When runners become part of the popular long-distance team relay events that populate the country these days, their typical concerns include sleep deprivation, getting lost on the course, or recovering between legs. Other than that, it’s all fun and games.

But for one runner who recently ran the 200-mile Ragnar Relay Cape Cod, the concerns took on a much more serious form: She literally had to fight for her life.

The runner, who wishes to use only Renee, her first name, was part of a second van of six runners and took to the roads just after dark. In the town of Onset, Massachusetts, about half way into her initial leg of 10 miles, Renee heard and saw what she thought was another runner out of the corner of her eye.

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“I heard someone running up from behind and I noticed he kept jumping on and off the sidewalk, especially when cars approached,” she said. “I wondered why he wasn’t saying anything to me, and why he wasn’t passing me.”

Renee began to sense that something wasn’t quite right about the runner, and picked up her pace in an attempt to lose him. He matched her speed, however, and at the bottom of a hill on a quiet, dark stretch of road, he jumped out and pulled her to the ground.

“He swung an arm around my neck and began choking me,” she said. “I was trying to push him off and also cry for help, but I was getting dizzy. I was fighting to survive.”

Renee had one thing on her side, however, and that was the fact that it was only 9:30 at night. A neighbor, Pam Franklin, was still outside on her porch and heard the sounds of Renee’s struggle. Franklin called out to see if someone needed help and her voice was enough to startle the attacker off Renee. He disappeared into the darkness.

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“I ran across the street and started banging on doors for help,” Renee said.

Franklin, in the meantime, dialed 911 and the nearby Wareham police arrived at the scene. “They got here pretty quickly,” said Renee. “They brought dogs to search for the attacker and took me to the hospital.”

Because the attack was so fast and furious, Renee wasn’t sure if she had struck her head as she hit the ground. “The hospital gave me a CT scan to check things out, and everything was fine,” she said. “I wasn’t hurt, just shaken.”

She has yet to return to any sort of training, but Renee has taken the important first step of running again. “I ran a race last weekend, surrounded by other people, which made me feel comfortable,” she said.

While she had no physical wounds, Renee recognizes that she is suffering emotional damage from the attack. “I’ve got phone calls out to counselors to make sure I get the help I need to process this,” she said.

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In the meantime, she hopes her story serves as a cautionary tale for others. “The fact that this happened in a race boggles my mind,” she said. “It makes you second guess your safety on regular runs.”

The race, in fact, had about 400 participants, making the attacker’s moves particularly bold.

“We were distressed and alarmed when a runner was accosted during our recent Ragnar Cape Cod event,” Ragnar officials said in an official statement. “We are incredibly grateful to our field staff, the community and the local police for their help in handling this situation. Nothing is more important to us than the safety of our runners. We are working with our internal staff and local authorities to fully review the events. We have been holding our overnight relay events for the past 15 years and will remain dedicated to putting on the safest events possible.”

As of now, Renee said that the police are keeping in touch with her on their investigation. “They have my headlamp, which I lost in the attack, and are checking it for DNA matches,” she said. “They’ve also had calls from the public with leads and are following up on them all.”

Following her discharge from the hospital, Renee headed back to the house she had rented with her teammates for some rest and recovery. Determined to finish on a brighter note, she bravely rejoined her friends to run across the finish line.

Renee, who has been running for 12 years now, said that the attack won’t keep her from the roads, but it will change her habits. “Because of my schedule, I often run in the dark in winter and without training partners,” she said. “But now I will carry pepper spray, let someone know where I am, and try to run with others and during daylight whenever I can.”

She hopes that other runners will take note, too. “You can’t ever predict something like this,” she said, “but you can prepare for it. Don’t let yourself be vulnerable.”

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