The race is short, only three miles long. This incident remains under investigation, park officials said. Its just on the minds of everybody. Marathon. 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. In the women's race, rookie Allie McLaughlin from Colorado separated from the field early and held on to smash the women's. Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. The partial jawbone in. 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. On July 4, 2012, runners gathered in Seward, Alaska, for a three-mile trail race up the mountain that looms 3,000 feet over Resurrection Bay. [10] At 16, she took the women's 5000 at the Five & Dime Athletics Meeting in South Carolina with a time of 15:34.47. Perhaps he fell off a cliff or fell into a crevice never to be seen again? Even after the official search was called off in mid-July, volunteers continued to search the mountain, including LeMaire's daughter Mary Anne, saying "Seward has so much meaning to my dad,so here he is, looking out. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences. Walsh asked LeMaitre for his bib number and he replied Five-four-eight, and as he descended back towards the town he texted race officials: Bib number 548 would be home in about an hour and a half. This article originally appeared in our October, 2012 issue. [Sign up for Alaska Public Medias daily newsletter to get our top stories delivered to your inbox.]. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. Casey Grove: And you took these questions back to the authorities. An old kayak missing from the yard at Miller's Landing, a resort at the end of the road, led to speculation she might have paddled off into Resurrection Bay, but she could just as easily headed down the trail to Tonsina Creek. A team of hikers will sweep the mountain after the competition to look for potential laggards. 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.. They show crashes, people on backboards and lots of blood.. He was definitely physically fit. When youre in Seward, on 6th avenue, 7th avenueat almost every point, no matter what youre doing, you can see Mount Marathon. Then you pop out back out and have to decide whether to take the junior trail, the cliffs, or the waterfall, which is 20 feet out, 70 feet down. 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The discovery of human remains near Seward has sparked speculation that the body of Michael LeMaitre, possibly the state's most famous missing person, has been found, but that appears unlikely. There was plenty of daylight left and Michael asked if he could continue on to finish the race. [8], Before injury shortened her season, Jenna posted nation-leading times in the 1600 (4:44.13) and 3200 meters (9:52.33) and lowered her own Science High 800 meter record to 2:13.65. There are no signs along the route. The Mount Marathon Race in Seward took place Wednesday, after a year off due to the pandemic, without reports of any major trouble. 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. Brandon Lawson The 911 call that led to a mysterious disappearance. LeMaitre: The biggest factor was the record snowthe trail conditions were unlike anything they had seen beforeice underneath. 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. The search effort was called off that day by the family and the Fire Department due to deteriorating weather and mountain conditions.. Yeaton has been nursing an. We have a safety meeting ahead of time that you have to attend. According to Squires, Some operations continued until July 15. LeMaitre: People in Seward took care of me. The crowd cheered when Matt Novakovich won the 3.5-mile race in less than 45 minutes . Then you pop out back out and have to decide whether to take the junior trail, the cliffs, or the waterfall, which is 20 feet out, 70 feet down. He was seen near the ascent and with only 1.5 miles to go, downhill. Race organisers take no responsibility for Michaels disappearance: Missing mom & baby- Gabriella Harkness Located, Bizarre Stories from the Alaska Triangle Successscan, Bizarre Stories from the Alaska Triangle Mid American News. Despite extensive searches, his body has never been recovered, and the details of his death remain a mystery. Searches in the difficult terrain have failed to locate any signs of him. He was apparently fit and healthy, having been a regular visitor to the gym and had finished a 12K event a month earlier, but despite the warning, he had never visited the course and he chose to continue. All rights reserved. Mt. 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. Park officials said in a statement that the body of Fred Zalokar, 61, from Reno . 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. James and Michelle Butler: The Senseless Murder of 21-Year-Navy Veteran and Wife. They found no proof or sign of life. And that question has not been answered. On July 4, 2012, an Anchorage man named Michael LeMaitre went missing as he competed in Mount Marathon, the grueling Seward footrace typically held on the Fourth of July each year. While running the Mount Marathon race in Alaska, Michael LeMaitre disappeared. I think there was a healthy debate about how is this race unsafe, and they added some pretty sound safety measures, it sounds like. But theres also a trail that continues, and it would have been very easy for him to keep going on that trail. Youre using hands and feet. [13] That mark was the fastest girls' U18 time in the world in 2020. 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. Fred always signs into the log book, Crom said. But crews found no sign of LeMaitre. Outdoors she ranked first at 3200m, running 9:49.83. 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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. A Reno trail runner who went missing over the weekend in Yosemite has been found dead. There was still quite a bit of daylight left, and my dad asked if he could still continue up to finish the race. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. This year, the weather was good enough to fly in aid station water by helicopter, but you cant always bank on it. 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. He confirmed he was doing fine. And even though the race was short and the trail packed with people, there was a disappearance. The race, which is notorious for its extreme nature, covers approximately 3 miles of difficult terrain up and back down the Mount. Seward's Mount Marathon is one of the most watched, single-day sporting events in the 49th state. Relatives of Zalokar declined to comment Thursday, the Times reported. Michael LeMaitre (66) disappeared on his way up the mountain and remains missing to this day. You know, a lot of people kept saying, you need some sort of closure. The men's and women's courses are a grueling 1.5-mile climb up, and back down, Alaska's majestic and treacherous Mount Marathon. 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. 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. The area is heavily used by hikers. A pickup truck belonging to 35-year-old Kristin Snyder, an Anchorage environmental consultant, was found in the parking lot not far from the start of that trail in February 2003. Did he ever reach the summit and turn around? 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. There are now sweepers that follow the Red Lantern, the last runner down the mountain, to ensure every person has gotten off the mountain. Alaska Public Media is our partner station in Anchorage. Her personal best times are 1:14:19 in the half marathon (2014); and 2:36:50 in the marathon (2020). It's been a tough past year navigating the pandemic, and. On July 4, 2012, an Anchorage man named Michael LeMaitre went missing as he competed in Mount Marathon, the grueling Seward footrace typically held on the Fourth of July each year. We looked at eagle activity, bear activity. The mountain is so close to townyou can hear the announcer all the way up. At that point, you have an entire mountain, and you have no limiting factor. The last photo taken of him was near this location. There was no one there to give him any direction. Thats the reality of it. We've received your submission. No sign of LeMaitre has been found. Do we advocate for complete personal responsibility, or do race organizers have authority to begin dictating the course? That means one of every 161 people goes missing in the . This year, it had rained the night before, so it made the race really slick and muddy for the juniors. 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. Download the app. ANCHORAGE, Alaska - The wife of a 65-year-old Anchorage man who disappeared while participating in the 2012 Mount Marathon extreme mountain race in Seward has sued the organization that hosts But I think theres a lot of people who still very much want to know what happened to Michael LeMaitre. When MaryAnne did not hear from her father after the race started on July 4, she knew something was wrong. The Mount Marathon Race in Seward took place Wednesday, after a year off due to the pandemic, without reports of any major trouble. 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. Michaels eyesight was failing but he thought he was capable enough to finish the race. In the 1980s, when Echard was director, the senior mens and womens field was capped at 200; this year, it was 375. Earlier that day, LeMaitre had started his first Mount Marathon Race, a grueling 5K that climbs to the 3022-foot Mount Marathon peak above Seward, Alaska, before plunging down a dangerous descent where runners choose their own route over rocky footing and past several cliffs. You see people coming down off the mountain. Zalokar is survived by his wife, Deb, and their son, Ian, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. What happened? Mount Marathon is the superbowl of Alaskan mountain running, the ultimate 4th of July celebration, one of my first experiences with competitive running, and . I have a friend from Seward. Is The High Lonesome 100 The Future of Ultrarunning Equity? Primate sightings in the Alaskan woods have the team puzzled, since experts say that monkeys have never lived in Alaska. Clock says LeMaitre was last spotted race day by on-course volunteers around 6 p.m. Zalokar, of Reno, Nevada, was reported missing late Sunday after not returning to Yosemite Valley from his solo trip as planned. Curious Alaska is a weekly feature powered by your questions. Hed kind of pick a goal and go after it hard.. The Half Marathon has been selected by RRCA as the Montana State Championship Race. At the time of her disappearance, troopers said that there was a note in her truck saying she didn't want a search. He had already navigated the most dangerous parts of the course. Its not the opposite side of the mountain, but its a different face. New rules were instituted, including one that says runners now must sign a pledge saying theyve completed the roughly 3-mile race course at least once prior to race day. There hasnt been any wish to change things unless its a safety concern. But according to OutsideOnline, its tough: The race, which has been run as an organized event since 1915, is a beast, with a 3,022-foot vertical gain and loss over icy and treacherous mountain terrain, where runners pick their own way upand downthe average 38-degree slope.. Every Mount Marathon rookie is required to watch a graphic safety video the night before the race. Casey Grove is the host of Alaska News Nightly and a general assignment reporter at Alaska Public Media with an emphasis on crime and courts. By the end of the. 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. The mystery of what happened to LeMaitre is the subject of the Anchorages Daily News Curious Alaska column this week. He was never seen again and his body was never located despite extensive searching. [3][4] Hutchins is an accomplished violinist and has volunteered locally as a youth running coach and at the Johnson City Public Library. Its a bad idea to come down that way, but people do it. 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. Fink: Had you asked me whether someone could go missing during Mount Marathon, I would have said, impossible. I wonder how his wife managed to have him declared dead barely 3 months after he went missing. A cadaver dog was sent into the area and friends paid for and analyzed high-resolution photographs of the mountain. "Oh my god, Jenna's kicking a**!" Bondi said as she checked Jenna's location from her phone. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. Let us know in the form at the bottom of the story. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. The. Mount Marathon runner Penny Assman takes a brutal on-course fall, breaking her ribs. Still, Echard echoes the advice that newcomers can cut their risk dramatically if they simply check out the coursein personahead of time. The mens race was also foggy, but the trail had dried some. "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. But he hadnt been on the mountain before. 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. In February, she finished 4th in the Millrose Games indoor mile, setting a state indoor record at 15-years-old. Missing Florida mother found deceased in Alabama, Where is 4-year-old Codi Bigsby, missing from Hampton, VA, Ill either see you again or never see you again The Disappearance of Daniel Robinson, Destiny Jacksons body was found in the Las Vegas desert after she was killed during a car jacking, Spooky Houses youll be DYING to stay far away from, Suzanne Morphew (49) has been missing since May 10th, 2020 her husband has been arrested, FOUND SAFE- Laura Lacie Read- missing from Midtown, Houston, after her child is found alone, Dr. Beth Potter, her husband, Robin Carre were killed and found in a ditch, Missing Child Alert: Taylor Rose Williams (5) is missing from Jacksonville, Florida. 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. Fink: After youve summited and rounded the rock, you drop into the snow, and you either sit on your feet or slide down on your butt. The mystery of what happened to LeMaitre is the subject ofthe Anchorage Daily News Curious Alaska columnthis week. He's on Mount Marathon somewhere.". The body of Fred Zalokar, 61, was recovered Tuesday near the 11,527-foot summit of Mount Clark, a press . But what happened in the 2012 Mount Marathon Race really stands out in Alaska lore. I hope with the foliage being goneit had been super thick when I was therethat we can start looking again. The senior went 16:07.50 for 5,000 meters at in the open section of the event at the Penn Relays.. It was the talk of the town: Two people falling off the waterfall. [14] Hutchins was selected as Athlete of the Week by USA Track & Field as a result. A partial human jawbone was found near Tonsina Point, a few mountainous miles away, in 2014. [7], Hutchins ran the 3,000 meters twice when she was 11, winning in 1112-year-old girls in 12:24.5 at the Speedster Cross Country Classic, and finishing second in the 3K at the South Texas Junior Olympic Championships in 12:13.0. Queen Bee Montana Marathon - new name - Same Fast Courses! But according to OutsideOnline, it's tough: 'The race, which has been run as an organized event since 1915, is a beast, with a 3,022-foot vertical gain and loss over icy and treacherous mountain terrain, where runners pick their own way upand downthe average 38-degree slope.'.
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