The Colorado trail runner who killed a young mountain lion with his bare hands after it pounced on him survived by whacking the animal with a rock, wrestling the cat to the ground, and using his whole body to choke it to death, state park and wildlife officials said. New accounts of what happened offer the first new details about the encounter that quickly became a viral, international story. The man, who is in his thirties and has not been identified, left the hospital Tuesday morning and is "doing well considering his ordeal," Colorado Parks and Wildlife tweeted Wednesday. He suffered bite wounds across his face and arms, and he was treated and tested for viruses and infections, including rabies. "It's definitely not something you hear every day," Rebecca Ferrell, spokesperson for Colorado Parks and Wildlife, told BuzzFeed News Thursday. "We know it sounds hard to believe, but his survival instinct kicked in and he did what he had to do." Ferrell went into more detail as to how the man, who she described as a "decent trail runner," was able to fend off the wild cat alone, in the middle of nowhere, and then drive himself to the hospital. On Monday, the man had been running on West Ridge, a popular trail in Larimer County's Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, a 2,711-acre wildlife area near Fort Collins, when he heard a noise behind him. He turned around and locked eyes with a young mountain lion near the trail, which had been stalking him, Ferrell said, noting that the cat was less than a year old and "was probably just learning how to hunt." "He was a juvenile and didn't know the risk versus reward of attacking a human versus an animal," she said. "It was startled by something running and decided to pounce." At first, the runner froze, then he started making a lot of noise, yelling and waving his arms above his head to try to scare off the wild animal.<doc-sep>The bloodied Colorado trail runner who fought off a rare mountain lion attack pummeled the young cat with a rock, wrestled it to the ground and ultimately choked the animal to death with his hands, arms and feet, state wildlife officials said Tuesday. The man — who is his 30s and has yet to be publicly identified — was released from a hospital Tuesday morning after being treated for bite wounds and lacerations to his face and arms. “This is crazy but true. We have no reason to believe that this is a hoax,” said Rebecca Ferrell, spokeswoman for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. The shocking tale of survival on Larimer County’s Horsetooth Mountain quickly spread far beyond Colorado, with news of Monday’s attack prompting media calls from around the world, as well as suggestions of film and book deals, and even marriage proposals, Ferrell said. Gov. Jared Polis chimed in too, posting on his Facebook page: “Don’t mess with Colorado trail runners.” “He should never have to buy another beer in his life,” Ferrell said. RELATED: Tips to avoid a mountain lion attack in Colorado In an interview Tuesday afternoon, Ferrell offered the most complete description yet of the life-and-death struggle between the runner and the wild cat in the 2,711-acre park west of Fort Collins. The man previously had researched how to respond to a mountain lion attack and did everything right. “Not only is he brave, but he is very conscientious,” she said. “He was also as prepared as they come.” The victim was running Monday on West Ridge Trail in the Larimer County foothills when he heard something behind him, Ferrell said. The man whipped his head around and saw a mountain lion that wildlife officials believe was less than a year old stalking him. He locked eyes with the cat, she said. He yelled at the animal and waved his arms over his head to make himself look bigger. “The mountain lion pounced anyway,” Ferrell said. As it went for his head and neck, the man blocked the cat with his forearms, but the mountain lion bit him on the face and clamped its fangs on the man’s wrist — and wouldn’t let go, Ferrell said. The man picked up a rock with his free hand and pounded the cat in the head, but the animal hung on. He then put the lion in a headlock and wrestled and scrapped with the creature on the trail, Ferrell said. When he finally managed to free his wrist from the cat’s jaws, the runner counterattacked. He jumped on the mountain lion’s back, and, using his hands, arms and feet, he choked the animal to death, she said. He then hiked to his car and drove to a local hospital. “It’s an amazing story. Everyone is baffled and impressed,” Ferrell said. “He had no weapons, no knives or trekking poles with him.” “A few days to decompress” Wildlife officers spoke with the survivor of the mountain lion attack Tuesday while he was recuperating. “We can let you know that the runner is doing well considering his ordeal, and will need a few days to decompress before deciding if he will speak publicly,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials tweeted Tuesday afternoon. Wildlife officers also searched the trail where the runner told them his fight with the mountain lion took place, Ferrell said. They found the dead mountain lion within feet of possessions the victim had asked officers to look for. The lion’s appearance and wounds matched the runner’s description completely, Ferrell said. RELATED: Gov. Polis celebrates Colorado trail runner who killed mountain lion but urges others not to emulate On Tuesday afternoon, rangers put up yellow tape and closed the entrance of the trail where the attack took place because of the larger number of bystanders and media personnel in the area. Ferrell called it a “cooling off” period. Although preliminary information from the necropsy confirmed the jogger’s story about the cause of death, detailed information about the mountain lion’s injuries have not been released and could take several days before they are made public, she said. Doctors treated him for possible infections, she said. Medical staff already have confirmed the lion tested negative for rabies, “which is very welcome news,” Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said. Fight for your life Mountain lion attacks in Colorado are rare, officials said. The act of running may have triggered the young lion’s instinct to hunt. “Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” said Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “This could have had a very different outcome.” “The runner did everything he could to save his life,” said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife northeast region manager. Ferrell said there are different survival strategies when a wild animal attacks a human. For some, the best strategy is to curl up and make yourself as small as possible. Not so with a mountain lion, she said. People attacked by mountain lions should do exactly what this victim did: Fight for your life. To avoid a physical confrontation, a person should yell, throw rocks and make themselves appear bigger by standing tall and waving their arms and facing the mountain lion, Ferrell said. “With a mountain lion, your best chance is to fight. If you make yourself small, they will think you are prey,” Ferrell said.<doc-sep>
(CNN) — Trapped by the sharp claws and teeth of a mountain lion, a runner fought hard for his life. To break free, wildlife officials said, he choked the animal to death. A man was running by himself Monday in the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space near Fort Collins, Colorado, when he heard something behind him. When he turned around, an 80-pound mountain lion attacked him, Colorado Parks and Wildlife officials said. The young lion bit the runner’s face and wrist but he managed to break free and kill the lion in self-defense, the agency said. A necropsy confirmed the animal was suffocated, officials said Tuesday. The lion, which was less than a year old, tested negative for rabies, CPW tweeted. “The runner did everything he could to save his life. In the event of a lion attack you need to do anything in your power to fight back just as this gentleman did,” said Mark Leslie, Colorado Parks and Wildlife’s northeast region manager. The runner suffered serious injuries and was taken to a hospital but has since been released, officials said. The trails at Horsetooth Mountain Open Space were closed to the public Tuesday after rangers encountered “more mountain lion activity in the area,” the Larimer County Department of Natural Resources said. Rangers will reassess the safety of the trails on Friday, the department said. “Mountain lion attacks are not common in Colorado and it is unfortunate that the lion’s hunting instincts were triggered by the runner,” said Ty Petersburg, area wildlife manager for Colorado Parks and Wildlife. “This could have had a very different outcome.” Fewer than 20 people have been killed in North America by mountain lions in more than 100 years, officials said. In Colorado, three people have been killed and 16 injured in mountain lion attacks since 1990. The lions tend to avoid humans, parks and wildlife officials said. In a Facebook post, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis said that although the runner was able to kill the lion with his “bare hands,” others should try to stay away from lions and back away slowly if it’s possible. “Don’t mess with Colorado trail runners,” Polis said about the incident. CNN’s Sara Weisfeldt contributed to this report.