Dublin and Wicklow Mountain Rescue last night found a long-distance runner lost in the mountains… by texting him a link for software that tracked him down using his smartphone.
PRO for Dublin & Wicklow Mountain Rescue, Brian O’Doherty says it’s no substitute for a map and compass – because you don’t always have a phone signal in the hills, but on this occasion it worked like a dream: “We were able to send him a text message with a link to the App, he downloaded it to his phone and clicked on Go, it instantly told him where he was and send the information back to us.
We have software back at our base which displays a map of Wicklow and his location poppped up on the map. We were able to use that then, to get him back out to safety”.
The missing runner was training for the Art O’Neill Challenge, a commemorative 55km overnight run through the Wicklow Mountains which takes place next Friday and had lost his GPS unit along the way.
He found himself in an extremely remote location and unsure of his exact position or which way he should go next.
Once the man was reached by rescue volunteers, he was given warm clothing, quickly assessed for any potential medical issues and brought to safety. Team members were stood down at approximately 21:00 after their second call-out on Sunday and their third this year so far.
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