Jon-Kyle Mohr, a 33-year-old ultra-runner from California, experienced a terrifying encounter with a black bear during the final stretch of a 50-mile run in Yosemite Valley. The incident occurred on Sunday night when Mohr was less than a mile away from completing his run, a feat he had been planning for years.
Mohr, who had embarked on his journey from his home in June Lake, traversing the Sierra Nevada and descending into Yosemite Valley, was nearing the finish line when he spotted a large black figure charging towards him. The sudden impact with the bear resulted in a sharp pain on his shoulder and he was thrown into the darkness.
Following the collision, onlookers about 100 feet away began shining their headlamps in Mohr’s direction and shouting warnings of the bear’s presence. The impact had caused a bag of garbage, which the bear had apparently been carrying in its mouth, to scatter, possibly agitating the animal further.
In response to the bear’s second charge, Mohr began yelling and banging his running poles against the pavement. The noise, along with the shouts and clanging of pots and pans from the crowd, eventually drove the bear away. Despite the harrowing encounter, Mohr escaped with only torn clothes and minor scratches.
The incident took place near the popular Vernal Falls trailhead, just seven-tenths of a mile from Mohr’s intended finish line. Mohr expressed his relief at the bear’s apparent lack of intent to cause serious harm, a sentiment echoed by a park ranger who responded to the incident. The ranger, who had been working in the park for decades, had never witnessed such an accidental collision.
Following the incident, an ambulance arrived at the scene and medics attended to Mohr’s injuries. However, he declined to be transported to the hospital. Park rangers later informed Mohr that they had located and tranquilized the bear earlier that day and fitted it with a tracking collar, though they did not disclose the reason for their actions.
Mohr’s encounter with the bear marked a dramatic end to his 16-hour run. He reflected on the randomness of the incident, musing that a mere 20-second delay at any point during his run could have prevented the collision. According to Yosemite National Park’s website, there have been 10 bear incidents this year, a 9% decrease from the previous year’s total of 38 incidents.