Lost runner drinks own breast milk
New Zealand’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter has been in the news after a trail runner was airlifted from Rimutaka Forest Park.
Library image of Rimutaka Forest Park (Pseudopanax)
New Zealand’s Westpac Rescue Helicopter has been in the news after a trail runner was airlifted from Rimutaka Forest Park. The 29-year-old woman failed to reach the finish line on 10 May, but was picked up at around 11:30 the following morning.
According to reports, the mother of two took a wrong turn during the race and spent a cold, wet night in the bush. She told reporters that to keep warm, she dug a hole in the forest floor and covered herself with dirt. In order to sustain herself, she took advantage of the water, gel packs and energy bar she was carrying. The fitness instructor also told reporters that she drank her own breastmilk: “I’m breast-feeding my baby, so I had a bit of my milk, which I thought, that should keep me going.”
The woman was spotted by the helicopter crew following a four-hour search on the morning of 11 May. The helicopter had just dropped off a ground search team when the runner was seen waving from a river bank. The crew were able to land the aircraft in the shallow water of the river and fly the runner back to safety. One of the first things she did after being reunited with her family was to breast-feed her eight-month-old daughter.
Crewman Colin Larsen reflected: “It’s always a good day in the office when we go out looking for somebody and you actually manage to find them.”
Dozens of people had scoured the area on 10 May, with beacon fires being lit after darkness fell.