32-year-old Billy Halloran was known to go for runs or walks in the woods in Myoko, Japan; he even ran an ultramarathon through the woods. Who would think that in early October he would be brutally attacked by a bear in those same woods.

Halloran was on his daily run through the woods when he encountered something he’d never thought he would see: 2 Asiatic black bears. He knew he was in trouble considering the number of bear attacks in Japan have been increasing, leaving 100 injured people so far this year and 7 killed. He slowly backed away from the bears, but one of the bears started approaching him. According to a CNN news article, Halloran stated, “It was around my size, it was an adult, it was at least 60 or 70 kilos (about 132 to 154 pounds),” he said”(Yeung Oct 20).

Afraid that the bears would chase him if he ran, he instead started shouting at the bears in an attempt to scare them. That wouldn’t happen, though. When one of the bears lunged at him, he held his arm in front of his face, and the bear bit down on it, pushing him to the ground.

The bear then began attacking his leg, scratching at it and leaving claw marks before backing off. Halloran then got to his feet, engaging in a brief standoff with the bear before it ran off back into the brush. Scared that the bear might return, Halloran called his wife to come pick him up. Despite his broken arm and badly injured leg, he managed to run a kilometer to meet up with his wife and wait for an ambulance.

Halloran needed to have 3 surgeries done, including a hip graft to cover a chunk of bone the bear bit off and the insertion of metal plates into his arm. He has a long road to recovery, including physical rehabilitation. Halloran had hoped to train for more races after competing in an ultramarathon and still plans to, but after this incident, he knows it will never be the same. Even with the trauma of the bear encounter, thanks to the support from community runners who helped him throughout his recovery, Halloran is determined as well to get back to running in the woods.

The number of bear attacks in Japan has been increasing as they wander from their habitats closer to civilization in search of food. Experts believe that due to climate change and reduced acorn production, bears are leaving their homes and moving closer to human-populated areas. As Canada Running magazine reports, “In recent months, bears have been sighted in supermarkets and near schools, prompting the government to announce stronger control measures”(Milne, Oct 20). Recently in Numata, Gunma, 2 men were attacked by a bear when it entered a supermarket, as well as in Shirakawa-go, when a bear swiped at a Spanish tourist at a bus stop.

Halloran plans to be more cautious the next time he goes into the woods. He’s grateful that he survived and plans to return to the trails, but he will start carrying pepper spray in case of another encounter. He’s also counting on winter snowboarding to help him regain his confidence outdoors.