Law enforcement officials in Northern California confirmed on Tuesday that a missing runner who got separated from his group was found wearing only a windbreaker and shorts in snowy conditions.
Authorities from the Placer County Sheriff's Office told ABC News that 55-year-old Robert Root, who was running with seven others on the western States Trail Sunday morning, was found alive and conscious. He'd spent the past 48 hours in the snow around 60 miles northeast of Sacramento, Calif., wearing little clothing.
According to a representative from the Sheriff's department, Root was last seen with the troop of joggers when they set out for their trip at about 8:15 a.m. over the weekend.
"The running group Sunday was split between slow runners and fast runners," Dena Erwin told ABC News. "[Root] was initially running with the slower group and when his group stopped for a moment, Root decided to run ahead to join the faster group."
Upon their return to a designated meeting spot, the group noticed Root was missing. They immediately returned to the rugged terrain on the trail before alerting police of the 55-year-old man's disappearance.
According to Lt. Kevin Borden with the Placer County Sheriff's Office, who spoke with News 10 on Monday, three search groups combed through the area from Sunday night into the morning, igniting signal fires in hopes of getting Root's attention.
Root's state of health is not immediately known, ABC News reported.
The California resident was part of a running club called Shadowcase. Members of his running group reportedly participated in the search.
