Runner recalls desperate fight with thrashing mountain lion

FORT COLLINS, Colo. (AP) — A Colorado runner who was attacked by a mountain lion says he felt a wave of fear that he wouldn't survive the encounter before he managed to stomp on its neck and suffocate it.

Travis Kaufmann on Thursday recalled wrestling with the thrashing, clawing cat during the Feb. 4 attack.

He says he was running on a mountain trail west of Fort Collins when the silent cat lunged at him, bit his wrist and clawed at his face, neck and body.

He says he hit the cat with a rock before he was able to press down on its neck until it stopped moving.

He said the animal weighed at least 35 pounds (16 kilograms).