. In an interview with ABC News, Herron said

“As I was drying my hands, I became aware that something was wrong. He immediately took me down to the ground, hit both my knees and legs, and then it was a fight on the bathroom floor, and I just kept screaming, ‘Not today, m—–f—–‘”

Eventually, Herron was able to use her recent self-defense training and a “surge of adrenaline” to get out of the stall she was trapped in, escape the bathroom, and lock the offender in the bathroom with a carabiner supplied by some good samaritan passersby. In an Instagram post after the ordeal, Herron wrote

“My biggest running nightmare became reality- 4 miles into my long run Sunday afternoon. I stopped to use the restroom and was assaulted by a man hiding in a stall (that is my GPS in red lines). I fought for my life screaming (“Not today, M**F**er!”), clawing his face, punching back, and desperately trying to escape his grip- never giving up. I was able to lock him in the bathroom until police arrived. Thankfully I just took a self-defense class offered at my work and utilized all of it.”

As the image she posted along with that caption shows, she was pretty beaten and bruised from the battle and it’s lucky she got away in the end. The other photo shows theincredible fact that the fitness tracker she was wearing at the time continued to track her movements during the fight, showing just how much she was battling and moving to get away from her attacker. It’s a visual representation of a harrowing moment, and one that spells out just how much of a warrior Herron is.

(via ABC News)

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