Another --- She shouldn't be alive

A story very similar to the Amy Racina story has just come to my attention today. Her name is Danelle Ballengee. She's an adventure racer and considered the best female adventure racer out there.

On Dec 13th of this year she was out on a normal 2 hour training run in Utah with her dog Taz. One misstep though and she slipped and fell about 60 feet where she bounced off rocks and boulders like a rag doll and ironically landing on her feet. She soon crumpled to the ground though due to pain. Danelle, was out in the middle of nowhere...with no one around. It was just her and her dog.

She crawled for five hours the first day getting about a half mile. She endured temps reaching into the 20's. She found a small puddle frozen over with ice she was able to break and drink a little water from.

She soon realized her only hope of survival was her dog Taz. And she basically told him that. After those words came out of her mouth Taz hit the trail...barking all the way. (I'm not a big dog fan, but this just warms my heart and almost makes me wish I had a dog). Taz would run back and forth, checking on Danelle for the next few days.

A search party was sent out on the third day. Taz was reconized by one of the individuals looking for her. They tried to catch the dog, but he wouldn't let them near him. They finally decided to just follow him. And after tracking him for about 6 miles, they found Danelle....ALIVE!

She was rushed to the hospital where docters were totally amazed that she was still alive. Despite the freezing temperature the types of injuries she had...most people die within 8-12 hours, not alive after three days! She was in surgery for 6 hours to fix her shattered pelvis and two fractured vertebrae.

And yes, Danelle still plans to be able to run again. Maybe not race at the level she once did, but she will remain active...I'll bet you anything.

TAZ (Photo by Pam Mindard)

If you want to read the full story on Danelle go to: http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_361142746.html

Story By ESPN: http://sports.espn.go.com/outdoors/general/news/story?id=2704879