For most runners, a mountain trail is a place to challenge yourself, escape the noise of everyday life and enjoy the scenery. But even familiar outdoor environments can become dangerous when wildlife and humans cross paths unexpectedly.In early 2019, one Colorado runner was preparing for an important milestone. He had been training hard for his first 50K race, putting in the miles on mountain trails around Fort Collins and becoming increasingly comfortable with the demanding terrain.On February 4, 31 year old Travis Kauffman was out for another training run. He had already reached the top of the trail and was making his way down the other side when something in the surrounding forest suddenly caught his attention.About a quarter mile into the descent, Travis heard the sound of pine needles moving and what sounded like a stick breaking. He turned around to see what had caused the noise, only to discover something he never expected.A mountain lion was chasing him.Travis knew that making himself appear larger and making loud noises could sometimes discourage a cougar from approaching. He started shouting, hoping the animal would back away.Instead, it kept coming.“And I started shouting. And unfortunately, the shouts didn’t deter it, so it just kinda kept running and lunged at me.” — Travis KauffmanThe mountain lion went straight toward his face. Travis threw up his hands to protect himself, but the animal grabbed his hand and wrist with its jaws.“Um, it was going towards my face, so I threw up my hands to kind of block my face. At which point it grabbed onto my hand and wrist. And, uh, from there, it started to claw at my face and neck.” — Travis KauffmanWhat followed was a brutal struggle that would last roughly 10 minutes.The animal managed to get one of its claws into Travis’s lip. He tried to throw it off him, but the struggle sent both of them tumbling down the side of the trail.Despite being attacked by a powerful predator, Travis kept fighting. At one point, he managed to get on top of the mountain lion and pin down its back legs.His situation was still extremely dangerous. His right hand remained trapped in the animal’s jaws, leaving him with limited use of the arm, but he began searching around him with his free hand for anything that could help.He first grabbed sticks and tried to use them against the mountain lion. His attempts to strike it in the neck were unsuccessful.Then he found a rock.“I tried to give it a few bashes in the back of the head, but, uh, unfortunately, I kind of had a tough time swinging it with my arm still locked into the cat’s jaws.” — Travis KauffmanTravis eventually shifted his weight and found a way to use his legs. With the mountain lion still fighting, he placed his right foot against its neck and continued holding it down.The animal repeatedly thrashed, causing more scratches and injuries, but Travis refused to let go.“I stepped on its neck with my right foot, and just slowly, after a few minutes, I thought I’d be getting close and then it’d start thrashing again, and I have a few more scratches that resulted from those thrashes at that point.”Eventually, after several more minutes, the mountain lion stopped moving. Its jaws opened, allowing Travis to pull his hand free and scramble back up the trail.He had survived the fight.But surviving the attack was only part of the ordeal. Travis had deep cuts across his face and puncture wounds on his hand and wrist, yet he still had to make his way roughly 3 miles, or 5 kilometers, to reach help.Fortunately, another runner found him on the trail and stayed with him. A different visitor then drove Travis to a hospital, where doctors treated his injuries.Travis ultimately needed 28 stitches and suffered temporary nerve damage that made it difficult to grip objects. Fortunately, his hand fully recovered within a few months.There was another frightening possibility that stayed with Travis after the attack. The mountain lion appeared to be a younger animal, and he worried that its mother might still have been nearby.“One of my big fears throughout the whole thing was another cat coming along because it was a younger cat, and I could tell it wasn’t fully grown. And I was just very concerned that mom was gonna come out of nowhere and at that point, that fight would be over pretty quickly.” — Travis KauffmanDespite everything that happened, Travis didn’t abandon his original goal. He went on to complete the Dirty 30 50K race he had been training for and even finished among the top 100 runners.His experience also demonstrated why experts advise people to fight back if a mountain lion actually attacks. Making yourself appear larger and shouting can sometimes discourage a cougar, but once an attack begins, protecting your head and neck becomes critical.In Travis’s case, there was no easy escape. He had to fight with whatever he could find, and after 10 terrifying minutes, he managed to overpower the animal and survive.