The Seward Chamber of Commerce on Monday issued a detailed account of its version of how Mount Marathon Race officials were involved in the disappearance of 66-year-old Michael LeMaitre on July Fourth. LeMaitre was last seen near the 3,022-foot top of the Mount Marathon course. He has not been seen since and Alaska State Troopers on Saturday called off what had been an exhaustive search.
LeMaitre is presumed by most to have died of hypothermia or other injuries. Some volunteer search efforts for him continue.
A 2007 Oregon study of more than 1,000 searches involving more than 1,500 people over the course of six years concluded that after 51 hours had passed there was only a 1 percent chance of finding the lost individual -- but added that "there were a small but important number of people found alive after this time. Thus a search manager might use a cut-off of two to three days for more searches, but consider other factors and extend the search in some circumstances." The study noted that terrain, whether mountainous or flat, did not appear to be a factor influencing survival. Age, however, was a factor, according to the study: "Persons older than 60 years, or searches conducted in the months May through October (in Oregon) were associated with a decreased likelihood of survival."
The Seward Chamber statement included some new information about what happened near the top of the race course Wednesday.
It had been known a race timer met LeMaitre there, about 200 feet below the summit, and went on down as the elderly man continued up. The latest statement discloses that the timer was part of a crew of timers who headed down because the cut-off for officially finishing the race passed half an hour earlier. The statement neither identifies the "lead timer" nor details how many people were in the "crew."
It does outline the lead timer's 15 years of experience on the mountain; his conclusion LeMaitre did not need any assistance; and the fact the crew had been on the mountain a long time. Race day was cold and wet, and 10 hours was a long time to be up there, various Mount Marathon runners have observed.
The statement says the timer reported LeMaitre's position to race officials when he reached the bottom of the mountain at 6:20 p.m. According to the statement, he told LeMaitre's wife to expect him shortly, but to notify race officials if he was not back within an hour and a half. She notified them her husband was missing about an hour and forty minutes later.
The statement stresses the race's interest in safety, but makes no mention of Mount Marathon racer Matt Kenney, who remains hospitalized in Anchorage with a traumatic brain injury due to injuries from a fall off a cliff during the race. The cliff from which he fell has been the scene of a number of serious injuries in recent years.
Here is a portion of the statement:
Read the entire statement here (PDF).
Contact Craig Medred at craig(at)alaskadispatch.com