Runner Claims She Saw Deadly Hawaiian Ghost Called a ‘Nightmarcher’ During 100-Mile Race

An experienced runner who was competing in a 100-mile ultramarathon in Hawaii said she got "goosebumps" when she realized she unknowingly crossed paths with an otherworldly demon called a "Nightmarcher" — and captured the eerie image on video.

"To this day, we still don’t know what it was. We have the photos and the live photo as evidence to … something," Kay Borleis wrote on her blog, KLOG.

Borleis — who said she's been running since she was 14 and has competed in hundreds of races, including dozens of ultramarathons of more than 26.2 miles — was taking part in the Hurt 100-mile race through Oahu's Honolulu Mauka trails in January 2019.

The race follows "one of the most challenging courses ... in the world" that requires competitors to complete five 20-mile loops. 

"The ground is littered with thick roots caked in thick mud, numerous water crossings, cliffs, and steep, rocky inclines. It is absolutely brutal," Borleis wrote. 

Her friend Cassie accompanied her to Hawaii and was going to support her by pacing her on laps 4 and 5. 

Borleis said she ran all night and "was pretty beaten up by the course," but as the sun rose she got a burst of energy and was determined to finish.

She said Cassie took photos on her iPhone of her "running through the breathtaking surroundings." 

Borleis said she was "groovin' along" until she injured her foot and had to drop out — the first time she had failed to finish a race, she said. 

Borleis, an art director and designer from Boulder, Colorado, said she and Cassie returned to their Airbnb to regroup. 

Cassie sent photos of the race to her mom and their friends. 

That's when the "creepy sh--" started, she wrote.

Cassie received a text from her mom about one of the photos "that showed a dark figure dressed in a cloak moving past me while I was running."

Borleis said that was odd because she hadn't passed anyone on the course, as "all runners had to run in a clockwise direction."

It was too early for tourists, and Borleis said she and Cassie hadn't seen anyone for hours. 

After some digging, Borleis discovered a local legend that described the ghosts of Hawaiian warriors called Nightmarchers that roam the island.

According to Mysteries of Hawaii, "If you are in their way, you should run. If it is too late to run, you must lay prone and cover your head. Shut your eyes tight, chant your lineage, and pray that an ancestor walks among the dead to speak for you."

"If you do not know the lineage of your ancestors, your next hope is to strip off your clothing and lay flat on your back to convince those in the procession that you are mad and, therefore, have pity for you and leave you intact," the site advises. 

"Luckily, we did not see the supposed Nightmarcher," Borleis wrote.

She and Cassie posted the photos on social media, and some people "were creeped out."

But then people in Hawaii took notice and "it was not good."

"We received messages calling us, 'Haoles,' and that we were disrespecting Hawaiian culture. We even got threatening messages where people wanted us to meet a Nightmarcher so we would die a violent death," Borleis wrote.

They were accused of doctoring the image, while others said it was a "druggie wondering up the trail."

After about 72 hours, they took down the photos.