Search For Missing Stockton Runner Complicated By Rain, Hail
FORESTHILL (CBS13) — Monday's storm is making the search for a missing runner more critical and more difficult.
Bob Root, of Stockton, got separated from his running club on Sunday on the Western States trail near Foresthill.
Volunteers searched through the rain, wind, and occasional hail on Monday for the man who once saved another runner's life during a marathon.
In 2010, CBS13 spoke to Root after he performed CPR on a man who collapsed during the 2010 Modesto Marathon.
Now, four years later, he's the one relying on rescuers.
The 55-year-old went missing on Sunday morning on a training run wearing just running shorts and a light windbreaker. Monday's storm will likely complicate that search.
"It can be more challenging," said Placer County Sheriff's Lt. Kevin Borden. "You get the weather in there, that could wash away footprints or create a slippery environment or hazards for the searchers."
Still, more than 50 search and rescue volunteers using horses and dogs hit the lengthy trail in the rain and light rail.
"They should have passed him coming back, because he's slower, and he didn't come back," said Shannon Sandbank.
She helped make the 911 call after fellow runners realized Root wasn't back.
"My husband went out looking for him, just a dirt bike, just to see, because it was still light," she said. "He rides those trails all the time, but he didn't ..."
With even further dropping temperatures, time is running out for a runner who once saved one of his own.
