I have not read about that.  Poor wife, she must be very worried.  I hope she checked the hospitals.  This is one example of why I carry my Road ID or phone, mostly so they can identify me if something goes wrong.

Yeah, no, that's not good.

I do not run with a phone, it's just a chance I take.  I lost my key on a run before and was locked out of my car where my phone was.  It was on that day that I realized I only know two numbers of friends or family by heart, two frickin' numbers out of 200 that are stored in my phone!  Back in the day, I would know every single one of them by heart.  It's a different world.

I would expect most ladies run with a phone...or a gun, sharp edge, or mace if not a phone.

If you have the phone like the iPhone, they can easily track you (by searching for the iPhone).  Also, they can call back one of the most used numbers.  Hubby left his iPhone at a restaurant not long ago.  We got a call at 11pm on my phone asking if I knew someone that had eaten at that restaurant that day.  If not, hubby would've used the Find my iPhone and there it would be.

Not to sound insensitive, but this doesn't strike me as the kind of situation where having a phone would have been all that useful.  I get that if you feel like you're being followed you can make a call, but if you collapse or are abducted, you're not going to be doing a whole lot of dialing.

 

The interesting thing is that I automatically assumed that this story was going to be about a woman.  Is it wrong that since it's a guy I wonder if he was just trying to escape his life/family?

 

And, like LRB, I don't carry anything.  I have changed routes because of dogs though, and I'd much rather alter my routes than be burdened with carrying things.

 

Also, being able to run a handful of sub-6 miles ought to be enough to get me out of some bad situations, right?

Whatever the circumstances are, his family must be worried sick. I feel for them. :-(

I'm in the not carry anything camp too. I have a road I.d., and I tend to run the same routes over and over, so my wife knows the general area I'll be in.

(Siar, your question was my first thought. It's sad that I've become so cynical.  I hope they find him alive and well somewhere)

I carry my phone with me, not due to concern about rapists or abductors, but because of the other types of emergencies that can occur on a run. There are rattlesnakes in my area, and my DH has found skins in the park that I run in. I know it Is unlikely, but if I got bit by a rattler, having a phone with me could save my life. There are also the "fall down and break your ankle" kind of things that could happen. And then there is plain ol' heat exhaustion. Things happen. They don't have to be catastrophic for you to want to be able to call somebody to come help you out. The closest I ever got to calling for help was one time I had a stomach bug and got sick about nine miles into my run. I did wind up being able to walk home, but barely.

I also have an iphone and DH and I share an Apple account, which means he can see me on his phone when he uses his "find my phone" app. He likes to be able to see where I am.

I saw this product the other day and seriously considered getting it for DH - link -   It's like LoJack for Husbands.

It is important to tell someone where you will be and also carry ID with you and emergency phone numbers (Road ID, etc).   A phone may or may not be helpful, depending on the situation, but never hurts to carry one.  I don't, unless I am hitting the trails and then I always carry a phone because I get lost a lot.

The longer the search goes, the less this seems like it's going to have a good ending.