Rescuers Of Trapped Ultra Runner Honored

They were awarded with special pins.

The National Park Service recognized three men from Visalia, California for their efforts in rescuing a woman who had fallen through a snow bridge in Sequoia National Park earlier this month.

Marcia Rasmussen, 51 years old, had been out in the park training for an ultra marathon when she got into trouble. After falling into a freezing stream, she had become trapped for three hours in a snow tunnel.

The three rescuers, all in their 20s, were out in the park to hike and take pictures. When they passed the spot where Rasmussen had fallen, they noticed her backpack next to a hole in the snow.

One of them then saw the top of Rasmussen’s head.

They quickly dug her out. Two hikers went for help, while the third warmed Rasmussen with a sleeping bag.

“It’s citizens like this that make the world go round,” said Sequoia and Kings Canyon park superintendent Karen Taylor-Goodrich. The three men received NPS Search and Rescue pins during a news conference in Fresno.

For More: Fresno Bee