A marathon runner finished her race despite being smashed into by a deer three miles before the finish. (iStock)
A deer smashed into a New Jersey woman during a half-marathon and knocked her to the ground — but she still managed to make it to the finish line.
Christina Sanchez was 10 miles into the 13-mile Jersey Shore Half Marathon at Sandy Hook Sunday when a large buck with antlers jumped out of the woods and knocked her over onto the pavement, according to a report.
“It was just a blur of brown and white fur,” the 40-year-old told the Asbury Park Press on Tuesday. “Out of nowhere the deer came running out of the woods. He just hit me kind of head-on.”
The deer jumped onto Sanchez’s legs and then sprinted off into an area of brush and trees near Gunnison Beach. Sanchez thought her leg was broken. Fellow runners stopped to check on her and paramedics rushed over, taking about 10 minutes to determine the bones in Sanchez’s legs were intact.
Finishing the race was so dear to Sanchez, she shook off the shock and continued running. She wasn’t slowed down any further, as she finished 10 minutes off of her goal time.
“I wasn’t going to give up,” she said. “Three miles left out of 13 you have to finish it. I guess the adrenaline just kept me going.”