{
  "id": 6399812,
  "title": "‘Skyrunner’ describes appeal and peril of sport as Canadian remains missing in Alps",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/09/skyrunner-describes-appeal-and-peril-of-sport-as-canadian-remains-6399812",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-09T08:00:17.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "CityNews",
    "slug": "citynews",
    "url": "https://toronto.citynews.ca/2026/09/09/skyrunner-describes-appeal-and-peril-of-sport-as-canadian-remains-missing-in-alps/"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Renowned trail runner Hillary Gerardi describes the allure and risks of her chosen sport, \"skyrunning,\" where elite athletes push their limits on treacherous terrain. The American-born Gerardi, who has called France home for the past 15 years, says her close friend Kalie McCrystal, from Squamish, British Columbia, remains missing on the Italian side of the Matterhorn, where she was last seen on September 1. Gerardi and a friend were set to assist McCrystal in attempting to break a running record last week, but when no contact was made, they alerted authorities. However, no trace of McCrystal has been discovered. Gerardi, who met McCrystal a few years ago during the Skyrunner World Series, describes skyrunning as a form of \"mindfulness meditation,\" requiring undivided focus and presence in the moment, unlike running on a treadmill or a paved path. Gerardi explains that the mountainous routes skyrunners traverse can be as narrow as a meter wide, with a \"no-fall zone\" on either side, making even the most skilled runners susceptible to slipping or tripping. Gerardi emphasizes that the terrain is \"entirely unforgiving,\" with no room for error. She believes the worst-case scenario is that McCrystal had a slip or trip, which could not have been anticipated. Gerardi notes that the search efforts for McCrystal have been suspended due to the inaccessible nature of the area, and new information would be required to narrow down the search zone. As of now, Athletics Canada has not provided any updates on the ongoing search for McCrystal.",
  "summary": "Mountain trail runner Hillary Gerardi says traversing perilous terrain as an elite \"skyrunner\" is where she and those dedicated to the sport feel most alive, but some routes have little to no margin of error.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}