Article · The Guardian World · Aug 19, 2026

Alaska athlete uses bear spray to fend off animal attack: ‘nightmare come to life’

Klaire Rhodes was attacked by a brown bear in state park but spray helped her escape with ‘relatively minor injuries’ An Alaska marathon athlete used a repellant spray to fend off an attacking bear that officials say injured her while she ran on a popular trail recently – an encounter that she has since described as “a nightmare come to life”.