Jeremy Humphrey of McCall, Idaho, never knew his passion for running would one day turn him into a hero.
At 41 years old, he’s in the best shape of his life and often goes on “adventure runs,” jogging no less than six hours at a time. Thanks to his impressive athletic prowess, he recently ended up saving a life!
Jeremy is an ultramarathon runner, which means he participates in races that are longer than the traditional 26.2 miles. Sometimes, he even reaches up to 100!
As such, he can cover long distances pretty quickly, so when his wife told him a woman had gone missing in the Valley County wilderness, he set out to find her.
“I felt this spark, like this shot of adrenaline right out of bed,” Jeremy said. “I just absolutely knew, 100 percent, that I was going to find her, there was zero doubt.”
Laura Dipietro had gone hiking in the mountains with her dog Flora on July 3. Five days later, she was reported missing when she didn’t show up for work. Unfortunately, the 43-year-old hadn’t shared her plans with many people, which made the rescue efforts difficult.
Valley County Search and Rescue had teams combing areas near her parked car, while Jeremy, who was coordinating with them on July 10, tried the southern side. Having explored there many times before, he was familiar with the terrain.
Close to 25 miles and 10 hours later, he called out Laura’s name for what must have felt like the millionth time – and got an answer!
Laura and Flora had been camping out near a lake. While they had water, they hadn’t eaten in at least four days. Fortunately, Jeremy came prepared, handing over his energy bars before calling for help. Soon, Laura and her sweet pup were airlifted to safety, and now both of them are doing well!
As for Jeremy, he’s just grateful he got to make a difference. He plans to meet up with Laura in the future so they can chat about their unforgettable encounter.
“It felt good to do something not selfish,” Jeremy said. “Something for somebody else and to use multiple skills that I have honed over my entire lifetime to put me in that position to do something.”
Way to go, Jeremy! The feeling of getting Laura to safety must have been so much more rewarding than any medal you’ve won racing!
Learn more about his heroic efforts in the video below, and share this story to thank him.
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