But he hadnt been on the mountain before.. During the court case, Chamber officials obtained access to the LaMaitres financial records in an effort to prove that Michael had staged his own disappearance and that he was alive. But what happened in the 2012 Mount Marathon Race really stands out in Alaska lore. Michelle Theriault Boots is a longtime reporter for the Anchorage Daily News. The incidents left Seward struggling to understand how a runner could disappear on a course thats only a few miles long. The Mount Marathon Race doesnt look like much on paper: its short (just three miles long) and starts at sea level. Replies analysing and speculating over the mystery and possible explanations are encouraged. 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. Whenever I asked for help, someone always said yes. Its a bad idea to come down that way, but people do it. Missing on Mount Marathon Michael LeMaitre. It has been sent to the State Medical Examiner's Office for further examination. LeMaitre: I was told it was overcast. I guess I always thought this was a process that only happened after several years, or when concrete evidence supporting the missing person is deceased surfaced. This year, the weather was good enough to fly in aid station water by helicopter, but you cant always bank on it. I chose to come down the cliffs in a crabwalk its so steephand, hand, foot, foot. Searches in the difficult terrain have failed to locate any signs of him. CBS News Bay Area: Free 24/7 News CBS Bay Area App Calls to her for this story went unanswered. 1.5 miles straight up from sea level to 2,094 feet and 1.5 miles right back down.The Mount Marathon Race . Officials took a photo of Michael at the halfway point and he was smiling and seemed happy to continue. Disappearance on Mount Marathon 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. Tonsina Creek is along a trail that begins near the end of Lowell Point Road south of downtown. 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. From the picture that I saw of him at halfway, he didnt have water in his hand. Jenna Mulhern Drops 12th Fastest 5K In High School History. The trail is slippery, almost straight up in places, and treacherous at best. But until this year, no one had ever died or gone missing on the race. The race had no official cutoff time, and since the mountain is open to the public for hiking, LeMaitre was allowed to continue. That means one of every 161 people goes missing in the . 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. 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. There was still quite a bit of daylight left, and my dad asked if he could still continue up to finish the race. As of August 2019, no trace of Michael has been found. People were out searching, helicopter going constantly. The Troopers announced that they identified the remains of Ronald Oquilluk using DNA from his sister. There was plenty of daylight left and Michael asked if he could continue on to finish the race. Alyse Bondi, Jenna's close friend from Cornell, said Jenna loves to run. Download the app. See also. But anything could have happened. 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.. Heading out the door? At 11 a.m., nearly 350 women gathered behind the start line. It was rainy, it was foggy, and he just never came down the mountain. There is hope that it might eventually be matched to the dental records of one of the missing people, but so far troopers haven't even been able to conclude who it isn't. You see people coming down off the mountain. 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. LeMaitre was declared legally dead in October 2012 after a court proceeding known as a presumed death trial. The Marathon course is a certified Boston qualifier. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. I have a friend from Seward. 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. Zalokar, of Reno, Nevada, was reported missing late Sunday after not returning to Yosemite Valley from his solo trip as planned. not a marathon, definitely intense! A quest to create a multi-stage tour designed specifically for runners. And then also, Michael LeMaitre had not been up and down the course ever before he raced. Photo by Carol Grisswold. The. There was an extensive search, his bereaved family also continued to search. 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. She focuses on in-depth stories about the intersection of public policy and Alaskans' lives. The search effort was called off that day by the family and the Fire Department due to deteriorating weather and mountain conditions.. Once competitors have reached the summit, the faster ones can make it back down to the ground in under ten minutes. Its not uncommon for racers to be injured, running to the top of 3,022-foot Mount Marathon and back down again. The race officials had already packed up by around 6 p.m., when my dad was still headed up. Entrants are almost all Alaskans. Get access to more than 30 brands, premium video, exclusive content, events, mapping, and more. Every Mount Marathon rookie is required to watch a graphic safety video the night before the race. No additional information is available. Its a course that poses a danger for race rookies like LeMaitre, according to Cindy Clock, Executive Director of the Seward Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the race. Theres no designated trailyou just pick the best line. MaryAnne walked the mountain for weeks, looking for her dad. Reach him at cgrove@alaskapublic.org. You can unsubscribe anytime. He wasnt carrying any water. He was plodding along and was in last place. He was just taking it slow and intent on finishing the race.. After a while, its like, maybe we should poke around in the bear scat. Every year on the 4th of July, hundreds of people descend on the town of Seward, Alaska for the Mount Marathon race. Four days after LeMaitre disappeared, the official rescue attempt was called off, though the Seward Volunteer Fire Department kept looking. She ran there and doubled as a forward and midfielder in soccer. Over the next several days, the search parties grew to almost 70 people, according to Seward Fire Chief David Squires, and included helicopters, technically trained volunteers from the Alaska Mountain Rescue Group, dogs and support from the Alaska Air National Guard. Next was the womens race, and it was a pleasant temperature, in the low 60s, with a little bit of fog blowing in and out in strips. The community is pretty heartbroken about it, and so many have reminded me that people are going to keep looking. Then you drop into a creek bed. The biggest factor was the record snowthe trail conditions were unlike anything they had seen beforeice underneath. "There are eight people missing'' in the Seward area since 1993, she added, and trooper files hold an unknown number of cases of people who disappeared before that date. What happened? Its a bad idea to come down that way, but people do it. In 2014, Michaels family settled a lawsuit with the Seward Chamber of Commerce. A Reno trail runner who went missing over the weekend in Yosemite has been found dead. I think there was a healthy debate about how is this race unsafe, and they added some pretty sound safety measures, it sounds like. Thats when Anchorage resident Michael LeMaitre went missing while running the race, never to be seen again. There is an entry limit, with around 90 percent of the participants being returnees and with a coveted lottery ticket system in place. And then also, Michael LeMaitre had not been up and down the course ever before he raced. At around 5.45 pm on the day of the race, Tom Walsh, a race steward, saw Michael ascending to the turnaround point with about 200 feet to go. 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. All rights reserved. The mountain is so close to townyou can hear the announcer all the way up. 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. The race is short, only three miles long. According to Squires, Some operations continued until July 15. Bondi, 23, lives in the Upper East Side and came to root for Jenna. 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. 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. Grove:What do you think this story tells people about Alaska or about what happened to this guy? 65-year-old Michael LeMaitre was competing in the Mount Marathon race in Seward, Alaska, which is south of the city of Anchorage. One thought I had was, what if a glove had gotten washed down a stream? Outdoors she ranked first at 3200m, running 9:49.83. LeMaitre: People in Seward took care of me. But I think theres a lot of people who still very much want to know what happened to Michael LeMaitre. A subreddit dedicated to the unresolved mysteries of the world. That evening, when LeMaitre had not returned, his family reported him missing. His wife Peggy claimed negligence by race officials. Mount Marathon towers over the community of Seward at the head of Resurrection Bay about 125 miles south of Anchorage. She ranked within the global top 100 for 5000 metres athletes in 2020. Apr 30, 2022. LeMaitre: I had a tough time thinking about when to leave. It's been a tough past year navigating the pandemic, and. He confirmed he was doing fine. Trailing behind the other runners, LeMaitre was last seen near the summit by a race official. He left the ADN in 2015. 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. Get notifications about news related to the topics you care about. Competitors must now meet specified time milestones or they will be forced to drop out, a rule designed to avoid risks to stragglers. 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. Montana Women's Run is a proud member of the Road Runners Club of America. More about series. I had to go down, but before I did I looked over the slide area and saw a black bear. The second wave of the race which included LeMaitre started at 3.15 pm. 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. Fink: Had you asked me whether someone could go missing during Mount Marathon, I would have said, impossible. Is The High Lonesome 100 The Future of Ultrarunning Equity? They moved to Pflugerville, Texas when she was ten years old, staying a few years, after her father got a work promotion. History Channel | Thursday, 21 June 2018 | 10:10. Its just on the minds of everybody. 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. Several years since Michael disappeared, not one piece of physical evidence has surfaced. I wanted to go up and see what decisions my dad would have made. There was an extensive search, his bereaved family also continued to search. It was rainy, but it didnt sound like it was raining all the time. LeMaitre never came down. South Africa at the 2017 World Championships in Athletics The race is short, only three miles long. Karol Fink: Its a bit mysteriousthe feel of it. GETTING DOWNThe fastest of the field is able to descend the mountain in under five or six minutes. Oquilluk, 38-years-old at the . A missing runner. All rights reserved. Mt. Paul Michael LeMaitre, disappeared July 4, 2012, Mount Marathon, Seward, Alaska. Question: Was there ever any sign of the Mount Marathon runner who vanished during the race several years ago? Zalokar, of Reno, Nevada, was reported missing late Sunday after not returning to Yosemite Valley from his solo trip as planned. The following transcript was lightly edited for clarity. Join Outside+ to get access to exclusive content, 1,000s of training plans, and more. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Thanks for contacting us. Correction: The photo caption on this story has been updated to correct the year Michael LeMaitre went missing to 2012. There hasnt been any wish to change things unless its a safety concern. Or Hospital Scapegoat? They show crashes, people on backboards and lots of blood.. S1, Ep7. 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. [8] Still, Echard echoes the advice that newcomers can cut their risk dramatically if they simply check out the coursein personahead of time. 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? 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.. Michaels eyesight was failing but he thought he was capable enough to finish the race. Following Michaels disappearance, officials made changes to the race. 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. The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. This article originally appeared in our October, 2012 issue. | Alaska Insight, Litter of wolverine kits brings adorable triple threat to Alaska Zoo. MOVING FORWARDThe community of Seward was hit hard. Create a personalized feed and bookmark your favorites. For this, I knew that I needed to do everything I could. 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? The chutes had snow bridges on them that have been collapsing all summer. Starting in downtown Seward, racers run a half-mile to the bottom of Mount Marathon, then scrabble about 2,900 vertical feet straight up cliffs and mud and shale before getting to Race Point, an artificial summit point. 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. 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. Being declared dead by the court system doesnt remove someone from the state missing persons clearinghouse, said Austin McDaniel, a spokesman for the troopers. 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. 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. 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. The crowd cheered when Matt Novakovich won the 3.5-mile race in less than 45 minutes . 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. 65-year-old Michael LeMaitre was competing in the Mount Marathon race in Seward, Alaska, which is south of the city of Anchorage. I never went up the mountain on my own, except for the last trip. Crom said the pair had climbed mountains together worldwide. They did have pit stops, but by the time he got to the top, it was all packed up. 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. While injuries arent uncommon at Mount Marathon, three unusually serious accidents marred this years event. 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. Now its 40% of samples. Learn how your comment data is processed. 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. Casey Grove: And you took these questions back to the authorities. Theres no substitute for actually walking the course, for checking out the chute area and seeing whats best for you, he says. I chose to come down the cliffs in a crabwalk its so steephand, hand, foot, foot.. 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. The top finishers are under 45 minutes. Welcome to Seward for the 93rd running of the Mount Marathon Race, the oldest mountain race in North America and possibly its craziest! It rained the night before the 2012 race and the trail was slick and muddy. The junior trail is probably the safest of the threebut its dangerous as well, just cut into the side of the mountain, very steep and narrowtrees, roots to negotiate, and it gets very slick. I think thats fascinating people. The following transcript was lightly edited for clarity. The road takes a few minutes before you hit what we call the mountain. My dad was in last place. We have a safety meeting ahead of time that you have to attend. 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. The junior trail is probably the safest of the threebut its dangerous as well, just cut into the side of the mountain, very steep and narrowtrees, roots to negotiate, and it gets very slick. 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. An Alaska Air National Guard Pave Hawk helicopter participates in the search Thursday, July 5, 2012, for Michael LeMaitre on Mount Marathon. Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com. So hes been legally dead for almost nine years now. Ipsen said troopers don't yet know if the jawbone found in the mountains belongs to a man or a woman. Relatives of Zalokar declined to comment Thursday, the Times reported. Zalokars website says he had attempted six of the Seven Summits the highest peak on each continent and summited five. Rookies must attest to having scouted the mountain ahead of time. James and Michelle Butler: The Senseless Murder of 21-Year-Navy Veteran and Wife. Jenna Hutchins (born March 25, 2004), is a high school and "Under 20" record-breaking American long distance runner from Johnson City, Tennessee. But crews found no sign of LeMaitre. And theres just never been a trace of him found. 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. It's not uncommon for racers to be injured, running to the. The view from Mount Clark, which. Let us know in the form at the bottom of the story. Since 1982, our main focus has been to promote health and fitness among women, especially women who would not otherwise exercise. A world-renowned endurance athlete who went missing in California's Yosemite National Park has been found dead. Unfortunately, it was not to be! Park officials said in a statement that the body of Fred Zalokar, 61, from Reno . Queen Bee Montana Marathon - new name - Same Fast Courses! 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If you would be willing to assist in the search for Michael LeMaitre, please contact the Seward Volunteer Fire Department via their webpage. 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. Despite extensive searches, his body has never been recovered, and the details of his death remain a mystery. 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. 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. Back to Top . KTOO collaborates with partners across the state to cover important news and to share stories with our audiences. Though declared legally dead for about nine years, LeMaitre is still considered a missing person by Alaska State Troopers. Michelle Theriault Boots: During that race, it was terrible weather. After troopers stopped their search, family continued. People have to promise theyve been up the mountain before. Read this article on the new Outside+ app available now on iOS devices for members! 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. Michael LeMaitre (66) disappeared on his way up the mountain and remains missing to this day. 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.
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