An ultramarathoner with a rare genetic condition allowing him to run nonstop was attacked by a coyote during a trail race through the wilderness.

Dean Karnazes, 59, was completing a 150-mile trail run in California’s Marin Headlands north of San Francisco when the attack happened on August 13.

‘I got attacked by a coyote, that’s a first,’ Karnazes said seemingly laughing off the pain. ‘It knocked me over. Thankfully, I’m running with poles, so I whacked it and it ran away. Kinda brutal.’

Karnazes can be seen with blood covering his face and large gash under his mouth.

Karnazes was competing in the Marin Headlands Endurance Run. The race, which takes place in the so-called Trail Running Mecca, routes runners past the Golden Gate Bridge and up the northern California coast.

Later, Karnazes posted on Instagram that the coyote ‘won the battle’.

He also shared the bloody video on Twitter.

‘I’ve been attacked by a shark and now a coyote,’ he wrote. ‘Both incidents were terrifying.’

Karnazes said he believes coyotes have become a bigger problem due to human interaction.

‘I’ve witnessed firsthand people (mostly tourists) have been feeding wild coyotes in the Marin Headlands,’ he wrote in an Instagram post after the race.

‘When you see someone feeding a coyote, please say something. The local Rangers are doing the best they can, but we trail runners are out in these areas more than anyone.’

Karnazes is able to run for such long distances due to a rare genetic condition that allows him to rapidly flush lactic acid from his body – enabling him to run great distances without getting tired.

Some of Karnazes accomplishments include running a marathon to the South Pole at -13 degrees Fahrenheit and running through Death Valley, which can get above 110 degrees Fahrenheit.

Karnazes also ran 50 marathons in all 50 states in 50 days, according to his website.

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