Update (02/02 1:20pm): According to a preliminary autopsy report released by the Jackson County Sheriff’s Office on Monday, Ragsdale’s death does not appear to be suspicious. Exactly how he died is still under investigation.
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Ashland, Ore. — Authorities are continuing to investigate what caused the death of Ashland man and avid runner, Todd Ragsdale. Local members of the running community say the news has hit them hard.
“It’s definitely very emotional hearing about what’s going on, knowing that Todd was a local runner here,” Jocelyn Schmidt said.
Schmidt has been running for the past eight years, since her freshman year in high school. She works at Rogue Valley Runners in Ashland. After hearing of Ragsdale’s death, she said she began taking extra safety precautions when going out.
“Since the accident here, I’ve really made sure to wear bright clothing, I’ve made sure, if I’m running at night, I run with a head lamp,” Schmidt said. “I also run with some reflective gear if I’m running at night as well, you can run with a vest.”
Schmidt also recommends running with your phone, and and let someone know where you’re planning to go, or at least, make a note of it.
“I also kind of write down where I’m going in the morning, like this morning, i jotted down a couple of areas where i knew i would be, just to be safe.”
Ragsdale told his wife he was going for a run near Lithia park on Thursday morning, and did not return. On Saturday afternoon, search crews found his body. More information is expected to be released on Monday.
A Go Fund Me account for Ragsdale’s family has been set up, you can find more information here.
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