Found: Woman Who Went Missing During Half-Marathon

Florida's Melissa Kitcher now safe after taking wrong turn that had her wandering for 12 hours
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Dec 6, 2016 1:33 PM CST
Woman Takes Wrong Turn in Race, Goes Missing for 12 Hours
Participants run during the Delhi Half Marathon in India on Nov. 20, 2016 (no word on whether anyone got lost).   (AP Photo/Tsering Topgyal)

A Florida woman who became lost during a half-marathon trail run was found past nightfall after wandering around a 25,000-acre park for nearly 12 hours, per the AP. The Sarasota Herald-Tribune reports Melissa Kitcher was in good spirits after being found Sunday evening. She says she made a wrong turn more than 3 miles into the 13.1-mile run. Race director Thierry Rouillard says he had no idea Kitcher was still on the trail until her husband called late Sunday afternoon, hours after the "Trail Hog" run had finished. Sarasota County Sheriff's Office deputies began searching soon after. Kitcher says her cellphone froze before the race, but she never really worried since she knew her family would come looking for her. She plans to run the Sarasota Half Marathon in March and finish. (More missing person stories.)

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