Anyone else following this story? Man goes for a trail run in the Bay Area (Pleasanton, CA), never comes back. Car found in parking lot with phone and wallet in it. Five days of searching comes up with nothing.
Anyone else following this story? Man goes for a trail run in the Bay Area (Pleasanton, CA), never comes back. Car found in parking lot with phone and wallet in it. Five days of searching comes up with nothing.
Very strange. I haven't been to that park in particular but I've run in a bunch of other East Bay regional parks, and you can basically never go more than a few minutes without someone going by, especially on a Saturday. It's not exactly remote wilderness.
Lots of Karens in the comments out there saying how foolish he must be to run without a phone. Does anyone here run with a phone?
Oh no, that's horrible. I hope they find him.
I run with as little as possible, clothing included. Phones are not on my list of approved gadgets to run with.
Terrible news and this is probably not the time to say it but jesus that guy looks rough for 37
I'm friends with someone on FB who know him and has been posting about it. Yesterday she shared that someone heard a cry for help coming from a canyon, and they were mobilizing people to search there. Based on this article, I'm guessing that was fruitless.
I'll run with a phone on longer trail runs ... it fits easily in my hydration pack, and doesn't weigh much relative to the water weight. I won't bring it on my short local runs though.
The thing that is strange about this is that the run he was planning wasn't very long. It was an 8 mile loop. I've never run from the park entrance that he was starting at, but there are significant climbs in that park. He could have fallen somewhere. But it is strange that someone running in a space as small as he was going has not been found for 5 days.
Two years ago, a hiker got lost in my favorite running park. I volunteered and searched for two days before he finally turned up okay. During those two days, we speculated about what could have happened to an experienced hiker. The park seemed so safe.
Gradually, all the risks I had taken for granted became clear... rocks, roots, rattlesnakes, trails along the edge of bluffs that could crumble, slippery rocks that could lead to nasty falls, shortcuts that could lead to disorientation, broken legs, or even heart attacks (this was an old guy, but still younger than me!)
I now run with my phone in a waist belt. When I go for long runs or hikes, I keep a tiny emergency whistle in my water belt so it's always with me. It's not just for me. What if I find someone who has had a heart attack, but I'm an hour away from my car? I can call for help immediately.
I hope this guy is found, but this is an odd situation. The area isn't really a wilderness, based on the photos of the park. It sounds like he got heatstroke, tried to find a cool place hidden in the shade, and never recovered. A friend of mine nearly died from heatstroke after an evening track workout. It can hit you very fast.
I don’t mean to be gruesome, but are there mountain lions in this area?
As far as carrying a phone while running, I do only because I listen to music while running and haven’t yet upgraded to one of the newer watches that store music on them. I don’t while racing, though.
After reading this, I suppose it is a good reminder you never know when you could bust an ankle or need help in some other way.
I hope they find him alive and well.
GettingFasterDude wrote:
I don’t mean to be gruesome. (cougars)
And I don't mean to offend either, but it would also be a good way to be legally declared dead while slipping away to start a new life. Debts, troubles, lots of possible motives, who knows.
Yeah, it seems strange, but I honestly don't know the area at all myself. The website says it's over 9,000 acres, which seems big enough to get well and truly lost from my east-coast city perspective. But with all the people looking for him, you would think someone would have found a clue by now.
In addition to all the excellent reasons you list for carrying a phone, I admit one of the main reasons I run with mine often is to take photos of pretty views!
A mountain lion is possible, but man's the more dangerous animal. If there was an attack of some sort, another human is the more likely culprit.
Last week ran from the same trailhead he used. Main trails are fairly heavily used but there are also a ton of smaller trails with drop offs and heavy brush. Many places he could have run and fallen off trail, but with the extensive search and use of technology it seems as though he isn't in the park. It was pushing over 100 when he was out so maybe heat issues or head injury and wondered off? Decided it was too hot and headed toward flatter terrain outside of the park and suffered a medical issue? There are big cats in the area. One was videoed this week but it was skittish and took off after encountering people. Even if one got him there would probably be some evidence left behind (clothing, sign of struggle, blood evidence). It's weird and sad to see happen.
The park is very large, but it has multiple entrances and the trails that come from each entrance are somewhat separated. It is possible to access trails originating from one entrance through a different entrance, but it is unlikely that one would do that by accident.
This actually happened where I grew up. Guy goes for a jog in an easy area, dissapears. Turns up 30 years later in Mexico under a different name. Left his 2 kids and wife behind (who passed away before he was found). Tragic story.
I always tell my wife my route before heading our, live stream my GPS so she can see where I am, and carry my phone on me in a flip belt. And I don't exactly run in remote areas. I just don't understand the rationale behind not taking a phone with you, especially on days with inclement weather, rough terrain, etc. It could save your life, or help you to save another.
It doesn't sound like he's still in the park. The article says...
The search included more than a dozen agencies from across the state and nearly 300 volunteers, police said. Dogs, drones, helicopters and an airplane with advanced thermal imagery were also deployed, the sheriff's office said.
Running in 106 degree temperatures. That just sounds like a disaster waiting to happen.
I can't believe people even consider running in such heat.
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