No clues. By the end of the day, two were in the hospital with serious injuries and one had vanished. The race had no official cutoff time, and since the mountain is open to the public for hiking, LeMaitre was allowed to continue. disappeared during the Mount Marathon Race. 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. Karol Fink: Its a bit mysteriousthe feel of it. He didnt make it up Mount Everest, but he tried it, Crom said. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. 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. Heading out the door? Iraq war veteran and Blackhawk pilot Penny Assman slid over a cliff, lacerating her liver and breaking several ribs; an Alaskan runner named Matthew Kenney fell at the same spot and suffered broken legs and brain damage. 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. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Michelle Theriault Boots:During that race, it was terrible weather. The mens race was also foggy, but the trail had dried some. 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 Back to Top . 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. 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? Crom said the pair had climbed mountains together worldwide. The mountain is so close to townyou can hear the announcer all the way 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. 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. The Mount Marathon Race in Seward took place Wednesday, after a year off due to the pandemic, without reports of any major trouble. 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. The Half Marathon has been selected by RRCA as the Montana State Championship Race. [5] In 2021, Hutchins committed to attending Brigham Young University,[6] and was scheduled to start classes in January 2022. 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. When youre in Seward, on 6th avenue, 7th avenueat almost every point, no matter what youre doing, you can see Mount Marathon. She maintained a 4.0 Grade Point Average at the school. There was still quite a bit of daylight left, and my dad asked if he could still continue up to finish the race. Zalokar is survived by his wife, Deb, and their son, Ian, according to the Reno Gazette Journal. The Mount Marathon course roughly describes a treble clefrunners don't descend the same route they ascendand as Walsh hiked down that afternoon, he saw another man slowly climbing, about . It has been sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for further examination. S1, Ep7. . Fink: A few minutes down, theres Denali Falls; it has a 10-foot drop. [12] She was ranked third indoors in the U.S. at 1600m, running 4:48.10, fifth in the mile at 4:45.12, and 5th at 1500m at 4:26.77. I wanted to do something at the top of the mountain, so I brought a Dremel tool and left a message: I love you dad. I engraved that on a rock. Jenna Hutchins (born March 25, 2004), is a high school and "Under 20" record-breaking American long distance runner from Johnson City, Tennessee. At that point, you have an entire mountain, and you have no limiting factor. Michael was said to be adventurous and believed he had won the lottery by getting entry into the Mount Marathon race. The race is inherently dangerous and everyone knows that going into it, she says. The race officials had already packed up by around 6 p.m., when my dad was still headed up. Then you drop into a creek bed. Vanished: Heidi Broussard (33) and Margot Carey (2wks). But I think theres a lot of people who still very much want to know what happened to Michael LeMaitre. And even though the race was short and the trail packed with people, there was a disappearance. Weve never had anything this severe. After a while, its like, maybe we should poke around in the bear scat. The following transcript was lightly edited for clarity. Montana Women's Run is a proud member of the Road Runners Club of America. THE SETTINGMount Marathon in the Kenai Mountain range in southern Alaska looms over town of Seward, an active fishing port, with a population of about 3,000. LeMaitre was declared legally dead in October 2012 after a court proceeding known as a presumed death trial. I wonder how his wife managed to have him declared dead barely 3 months after he went missing. While injuries are common and expected, LeMaitre's case was unprecedented. 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. I chose to come down the cliffs in a crabwalk its so steephand, hand, foot, foot. Do we advocate for complete personal responsibility, or do race organizers have authority to begin dictating the course? We dont claim that its safe, she says. The partial jawbone in question, she said, was found by hunters in the mountains above Tonsina Creek about 4 miles from the city. He never showed up. 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. Signs posted on the lower mountain, site of the most dangerous cliffs, point out alternate descent routes and rate their difficulty. We've received your submission. Mt. 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. Its a bad idea to come down that way, but people do it. 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. If you would be willing to assist in the search for Michael LeMaitre, please contact the Seward Volunteer Fire Department via their webpage. 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. LeMaitre: People in Seward took care of me. And theres just never been a trace of him found. 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. She was ranked third indoors in the U.S. at 1600m, running 4:48.10, fifth in the mile at 4:45.12, and 5th at 1500m at 4:26.77. 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. The One Subscription to Fuel All Your Adventures. More about series. Casey Grove: And you took these questions back to the authorities. 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. It was rainy, it was foggy, and he just never came down the mountain. Fred would be the one to climb up on the technical part and throw a rope down to the rest of us, Sean Crom told the newspaper of Zalokar, whom he met while training for a 100-mile ultramarathon decades earlier. Outdoors she ranked first at 3200m, running 9:49.83. Other remains associated with the man were found in the same area in 1997, according to troopers. It was rainy, but it didnt sound like it was raining all the time. The community is pretty heartbroken about it, and so many have reminded me that people are going to keep looking. I want to inspire people to dream big and go out there and make it happen!. CBS News Bay Area: Free 24/7 News CBS Bay Area App Curious Alaska is a weekly feature powered by your questions. People choose their own route on the mountain, and you cant babysit everyone. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. Yeaton has been nursing an. 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. Everyone involved in the Marathon Mountain event asks the question, how does someone disappear during a three-mile race and be lost forever, without a trace? Once competitors have reached the summit, the faster ones can make it back down to the ground in under ten minutes. Ipsen said troopers don't yet know if the jawbone found in the mountains belongs to a man or a woman. [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. "She has a great work ethic," said Frankie Nunn, head coach of Tennessee High. And theres just never been a trace of him found. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. Grove:What do you think this story tells people about Alaska or about what happened to this guy? There are no signs along the route. July 9, 2021 by Casey Grove, Alaska Public Media. LeMaitre. It rained the night before the 2012 race and the trail was slick and muddy. Relatives of Zalokar declined to comment Thursday, the Times reported. Fink: You start in downtown Seward, 4th avenue, and the street is all lined with spectators. The Marathon course is a certified Boston qualifier. The second wave of the race which included LeMaitre started at 3.15 pm. | Alaska Insight, Litter of wolverine kits brings adorable triple threat to Alaska Zoo. It's not uncommon for racers to be injured, running to the. Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. In 2014, the Seward Chamber of Commerce settled with the family for a payment of $25,000. As of August 2019, no trace of Michael has been found. Unusually, in this 2012 event, three people were hurt, including one man who suffered serious head injuries. Is The High Lonesome 100 The Future of Ultrarunning Equity? But there was no sign of Michael. Missing on Mount Marathon Michael LeMaitre. At 11 a.m., nearly 350 women gathered behind the start line. KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences. Learn how your comment data is processed. Her personal best times are 1:14:19 in the half marathon (2014); and 2:36:50 in the marathon (2020). No trace. My dad was in last place. 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. The top finishers are under 45 minutes. Clock says LeMaitre was last spotted race day by on-course volunteers around 6 p.m. Missing in Alaska (2015) Mystery, Reality show | United States. "Oh my god, Jenna's kicking a**!" Bondi said as she checked Jenna's location from her phone. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. He was definitely physically fit. He had already navigated the most dangerous parts of the course. But his disappearance prompted lasting safety changes to the way the race is run. And the race is so risky and dangerous the whole time. People have to promise theyve been up the mountain before. I think thats fascinating people. All we need is just one little thing to go on. A team of hikers will sweep the mountain after the competition to look for potential laggards. Finally, I came to my realization that I needed to figure out what had happened to my dad. After that point, he never returned. An Alaska Air National Guard Pave Hawk helicopter participates in the search Thursday, July 5, 2012, for Michael LeMaitre on Mount Marathon. They moved to Pflugerville, Texas when she was ten years old, staying a few years, after her father got a work promotion. Alaska Public Media 2023. Missing person reports in the area, reported cries from the trees, and sightings of what look like oversized monkeys call to mind the legends of vicious baboon .