Melanie Eversley

USA TODAY

A runner mauled by a bear on a military base in Alaska had to walk between one and two miles along a curvy, hilly trail before finding help, according to published reports and authorities.

The woman, who asked not to be identified, was out for a run at Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson when she turned a corner and came upon a bear protecting her two cubs, according to News Channel 4 in Anchorage. The bear took a protective stance and clawed the woman's arms, legs, neck and torso, the news organization reported.

"The bear attacked her, defending her babies, seeing her as a threat," Mark Sledge, senior conservation law enforcement officer at the base, told Fox News.

Bleeding and dazed, the woman then began walking to find help. A soldier spotted her and took her to a hospital on base, and from there she was transferred to the Alaska Native Medical Center in Anchorage, where she was listed in stable condition Monday.

"The survival instinct for that woman is phenomenal," Sledge told Fox.

The woman's husband is stationed at the base and he was running with her, but ran up ahead just before the attack, according to News Channel 4.

When he noticed that he could not find his wife, he called her in as missing, after which base representatives informed him she was in the emergency room and took him to her, according to the Anchorage Daily News.

Base officials are closing off the road where the woman was running for at least a week, based on the recommendation of state wildlife officials, the Daily News reported.

The Alaska Department of Fish and Game last month issued warnings that bears were emerging from dens and urging Alaska residents to place trash, livestock feed and pet food in bear-resistant containers.