Fears are growing for a hill runner who went missing in Highland Perthshire.
Chris Smith (43) has been gone since 3pm on Tuesday October 27, having set out for an uphill run around a group of Munros in Glenlyon.
The tiny community of Invervar, where he has been staying with his wife and two young sons, has been swamped with emergency vehicles, teams of foot searchers and a helicopter flying low day and night in an effort to locate him.
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Police Scotland has been working in close partnership with local mountain rescue teams and the ongoing assistance of the Coastguard helicopter.
On Thursday morning, 40 hours after the alarm was first raised, a police statement was issued regarding the ongoing search.
Inspector Emma Bowman, from Tayside Police Division, said: “Chris is an experienced hill walker and fell runner, so it is naturally concerning that he remains missing at this time.
“Our thoughts are with his family as the searches continue today.
“I’d like to thank everyone who has taken part in the searches so far and ask anyone who has any information about Chris’s whereabouts to contact police on 101, quoting incident 2775 of October 27.”
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Chris, who came from Aberdeenshire originally but now lives in Haywards Heath in Sussex, is an experienced fell runner.
He represented Great Britain in international running competitions and in 2016 helped Team GB to win a bronze in the European Mountain Running Championships in Italy.
Family have been making their way to Perthshire to join Chris’ anxious wife Lindsey as she waits for news.
Yesterday his brother-in-law, Billy Milligan and cousin Ruth McKee ensured the appeal to find the fit father-of-two was circulated all over social media.
In it they explained that Chris went out in just his running gear on Tuesday afternoon to complete a circular route up Meall nan Aighean, Carn Mairg, Meall Garbh and Carn Gorm.
He left from their holiday rental at Invervar, situated just below the path up into the hills.
He had been expected to return for 5pm. Lindsey raised the alarm when her husband was not back by 6pm.
