Rest in Peace, Philip Kreycik
A couple weeks ago, for a couple consecutive weeks, I linked to the missing runner story in the east bay that was all over the (running) news here.
Unfortunately, yesterday (Tuesday, 8/3) a volunteer searcher located what is believed to be Philip Kreycik’s body in the same park where he disappeared, under a tree or heavy bush cover, about 250 yards off path. Some stories I read on the subject said it was off or near a “game trail” (which I presume means something like the cow paths that I see in Sierra Vista Open Space Preserve/ARP sometimes? not a pedestrian path?). The family will be participating in a presser tomorrow morning (Thursday, 8/5), so maybe if they feel so inclined, they will avail more details to the public. I can’t imagine their experience right now though.
I don’t know the family, nor did I know the runner, but I’m gutted to read the story. It’s obviously not the result the family, and the hundreds of volunteers, and the thousands of well-wishers, had hoped for, yet I hope that the family can somehow begin to find closure. Maybe they will learn more from an autopsy in the coming days. It is heartbreaking for sure, and my heart aches for those who knew him and loved him.
It’s hard not to speculate and rationalize and hypothesize, so I’ve tried to refrain from doing so out of respect and deference.
May he rest in peace, and may his family find solace in their shared memories.
12 thoughts on “Rest in Peace, Philip Kreycik”
This is so sad, may he rest in peace.
It really is. I feel helpless because what do you even say in response to something like this?
So sad. I wonder if game trail means they think he was drug there by wildlife?
I wondered that as well. And it’s also interesting/sad/whatever you want to call it that he wasn’t that far off the trail. I read that some people thought that maybe he was seeking shade or something? I know someone who went to help search one day (in the middle of the night, when people thought they heard someone yelling ‘help’ or ‘Phil’ or whatever), and he said there were a *ton* of mountain lions in the area where they were looking. Makes you wonder…
I watched the press conference with Philip’s wife and parents. Very sad. I just wondered what happened, as he wasn’t very far from the trail.
I also watched the press conference and was moved by his family. It’s incredibly sad. I think a lot of us are dumbfounded as to what happened!
I’ve been following his story too and it’s heartbreaking for his young family and his parents. I wonder what happened to him during that run. Tragic.
I think a lot of people were captivated by his story and were being armchair detectives to try to figure out what happened. Hopefully the autopsy or coroner report (or whatever) will help clarify things, at least for his family’s sake. It is so, so sad. I’m glad they found his body (for closure) but still. It’s heartbreaking.
Yes, very heartbreaking. I’m glad they were able to get some closure, but it’s a hard reality to face about someone you love.
I was following the story too because it seemed so weird that he went running and never turned up home. Horrifying for his family and sad for his young daughters.
Do you know the story about Lucas Horan (he was an avid runner in the bay area) who went missing on Christmas Eve 2020? He was Chris’ graduate school roommate in Santa Cruz. It is another heartbreaking story.
Agreed. I’m so sorry to hear about Chris’s roommate. I hadn’t heard that story before, so I went down the google rabbit hole. That’s really sad, too 🙁 I wonder what ended up happening? It sounds kinda mysterious.
We were shocked too! I saw the news on msn.com and then followed it for the month he disappeared. It was shocking and heartbreaking to learn the outcome.
The situation was odd and more questions than answers. I wonder too…strange circumstances. I hope his family finds closure and peace: terrible and the worst news for the surviving family members and loved ones.
🙁