A pair of marathon runners who were hit by lightning during a race in Colorado–and finished the race, because marathon runners are some kind of superhuman beings.
Trail runner Adam Campbell was running in the Hardrock 100 race in Silverton, Colorado last Friday when a storm started brewing over the track. Campbell and his pace runner Aaron Heidt were approaching Handles Peak, the highest point of the mountain race, when lightning started striking the top of the mountain ahead of them. The terrain was also wide open so there was nothing between them but the land and the sky but they decided to press on and finish the race. The two were standing on a running trail at an elevation of 11,000 feet when the lightning struck them. It hit the ground and they could feel the electricity from the surge coursing through them. Campbell said he could feel the lightning hit the back of his head and it even burned out the headlamp he was wearing to help him run in the dark. The two dusted themselves off and checked to make sure they were OK. Then they decided to keep running.
It appears that the two didn’t suffer any serious injuries and even though the lightning took some of the wind out of their sails, they still pressed on and managed to finish the race in third place. They completed their 100-mile run in just over 25 hours. Getting hit by lightning during any sporting event and actually finishing it should automatically qualify you for the gold medal.
Marathon Runners Struck By Lightning, Finish Race Anyway
