Alison Walker shared the horrific tale on her Instagram
A British ultra-trail runner has described the horror she experienced after a man tried to rape her while she was training in the Algarve.
Alison Walker shared the tale of her horrific ordeal on her Instagram page, where she explained that a man ran out from behind some bushes and pushed her to the ground while running between Albufeira and Vilamoura.
The man then tried to remove her shorts as the 36-year-old athlete offered up her valuables in a bid to stop him, she said. Coincidentally, her Garmin watch ended up playing a crucial role in stopping the attack, as its ‘crash alert’ (designed to alert close contacts in the case of an emergency, such as someone falling down) was activated when she was pushed to the ground.
In a desperate bid to scare off the attacker, Alison told him that her watch had alerted police, which led the man to flee while also stealing her watch.
The Malaysian-born runner believes that the attack may have been “premeditated” as she spotted a piece of tarpaulin and a watter bottle nearby.
Alison Walker advised runners to take care when training along the so-called “honey farm loop” and praised Portugal’s GNR police for their swift response.
“The GNR were absolutely ace though, could not have faulted them. They were so quick and there were about 4-5 cars and vans and a cute dog to find the culprit. He’s still out and about so…,” wrote the athlete, who holds the record solo time for a 300km route called the Smog Graham Round which features the highest points in all 32 boroughs of London.
Alison has since published a new post on her Instagram page thanking everyone who has expressed their support.
“Running for me has been an outlet, and a (sic) bloody love running. To almost have that taken away is unthinkable,” she said.
