New Jersey

New Jersey Runner Struck by a Deer Still Manages to Finish Half Marathon

She finished about 10 minutes slower than her goal time

What to Know

  • A runner who was struck by a deer during a half marathon in New Jersey still managed to cross the finish line
  • Christina Sanchez says she was on Mile 10 of the Jersey Shore Half Marathon at Sandy Hook on Sunday when a large buck took her out
  • She received attention from emergency personnel who gave her the OK to finish the race; She finished 10 minutes slower than her goal time

A runner who was struck by a deer during a half marathon in New Jersey still managed to cross the finish line.

Christina Sanchez tells the Asbury Park Press she was on Mile 10 of the Jersey Shore Half Marathon at Sandy Hook on Sunday when a large buck took her out.

Sanchez, 40, says the deer came dashing out of the woods and struck her in a "blur of brown and white fur."

The Fair Haven woman was knocked down before the deer sprinted back into a wooded area near Gunnison Beach. She received attention from emergency personnel who gave her the OK and encouraged her to finish the race.

Sanchez finished about 10 minutes slower than her goal time. But she says she wasn't going to give up.

"I always tell my kids if you’re knocked down just pick yourself back up and keep going," Sanchez told the publication.

So, how does she feel after her deer run-in and completing a half-marathon?

"I’m in a bit of pain the day after," she said Monday, attributing some tightness in her leg to the 13.1-mile feat, according to the Asbury Park Press.

"But it’s more the deer," she said.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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