Irish Mountain
Running Association

Missing runner

AuthorDateMessage
Douglas BarryJul 7 2012, 11:27pmSome of you may remember former Irish international Francis Cosgrave finishing 4th way back 14 or 15 years ago in the very difficult race run in Sarah Palin's backyard - the Mount Marathon race in Seward, Alaska held on US Independence Day. The 85 year old race goes up and down 3,000 feet in 3 miles and is fairly notorious for the amount of falls that runners suffer.

Sadly, this year a 66 year old doing the race for the first time has gone missing. He turned at the top last Tuesday the 4th of July, but still hasn't made it back down the 1 1/2 miles to the bottom as of now. Here's some further info from the local newspapers

http://www.adn.com/2012/07/06/2533426/search-resumes-in-seward-for-mount.html

There seems to be criticism of the organisers for not having a sweeper behind the main race, but then again it appears that the entrant may have ignored pre-race instructions and didn't wear glasses even though he allegedly had poor eyesight.
Francis CosgraveJul 11 2012, 12:57amDouglas, thank you for sharing this,

But friends please spare a thought also for Matthew Kenney who had a near fatal fall off a cliff in the race,
He and another good friend Brad Precosky of years gone by are the subject of the link below.

Most of my family live in Alaska, I will see if they can post me further update on this later.



Human Toll In 2012 "Mount Marathon Race" Remains High

ANCHORAGE, Alaska — In this year's "Mount Marathon Race" not only has one runner disappeared, but another runner -- badly injured during the steep mountain run -- remains hospitalized in a coma.

41-year-old Matthew Kenney of Anchorage, the father of 2, was badly hurt in a 30-foot-fall last Wednesday. He suffered brain injuries and a compound fracture of his leg.
The slopes on the Marathon Mountain can be as steep as the pitch of a roof -- and such slopes can extend for hundreds of feet. Kenney, an experienced runner, apparently lost his footing during the dangerous descent.

Full story link below

http://articles.ktuu.com/2012-07-08/brain-injuries_32592190