"But it was very pretty."Ī few weeks back, Kauffman signed up for a 50-kilometer trail race, the Dirty 30 this summer in Colorado's Golden Gate Canyon State Park. "So (this was) a less than ideal first introduction to that set of trails," Kauffman said. Kauffman is an experienced trail runner, but this was his first time on West Ridge. He began his descent on a different one, West Ridge Trail, running south toward Horsetooth Mountain. He began at Arthur's Rock trailhead, eventually hooking up with Towers Trail, a steep 4x4 road within Horsetooth Open Space that stretches from Horsetooth Reservoir to the top of a ridge more than 7,000 feet in elevation.Īfter the lung-busting climb, Kauffman took in the view from the top of the well-trafficked trail. Kauffman started his run that day with a grueling slog. Full disclosure, Runyon and Kauffman have known each other for about four years. He identified himself at a press conference with Colorado Parks and Wildlife on Feb. He'd been anonymous since the attack on Feb. KUNC's Luke Runyon spoke with Kauffman for his first sit-down media interview. The cat continued the onslaught and lost its life. Without the aid of weapons, the runner fought back. The basic plotline was well-known within hours: A mountain lion ambushed a trail runner in a popular open space area. It's the type of story that feeds the impulses of internet commenters and quickly embeds itself in local folklore, like a Wild West tall tale come to life. The story of how he came face-to-face with a juvenile mountain lion and not only survived, but killed the animal that attacked him, soon became the stuff of legend. Within two hours, he'd emerge from the woods - clothes tattered, body blood-smeared, but alive. On an unseasonably warm February day, Travis Kauffman headed out around noon for a run in the foothills outside Fort Collins, wearing shorts and a fleece pullover.
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