Bear Kills Two Runners in Alaska Park
A part of Alaska’s popular Chugach State Park remained closed Monday after a bear killed two avid long-distance runners, Marcie Trent, 77, and her son, Larry Waldron, 45.
It was the reserve’s first fatal bear attack. Experts believe it was the first time a bear had killed two people at once in Alaska, and possibly on the continent.
One of the two victims was believed to have been on a training run on a thickly vegetated trail when the attack occurred.
Details of the Saturday attack remained sketchy on Monday. There were no witnesses, but an autopsy confirmed the cause of death.
Authorities plan to kill the bear when it is found, according to Rick Sinnott, an Alaska Department of Fish and Game biologist.
Sinnott said that Trent and Waldron may have stumbled upon the bear’s buried food supply while running, causing the bear to attack.
Meanwhile, state officials reiterated warnings against trail running, a growing activity in the park and elsewhere in Alaska. “I always tell people trail running’s dangerous,” Sinnott said.
Officials urged park visitors to be slower and louder on the trails because bears normally will move away if they hear someone coming.
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