'I will miss running alone': Woman recounts sexual assault on Austin trail
KXAN wants to caution that some of the descriptions in this article are graphic.
AUSTIN (KXAN) — A familiar trail that one Austin woman frequently ran on is now one she no longer wants to visit.
The woman, who asked KXAN to hide her identity, said she went on a jog Saturday morning on Southern Walnut Creek Trail in Austin.
“I’ve been training for a half marathon for the past six months or so,” the woman said. “I would usually do daytime runs, usually in the mornings.”
She described how it was a beautiful day with families and others at the trail that morning. It was like any other time she’d been there, except this time wouldn’t end like the others.
The woman recounted the moment a man attacked her on the trail.
“We were walking in the opposite direction, and then after that, he turned around and sprinted at me [in] an attempt to tackle me,” she said. “I was able to fight back a little bit, but he had me bear-hugged, and he groped my breasts.”
The woman said she screamed and he sprinted off. She ran away and yelled for help.
“I found a group of cyclists who stopped and helped me as I called 911,” the woman said. She said the Austin Police Department arrived shortly after and started a search but couldn’t find the man.
“I’ve had a victim counselor who’s been assigned to me through APD,” she said.
Her message to others
She’s sharing her story to highlight how this can happen at any time of day.
“Women are asked to take precaution when they’re running at night, and this happened at 9 a.m.”
Austin woman
The woman described how this left a lasting impact on her.
“Really all I can think sometimes is I will miss running alone,” the woman said. “I use running as a way to cope with everything in my life and that process for me has now been violated.”
Still, she won’t let it stop her from running in Sunday’s marathon.
“I didn’t want this to derail everything I’ve worked really hard for and my progress, so I will continue to do that,” the woman said.
The woman wanted to emphasize the importance of taking precautions when running. She recommended running with a group or a dog, and also trusting your gut if something feels off.
KXAN reached out to APD about this case for any update. The department told us they would reach out to the lead detectives and get back to us.
