A man out on his morning run was chased by bears in Auburn.
Moninda Marube said he’s been running the trails in Auburn for the past five years. During that time he says he’s seen all sorts of wildlife, but what he encountered on Wednesday morning was a first.
Marube said he headed out early Wednesday morning for an 18-mile run. About six miles in, by Lake Auburn, he heard rustling in the woods, but assumed it was a deer. Then, two black bears stopped in front of him on their way to the lake. Marube ran away from them, and when they chased him, he hid at a nearby house.
“I remember a number of theories that people have given me, if you came across a bear, you hide your head, you go down,” Marube said. “Either you become big. Those theories at that time, I wasn’t even thinking about them.” He admitted that in his panic, he “did everything wrong.”
The Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife recommends acting “large,” and that turning and running could trigger a predator response in bears.
Marube said despite how frightening the experience was, it was a good way to beat his personal record.