Human Telemetry: Tony Kay: training, working, coding

Not particularly fast, not particularly strong or weak, just an enjoyable trail run West of Boulder on Table Mesa then about 8 km into what was meant to be a 15k I saw a big black dog moving down on to the trail ahead. In fact a very very big dog... Carried on running towards it and then saw another black shape less than 20m away just sitting on its haunches in the clearing checking me out.

Two Black Bears - absolutely amazing. These two were probably a few years old according to a ranger I spoke with later. Fortunately old enough not to have a protective mother in tow. In fact three of them later came down into our neighborhood in Boulder and checked out some of the bins. Makes a change from the deer we get almost every day and the occasional fox.

So remembering my reading on both bears ("make yourself look big") and bodybuilding, not a sport I've ever done but climbers in the 80s read such things in the search for training knowledge, I hit a quick "most muscular" pose but rolled out the shoulders a bit more for some extra "manly width". They were unimpressed and neither advanced nor indicated a score. Abandoning the pose-down I kept looking at them and slowly backed away whilst smiling! It was hard not to in the face of these two incredible creatures. However my better half told me off for smiling saying I look threatening - thanks Maja!

I met a couple of runners on my way back and tipped them off expecting them to take another route but I guess they were just too curious and kept on going. This was just the best run ever and I hope to see them again. Many folks in Boulder go their entire life never coming across them. If you do meet a Black Bear or two then:

• Don't Panic!
• Don't make direct eye contact
• Don't turn your back on them
• Don't behave in a threatening manner
• Don't appear frightened
• Don't climb a tree - they are better climbers than you even if you can climb E9, or 8a, or 5.14
• Do Back Off slowly- facing them

Finally in the unlikely event you do get attacked do not "play dead" - a Black Bear is not a Grizzly so if they attack you they probably want to eat you! So fight back - but it is pretty unlikely this will happen although tragically and very unusually a young boy was killed a few days later in Utah by a Black Bear.