North Port woman in half-marathon lost for 12 hours

NORTH PORT, Fla. (AP) – 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.

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 three 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 finished. Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office deputies began searching soon after.

Kitcher says her cell phone 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.