Tragic End to Search for Distance Runner

After decades as an endurance athlete, Fred Zalokar's final journey was in Yosemite National Park. The 61-year-old, who was well known in the world of endurance sports, was found dead Tuesday, two days after he was reported missing, reports the San Francisco Chronicle. The Reno resident had planned an off-trail day hike to the summit of Mount Clark. The park says his body was found and recovered near the 11,522-foot summit, reports the San Jose Mercury News. The park, which did not disclose a cause of death, said the incident "remains under investigation."

The park issued an alert Sunday after Zalokar failed to return from the hike. Zalokar started running in his twenties and racked up an impressive list of achievements over the following decades, including running the four oldest 100-mile races in the US in 1996, all of which he completed in under 24 hours, the Reno Gazette Journal reports. He ran marathons on every continent, including Antarctica, and in his 50s, he won his age group in the World Marathon Majors in Tokyo, Boston, New York, Chicago, London, and Berlin. He also loved climbing and scaled the highest peak of no fewer than 78 countries. (More Yosemite National Park stories.)