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The victim was taken to the hospital with injuries to his head and leg.

On Sunday afternoon, an unknown suspect attacked a man running in Nashville’s Tom Joy Park. The assailant jumped out of a parked silver SUV, approached the runner from behind, and hit him with a metal pipe, reports WSMV4.

Nearby parkgoers arrived at the scene shortly after the suspect fled with the runner’s stolen phone. He was taken to the hospital with wounds on his head and leg, but as of yesterday, the injuries were not believed to be serious.

The police haven’t identified a motive for the attack. The runner’s phone was found nearby, shattered, in all likelihood, from being thrown out of the car window. Police also believe that the suspect is between 25 and 30 and slim with short black hair and facial hair.

The attack on the Nashville man serves as a good reminder to check your surrounding when you’re on the run.“I believe safety tips are helpful for any runner, even if it’s just a refresher,” Brian McPherson, marathoner and trail racer, previously told Runner’s World. “We all get complacent at some point, especially as training ramps up and fatigue starts to set in.”

In the last few years, the running community has been reckoning with an ongoing history of violence on the roads and trails, and personal safety is now a key part of training.

For example, Alex Harmon, who walks in Tom Joy Park daily, told WSMV4 he’s already taken steps to feel safer while exercising. “If I have my headphones in, not having it too loud that I can’t hear somebody coming up behind me,” Harmon said.

He also said he’s keeping an eye on who’s around him, opting for safe, well-trafficked streets and bringing a phone with him in case of an emergency. Some smartwatches—like Apple Watch and Garmin—can even be programmed to call emergency services.

Kells McPhillips is a health and wellness journalist living in Los Angeles. Her work has appeared in Runner's World, The New York Times, Well+Good, Fortune, Shape, and others.

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