What happened? [13] That mark was the fastest girls' U18 time in the world in 2020. The Marathon course is a certified Boston qualifier. 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. While injuries are common and expected, LeMaitre's case was unprecedented. 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. I never went up the mountain on my own, except for the last trip. The. 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. 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. Michaels eyesight was failing but he thought he was capable enough to finish the race. 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. It rained the night before the 2012 race and the trail was slick and muddy. 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. The following transcript was lightly edited for clarity. Mount Marathon towers over the community of Seward at the head of Resurrection Bay about 125 miles south of Anchorage. For the next 24 minutes or so, its just steep. Four days after LeMaitre disappeared, the official rescue attempt was called off, though the Seward Volunteer Fire Department kept looking. 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. We walked the streams. 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.. Law enforcement has to place eyes on him, alive and well, McDaniel said. Every Mount Marathon rookie is required to watch a graphic safety video the night before the race. He could have been buried under the snow. She maintained a 4.0 Grade Point Average at the school. There are no sweepers that follow the Red Lantern, the last runner down the mountain, to ensure every person has gotten off the mountain. Heading out the door? The Mount Marathon Race in Seward took place Wednesday, after a year off due to the pandemic, without reports of any major trouble. Park officials said in a statement that the body of Fred Zalokar, 61, from Reno . Now its 40% of samples. The 93rd Mount Marathon race will be held Wednesday in Seward after a year off because of the pandemic. He won the lottery for getting into the race, and that was it. Delta variant wasnt detected in Alaska until a few weeks ago. There is not an active search for him currently, McDaniel said. There hasnt been any wish to change things unless its a safety concern. At that point, you have an entire mountain, and you have no limiting factor. 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. 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.