[V_TWIN]

“Aaron and Clare Walenga were struck by the lightning bolt – even though they didn’t hear any signs that a storm was brewing.”

From AI:

Lightning Distance Facts

“The 10-Mile Rule: Lightning frequently strikes outside of heavy rain areas, reaching distances of 10 miles or more.”

[George from New England]

“... didn’t hear any signs ...”

Trail might have been wet, dew. That can attract a discharge.

[Pete from Shawnee Mission]

To me a Flash is different than a Bolt. Observed Light is not the same as a massive high voltage electrical channel cutting through water saturated air. The first will not kill you. Sloppy writing maybe? In either case, posting. (Walking around thinking ourselves safe....are we really??) Worlds Longest Lightning Flash

"Sparked by a major thunderstorm complex rumbling over the Great Plains, a single megaflash lightning bolt captured by NOAA’s GOES-16 satellite was recently certified by the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) as the world’s longest flash on record. The horizontal distance of the bolt stretched 515 miles (829 km) from eastern Texas to near Kansas City, Mo., when it flashed across the sky on October 22, 2017. "

This particular flash was not identified in the original 2017 analysis of the thunderstorm, but was discovered through a recent re-examination. It is nearly 38 miles (61 km) longer than the previous record-setting flash that lit up the southern U.S. on April 29, 2020, which was also verified through GOES-16 satellite imagery.