You know, a lot of people kept saying, you need some sort of closure. Theriault Boots: I think its the same intrigue that makes people going missing in Alaska so fascinating for some people, because its just the vastness of the wilderness. Going off in the wrong direction, falling off, landslides, bear activitythere are so many things that could have happened and just nothing to go on. Youre going on this trail in the trees and the brush. Jenna Mulhern Drops 12th Fastest 5K In High School History. Weve never had anything this severe. If my dad had fallen in one of those chutes and a snow bridge had collapsed over him, the infrared helicopters wouldnt have been able to find him. Still, Echard echoes the advice that newcomers can cut their risk dramatically if they simply check out the coursein personahead of time. I think that vastness and the proximity of that vastness to town and to thousands of people and spectators, that you could be gone without a trace while there are hundreds of runners and thousands of spectators, like a mile less than a mile away from you, is just a reminder for Alaskans of that very thin line we live in between our little patches of town and kind of infinite wilderness and the dangers of that. Zalokar also reportedly climbed every mountain over 14,000 feet in California and ran the New York City Marathon at age 55 in 2:43:10, winning his age group, official records show. His disappearance was especially striking because he had been participating in an event that each year draws tens of thousands of spectators to Seward, and hundreds of runners onto the mountain itself. If new clues or evidence is discovered Troopers would evaluate new search efforts, he said. There was no one there to give him any direction. As ADN reporter Michelle Theriault Boots told Alaska Public Medias Casey Grove, race volunteers were the last people to see LeMaitre near the top of the mountain. Being declared dead by the court system doesnt remove someone from the state missing persons clearinghouse, said Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the troopers. My dad was in last place. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Matthew Kenney, 41, of Anchorage, continues to make a slow recovery after a fall from a cliff ledge on the course left him in a coma and with a compound leg fracture. The Marathon course is a certified Boston qualifier. Download the app. Website by Zee Creative. The race changed as a result of the disappearance. The serious risk of major injury or death is why the event isn't open to just anyone. Unfortunately, it was not to be! They show crashes, people on backboards and lots of blood.. He was last seen at about 6pm by an official who was heading down the mountain. At about 200 feet from the summit, one of the race officials heading down says he saw my dad, and he was still headed up. And potential participants should practice [the course]., Womens winner Holly Brooks, also of Anchorage, contends that the risk involved is simply a part of the race. This was an extreme event and he was last seen on July 4, 2012 about 200 feet from the top of Mount Marathon, a 3022 feet high peak. This year, the weather was good enough to fly in aid station water by helicopter, but you cant always bank on it. Our condolences to his family and friends.. Salt Lake City resident Penny Assman, 34, broke multiple ribs after a similar on-course fall (pictured here). Curious Alaska is a weekly feature powered by your questions. See also. Karol Fink: Its a bit mysteriousthe feel of it. Every year on the 4th of July, hundreds of people descend on the town of Seward, Alaska for the Mount Marathon race. Is there a serial killer in Austin, Texas? Once competitors have reached the summit, the faster ones can make it back down to the ground in under ten minutes. Rangers at Yosemite National Park are asking for the public's help in the search for a marathon runner who went missing on a hike over the weekend. The red lantern in the race from downtown Seward to Race Point high up on Mount Marathon and then back, LeMaitre was last seen just a few hundred feet below the point in 2012. Michaels eyesight was failing but he thought he was capable enough to finish the race. What happened to LeMaitre? Mount Marathon runner Penny Assman takes a brutal on-course fall, breaking her ribs. Theres a rule that if youre much slower than most of the runners, you have to make it halfway up in one hour, or youll be disqualified. -, http://rw.runnersworld.com/selects/last-man-up.html. 12 Sep. 2015. Casey Grove: And you took these questions back to the authorities. When the competitive men come down from the top of the mountain to the bottom, theyre descending over 3,000 feet in about five minutes. He literally vanished off the mountain. In 2014, the Seward Chamber of Commerce settled with the family for a payment of $25,000. LeMaitre: Any time that Ive experienced anything like thisfriends who have gotten into car accidents and died, losing my grandmother to illnessthere was closure for that. P.O. The. We had a little more snow than usual. Law enforcement has to place eyes on him, alive and well, McDaniel said. Missing in Alaska (2015) Mystery, Reality show | United States. Race volunteers headed down the mountain told him to make the turn and follow them to the finish. It could predate modern record-keeping on the missing or belong to someone with no dental records on file to match. Jenna Hutchins (born March 25, 2004), is a high school and "Under 20" record-breaking American long distance runner from Johnson City, Tennessee. That means one of every 161 people goes missing in the . 21, 2019 at 7:04 PM PDT. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. Zalokars website says he had attempted six of the Seven Summits the highest peak on each continent and summited five. An Alaska Air National Guard Pave Hawk helicopter participates in the search Thursday, July 5, 2012, for Michael LeMaitre on Mount Marathon. Michael was competing for the first time in the 85th running of the Mount Marathon race, with participants running up the mountain surrounded, by thick forests and creeks over 3.1 to 3.5 miles. The body of the 61-year-old, who had been missing since Saturday, was recovered on Tuesday near the summit of Mount Clark, the National Park Service said. But probably the best known missing person case in wild Alaska involves 66-year-old Michael LeMaitre of Anchorage who went up Mount Marathon on July 4, 2012 and never came down. While he was still heading up the mountain, the officials at checkpoints along the way were packing up. Lingit Aani Kaa Kei Nas.ax Haa Yoo Xatangi, the Anchorage Daily News Curious Alaska column, https://media.ktoo.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/07/8-Michelle-Theriault-int.mp3. We spoke separately to Karol Fink, a Mount Marathon organizer and 19-year race veteran who ran this year, and to MaryAnne LeMaitre, whose father has yet to be found. "We haven't been able to rule out anybody,'' Alaska State Trooper spokesperson Beth Ipsen said Friday, but she admitted that distance and topography alone make it unlikely the jawbone is that of LeMaitre. The race starts in Molt, MT at the Community Center. Fort Valley State University student Missing Where is Anitra Gunn? The trail is slippery, almost straight up in places, and treacherous at best. For this, I knew that I needed to do everything I could. Entrants are almost all Alaskans. So that I think is discouraging of people who are going to be taking four or five, six hours much longer to complete the race. Prior to the race this year, former race director Chuck Echard had written a letter to the Seward Phoenix Log expressing his opinion that the race field should be decreasedthe event, he contended, wasnt for everyone. While running the Mount Marathon race in Alaska, Michael LeMaitre disappeared. Fink: We expect changes after this year, but you need to strike a balance. Miller is among 3,988 people reported missing in Alaska in 2002 and one of the 217 who remain missing, according to Alaska State Troopers. Mt. Firefighters and police, state troopers, National Guard helicopter crews armed with infrared technology, mountaineering experts and search dogs scoured the mountain for days in torrential rain, but found no sign of Michael. And that question has not been answered. Or remains need to be found.. Runners from around the world join Alaskans in pursuit of a common goal: to safely complete this iconic footrace, whether on the podium or in the pack. Whenever I asked for help, someone always said yes. Downhill is 12 mph. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! And theres just never been a trace of him found. The race, which is notorious for its extreme nature, covers approximately 3 miles of difficult terrain up and back down the Mount. Since all the snow hadnt melted out from the creek bed, there were some snow bridges that you had to cross that were really creepy. "We haven't been able to rule out anybody,'' she said. [15] She also ran the first-ever high school girls' cross-country 5,000 in less than 16 minutes, in Huntsville, Alabama. Fink: A few minutes down, theres Denali Falls; it has a 10-foot drop. Nine years on, what happened to LeMaitre is still a mystery. So hes been legally dead for almost nine years now. LeMaitres story attracted widespread media attention, becoming one of the most well-known in a grimly extensive list of Alaskans whove disappeared into wilderness landscapes without a trace. A big mistake with the benefit of hindsight. It rained the night before the 2012 race and the trail was slick and muddy. On July 7, with no progress made and resources dwindling, search efforts were scaled back. No clues. But most accidents happen on the way down. No clothing has been spotted and no human remains have been discovered . Missing from the field were Jessica Yeaton, the defending champion, and Rosie Frankowski, who was the first runner to the top last year en route to seventh place. Its not the opposite side of the mountain, but its a different face. Im surprised that for such a technical race they didnt already have anyone sweeping at the end, but maybe this isnt as common for trail races as I believed them to be. Paul Michael LeMaitre, disappeared July 4, 2012, Mount Marathon, Seward, Alaska. The following transcript was lightly edited for clarity. At the time of her disappearance, troopers said that there was a note in her truck saying she didn't want a search. This article originally appeared in our October, 2012 issue. Published: Jun. He was never seen again and his body was never located despite extensive searching. He was plodding along and was in last place. In the women's race, rookie Allie McLaughlin from Colorado separated from the field early and held on to smash the women's. Calls to her for this story went unanswered. It was about 8 p.m. local time on July 4 when Seward, Alaskas Fire Department received word that 66-year-old Michael LeMaitre of Anchorage, was missing. To get from where he was last seen in 2012 to where the jawbone was found would require that he first make a left turn off the Mount Marathon ridge when he knew a right turn was required to pick up the trail down. Park officials did not indicate how he died, but a friend told the New York Times Thursday he had fallen. Additional age group awards will be given by RRCA! Download the app. Jenna Leigh Challenor (born 6 July 1981) is a South African long-distance runner.She competed in the marathon event at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics in London, UK, finishing 59th.. The senior went 16:07.50 for 5,000 meters at in the open section of the event at the Penn Relays.. Im still very curious to have someone go out there and checkhis body could be there. They did not perceive that he was in any danger, says Clock. You see people coming down off the mountain. The body of Fred Zalokar, 61, was recovered Tuesday near the peak of Californias 11,527-foot Mount Clark, where he went on a hike Saturday using an off-trail route and did not return, National Park Service officials said in a statement. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. Its not like climbingthere is no rating system for this. It consumed the energy of the town. Join Outside+ to get Outside magazine, access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. THE MOTIVATIONThe record time, set in 1981 by Bill Spencer, is 43:21. THE STARTBibs have typically been limited to 350 men, 350 women, and 200 juniors, but this year the race was expanded to accommodate 400 in each of the mens and womens races. Peggy LeMaitre is no longer holding out hope that her husband is still alive five weeks and multiple searches after he vanished without a trace while running in the popular extreme race. Zalokar is survived by his wife, Deb, and their son, Ian, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. | Alaska Insight, Litter of wolverine kits brings adorable triple threat to Alaska Zoo. She ranked within the global top 100 for 5000 metres athletes in 2020. Yeaton has been nursing an. That evening, when LeMaitre had not returned, his family reported him missing. Family losing hope of finding missing runner on Mount Marathon SI Staff Aug 9, 2012 ANCHORAGE, Alaska (AP) -- Peggy LeMaitre no longer holds out hope that her husband is alive five weeks -. The race officials had already packed up by around 6 p.m., when my dad was still headed up. And now, if you do Mount Marathon, you have to attest publicly, you have to sign something like in a public room full of other racers that says that you have been up and down the whole course. The biggest factor was the record snowthe trail conditions were unlike anything they had seen beforeice underneath. Learn how your comment data is processed. GETTING DOWNThe fastest of the field is able to descend the mountain in under five or six minutes. But what happened in the 2012 Mount Marathon Race really stands out in Alaska lore. What do you want to know or want us to investigate about life in Alaska, stories behind the news or why things are the way they are? She says, If youre not very capable and/or very familiar with the route, the cliff area and the scree can be dangerous.. The road takes a few minutes before you hit what we call the mountain. Theres a rule that if youre much slower than then most of the runners you have to make it halfway up in one hour, or youll be disqualified. Back to Top . Mountain rescue experts, firemen, state troopers, search dogs and LeMaitres family spent thousands of hours searching the area but without a single clue being found. Its a bad idea to come down that way, but people do it. Michelle Theriault Boots:During that race, it was terrible weather. No trace. At that point, you have an entire mountain, and you have no limiting factor. Apr 30, 2022. He left the ADN in 2015. Crom said the pair had climbed mountains together worldwide. Michael LeMaitre could have taken just a few wrong turns, and then very quickly was in the thousands and thousands of impenetrable, mountainous wilderness in the Kenai mountains. Let us know in the form at the bottom of the story. A quest to create a multi-stage tour designed specifically for runners. Before joining the ADN in 2012, she worked at daily newspapers up and down the West Coast and earned a master's degree from the University of Oregon. [Sign up for Alaska Public Medias daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.]. Theriault Boots: They searched, they didnt find anything. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. If my dad had fallen in one of those chutes and a snow bridge had collapsed over him, the infrared helicopters wouldnt have been able to find him., Michael was declared dead in August 2012 after a presumptive death hearing. July 9, 2021 by Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media. As ADN reporter Michelle Theriault Boots told Alaska Public Medias Casey Grove, race volunteers were the last people to see LeMaitre near the top of the mountain. Tim Lebling, warned the racers at the pre-race safety talk, If you have not been up that mountain before, you should consider going home right now, and you should not be in the race. But, LeMaitre was undeterred. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. What did they tell you nine years later about this? LeMaitre. Two other runners sustained serious injuries in this years race. Her husband of 43 years, Michael LeMaitre, was last seen on July 4, about 200 feet from the top of Mount Marathon in Seward, south of Anchorage. And then also, Michael LeMaitre had not been up and down the course ever before he raced. Fink: You start in downtown Seward, 4th avenue, and the street is all lined with spectators. But theres also a trail that continues, and it would have been very easy for him to keep going on that trail. When you get to the top, theres a grassy area with a big rock in the middle that you go around. By 9 p.m. a search was in full force. A jogger vanishes from the top of Mt Marathon in Alaska and a witness describes seeing a monstrous, airplane-sized raptor around the time of the disappearance . There are no signs along the route. A member of the LeMaitre family said Alaska State Troopers told him it did not appear the partial human jawbone found in the mountains above Tonsina Point south of the city belongs to the 65-year-old who disappeared during the Mount Marathon Race on July 4, 2012. AFTER THE RACEOn July 5th, MaryAnne LeMaitre boarded a plane in Salt Lake City and went to Seward to look for her dad. The Alaska State Troopers announced that they were able to positively identify a body that had been classified as 'missing' for 32 years with the use of DNA evidence. We tell people that you run it at your own risk. Zalokars website says he was also the first runner to win his age group in all six Abbott World Marathon Majors races in Berlin, Boston, Chicago, New York, London and Tokyo. Relatives of Zalokar declined to comment Thursday, the Times reported. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com. Park officials did not indicate how he died, but a friend told the. Participants who dont make it a halfway-point within one hour are disqualified, and race sweepers now follow the last runner to the top of the mountain and back down, said race director Matias Saari. An accomplished runner and mountain climber was found dead in Yosemite National Park days after he went missing, officials said. He was very adventurous. He confirmed he was doing fine. 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He was definitely physically fit. You can unsubscribe anytime. It was about 8 p.m. local time on July 4 when Seward, Alaska's Fire Department received word that 66-year-old Michael LeMaitre of Anchorage, was missing. [The race] was never meant to be a fundraiser for the chamber, he wrote. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. According to Squires, Some operations continued until July 15. At this point, the area was getting foggy and cold but Walsh saw no reason to be concerned about the condition of the runner. [5] In 2021, Hutchins committed to attending Brigham Young University,[6] and was scheduled to start classes in January 2022. It is possible, she added, that the identity of the owner of the jawbone may never be known. Searchers worried that if he wasnt already injured, he probably had hypothermia because of his light clothing, exhaustion and the freezing weather. I would say you should run this a dozen times before youre ready to compete in it. I know its fascinating to me, the overwhelming scale and power of the wilderness and how close we live to it and how close we all tried that line. I think thats fascinating people. Around 1 p.m., the sun shone through the trees and leaves crinkled under huge crowds of runners' feet. Im never going to be a professional runner, and Im never going to be a racecar driver or a rodeo person, but this is my chance to push that edge. LeMaitre: The parts that were most dangerous, he had already gone up them. We have a safety meeting ahead of time that you have to attend. Thats where [Assman and Kenney] fell. It has been sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for further examination. He never showed up. More about series. Earlier last week . If you would be willing to assist in the search for Michael LeMaitre, please contact the Seward Volunteer Fire Department via their webpage. There are no sweepers that follow the Red Lantern, the last runner down the mountain, to ensure every person has gotten off the mountain. He was seen near the ascent and with only 1.5 miles to go, downhill. LeMaitre was declared legally dead in October 2012 after a court proceeding known as a presumed death trial. And then also, Michael LeMaitre had not been up and down the course ever before he raced. Michelle Theriault Boots: During that race, it was terrible weather. Then theres a dirt trail with a 60 percent grade. He said that hes thought a lot about whats happened. Later in that year of 2012, he was declared legally dead through a court proceeding called a presumed death trial, which is a way for families whove lost someone in a fishing boat accident or a plane crash, where remains are not going to be recoverable to have their loved one legally declared deceased so they can move on with settling estates and insurance and things like that. Oquilluk, 38-years-old at the . LeMaitre: People in Seward took care of me. When MaryAnne did not hear from her father after the race started on July 4, she knew something was wrong. Heading out the door? Numerous witnesses, including one medical doctor, would have testified at trial that Mr. LeMaitre requested no assistance, appeared to be in no distress, and wished to continue to the top of the mountain.. Michaels daughter, MaryAnne said My dadhe has always had an adventurous spirit: He did the Iditaski several times; he had a lot of exciting adventures on the water. Echard says this years race highlighted the need to shrink the field. Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. I think there was a healthy debate about how is this race unsafe, and they added some pretty sound safety measures, it sounds like. It's not uncommon for racers to be injured, running to the. 2023 Anchorage Daily News. The 65-year-old was competing as a rookie in the. 65-year-old Michael LeMaitre was competing in the Mount Marathon race in Seward, Alaska, which is south of the city of Anchorage. The incidents left Seward struggling to understand how a runner could disappear on a course thats only a few miles long. From the picture that I saw of him at halfway, he didnt have water in his hand.

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