Leslee Hoover is an avid runner who is more than familiar with the terrain of the Foothills. The 63-year-old runs 90 minutes a day in the hills near her Eagle home. If it’s dark, she’ll put on a headlamp and go — along with her two dogs.

“It’s such an easy run,” she said of the area near the cycling park off Old Horseshoe Bend Road. But the morning of Dec. 1 turned out to be anything but easy.

Things went awry when she was out running with her son’s dog, Leroy. The 92-pound lab-pitbull mix stopped on the trail in front of her, and she tumbled over the top of him.

She landed on her hip. The impact broke her femur, which already had a rod in it from a prior injury (also involving one of her son’s dogs).

She said she carries a cellphone because “you never know what’s going to happen.” She called 911 for help and hoped it wouldn't take too long to find her. About 5 minutes after she fell, three high school runners found her on the trail.

“Oh my gosh, they saved my life. It was just wonderful,” Hoover said of their assistance. The three runners were: Micah Drew, Adam Young and Emily Coleman. They are all runners at Centennial High.

Micah ran off toward the bicycle park to help the EMTs who had been dispatched find Hoover. “Adam gave me his shirt — he thought I was cold,” Hoover recalled. “He was standing there without his shirt on.”

Emily took care of the dog. She and Adam also made sure she didn’t lose her gloves or cellphone in the rescue effort, and they took the dog back to her car for her family.

Fortunately, Hoover did not injure her femoral artery, which could have been fatal.

“If severed, a person can bleed out,” said Eagle Fire Department spokesman Nevil Humphreys. For their efforts, the teens received the Eagle Fire Life Saving Award in a ceremony at station #1 Tuesday night. Hoover, who sang the students' praises in an e-mail to their school principal, brought personal gifts for the students.

Hoover, who was taken by air ambulance to the hospital, had to have surgery to repair her leg. She’s back to running and can laugh about the whole December ordeal now.

One of the more unexpected moments was when her boss — Jim Everett, CEO of the Treasure Valley Y — happened on the injury scene while out for a run. Hoover has worked as Everett’s assistant for about a year and a half.

“Only in Idaho would your boss come across you when you’re laying in the Foothills with a broken femur,” Hoover said. “I kept telling him that I’d be to work on Monday. I was trying to keep it light. I felt so bad that I was ruining their Saturday.”

Katy Moeller: 377-6413