A woman jogging along the Rillito River was attacked last week.

According to a release by the Pima County Sheriffs Department, the woman was running on the path between La Cholla Boulevard and La Cañada Drive when a man struck her from behind and tried to drag her into the wash.

The victim resisted and was able to run away from the attacker.

Because the attack occurred after the sun had gone down and because the attack happened from behind, there isn’t a lot of information about the attacker.

According to the victim, the attacker was medium height, had facial hair and was wearing a dark winter coat with the hood pulled up.

Here is the Sheriff’s office recommendations for staying safe:

– Consider your options: Join a running group, take a family member, friend or coworker with you.

– Only choose streets, neighborhoods and/or populated trails that you are familiar with. Try to run where there will be plenty of people around at all times.

– If you choose to run alone, never wear headphones, which prevent you from hearing people, vehicles or even a stray dog coming up behind you. – Be aware of your surroundings and pay attention to places an attacker could be hiding. Keep a thought of who is in front of or behind you. Consider what an escape route would be if you were to be attacked. Run around and keep your distance from parked vans, bushes or other areas an attacker could be lurking.

– Take a cellphone with you. If you run into any problems, you can always call for help. Also some apps will map your route for you. You can have the information sent to a friend or family member who can track your run.

– Alter your routes and mix up your schedules — even in your own neighborhood areas. – Don’t go running at night. If it does start to get dark, stay in well-lit areas.

– Trust your senses. If you sense danger, get out. Don’t dismiss an intuition!