A DNF race attempt a few days before set Burt up to be the first person on scene of what could’ve been an accident turned tragedy
Ultra runner Candice Burt posted an adrenaline-filled story on Instagram earlier today (Apr 17, 2021) of how she came across an overturned car on fire on SR-17 just outside of Soap Lake, Washington.
Without overthinking the situation or risk for her own life, Burt sprung into action, literally fighting through glass and hot, searing flames to awaken and extricate an unconscious man trapped in his own burning vehicle.
Here’s Burt’s Instagram post, including photos, below. I’ve also cut and pasted her entire post for you to read in its entirety.
To understand the magnitude of these two humans paths crossing in this exact moment of time and space, you have to understand where Burt was just coming from. Burt was driving home from Tucson, Arizona, finishing a little over a week and a half of self recovery after a medical emergency forced her to DNF out of a solo-supported race.
This is no ordinary race, it was a time trial to beat the overall record on Arizona’s famed 800-mile long Arizona Trail. The trail spans the entire state of Arizona from South to North, going from Mexico to the Utah border.
Embed from Getty ImagesUK ultra runner Josh Perry set the overall known record for the gargantuan stretch of land in 2019 in 14 days 12 hours and 21 minutes.
If you read my title Burt is no ordinary runner, she’s an Ultra Runner and then some.
Burt’s famously won several ultra marathons ranging from 95 miles all the way to her self-created 200 mile races. This is what Burt does, and she’s really good at it.
This was also Burt’s third attempt at this 800-mile Arizona Trail course record. According to Burt’s blog, she first attempted this record in 2019 and then again in 2020, just as the Coronavirus was ramping up.
If you’re a fan of Burt’s, you’ll know how much a disappointment this latest DNF was for her. Prior to this race attempt and, presumably, like the previous two, Burt had to prep for the race weeks in advance. To give up on a record-breaking attempt a little over a third of the way through because of something you couldn’t have planned for must’ve been frustrating.
Of all the things I considered could end my 800 mile Arizona Trail attempt, a dental abscess was not on the list. Also, what’s worse: the disappointment of having to go to hospital OR not being able to eat after 5 days of running?!
— Candice Burt (@runcandice) April 8, 2021
But, as one commenter on Instagram wittily put, DFBIDSAGL or, “Did not finish, but I did save a guy’s life.”
By the time she came across that horrific accident, Burt had already been driving two whole days and was just two hours away from her own home.
As Burt put,
“I know for a fact, I saw with my own eyes: He would’ve died this morning if we didn’t cross paths.”
Take a look at Burt’s provided location where the crash happened. Outside of a tiny RV resort in the middle of pastoral Grant County, I can’t imagine many cars traverse this lonely road, especially so early in the morning.
So for the powers that be, to place Burt at that exact location at just the right time to save a man from his own accident, is nothing short of a miracle.
Here’s what Burt shared on her Instagram story as of this writing.
Hopefully Burt and this man reunite later on down the road when things cool down. A story this epic, in my opinion, deserves a bit more resolution and unpacking between the two.
