YEAR: 2012

SEASON: Fall

MONTH: October

DATE: 4

STATE: Virginia

COUNTY: Franklin County

LOCATION DETAILS: Alean Road goes from Wirtz Road to Boones Mill Road in Franklin County and is only about a 7 mile stretch of road.

NEAREST TOWN: Wirtz

NEAREST ROAD: Alean Road

OBSERVED: I am an avid runner. I run close to 50 miles a week every week. I often run the exact same route. When I trail run I have been followed by deer and other wildlife that comes up from time to time. However, today was different. First I was not on a trail but on a country road near my house. I crossed a main road and was headed out to my turn around point. There is a thick wooded area on the right hand of the road. I heard something in the woods and thought maybe it was a deer or a dog. I kept running but the noise kept happening. It was like someone was in the woods just out of sight running in the leaves as I was running on the road. I would slow down and it would slow down. I would speed up and it would speed up. When I passed a house the noise would stop for a few yards and then pick back up again in the wooded areas. I am an avid hunter. This really sounded like a person or something like a person running along in the woods as I ran the road. Thing is the wooded side of the road is very up and down with several deep drop offs. So whatever was keeping pace with me was able to navigate them with no problem at all. I run a 9 minute mile pace. So whatever was following me in the woods had to keep that pace yet in the woods and the deep valley areas. Maybe I was hearing things. However, there was a recent sighting in our area and I thought I would at least report this to you guys. No visual on what was there. I will keep a better eye out into the woods now if I hear it again though.

ALSO NOTICED: Just the fact that it would slow down and speed up when I did. That and it would go around the house areas and then come back to shadow me in the woods.

OTHER WITNESSES: Just myself on my run.

OTHER STORIES: I know of a few other sightings in the area but not sure how many. I have heard what could be a Bigfoot many times over my life. The most was when I lived in Western Kentucky where we hunted in Pennyrile National Forest. There were knocks and howls back in there all the time. They called the place Bigfoot Hollow.

TIME AND CONDITIONS: This was around 9:30 AM and was extreme over cast weather from a lingering storm over the last few days of rain.

ENVIRONMENT: Rolling hills around the Blue Ridge Mountains.

Follow-up investigation report by BFRO Investigator D.K.:

After communicating with Mr. W. the following details may be added to his report:

-As an avid runner Mr. W. logs somewhere around 40 miles plus a week and runs trails and roads on the same routes on a routine basis.

-He has seen plenty of bears and heard them in the woods and is occasionally followed for short distances by deer when he runs.

-This encounter was not on a trail or in the woods, but along a country road.

-The weather was overcast, somewhat foggy and visibility into the woods along the road was poor.

-After starting his normal 10 mile route running all of Alean Road, at the 2.5 mile mark Mr W. crossed Bonbrook Mill Road. After crossing, the right hand side of the road is mostly wooded to his turn around point at Boones Mill Road.

-About 25 yards beyond Bonbrook Mill Road Mr. W. began to hear something in the woods.

-He slowed to look and see if it was a deer or dog but could see nothing. He noticed at this time that the noise following him also slowed down.

-As Mr. W. sped up again, so did the sound of something pacing him. To Mr. W. it sounded like a person running in the leaves, but much louder, and he could hear branches and other debris breaking easily as the subject followed.

-Mr. W. decided it was someone playing around with him and just kept running. When he made it to the first house the noise stopped and Mr. W. continued his run.

-After passing the house, and about 20 yards farther along the road, the noise picked up again, just as he had heard it before. Mr. W. believes whatever was tailing him had gone around the house, possibly to stay out of sight.

-As he continued his run, Mr. W. would occasionally slow down, or even come to a full stop, and the shadowing sounds would slow or stop with him. These shadowing sounds continued steadily for about a mile and then stopped.

-Mr. W. is certain it was not an animal that followed him, and if it was a person they would have to navigate creeks, valleys, and thick forest as if they were running down the side of a road.

-Mr. W. runs at a 9 minute per mile pace and whatever was in the woods kept pace with him over rough terrain for a full mile. Mr. W. estimates his shadower was about 50 yards away in the woods because he could not see anything with the fog.

-Mr. W. has run this route repeatedly since that day, but has not heard it again. The property is privately owned so he could not go and look more closely into what it might have been following him.

About BFRO Investigator D.K.:

D.K. is a business executive with an MS in Systems Engineering. Formerly a linguistic analyst, he applies his knowledge to the collection and study of sasquatch vocals and communication patterns. BFRO expeditions attended: Tennessee 2010, Pennsylvania 2011, Ohio 2012, West Virginia 2012 & West Virginia 2013

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