Sheriff’s deputies are asking for the public’s help in finding a Washington County man who went missing over a month ago while training for the “Bigfoot 200” — a grueling 200-plus-mile ultramarathon.
The Washington County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement on social media that Benjamin “Ben” Curtis Andersen’s GPS last pinged him at NFD Road 25 near Mount St. Helens on May 18. The 37-year-old was believed to be training for the Bigfoot 200, which starts Aug. 14 in the area of Mount St. Helens before running almost 208 miles through Washington state’s mountainous backcountry and wrapping up Aug. 18.
“Ben’s family, who lives out of state, just recently learned he has been missing and reported to the sheriff’s office,” the sheriff’s office social media post said.
The race’s organizers said that runners on the grueling route climb a cumulative 45,563 feet of elevation gain over the course of the route, which frequently results in hallucinations from exhaustion and sleep deprivation.
Entry fees for the event start at nearly $1,600.
Rescuers scouring the area where Andersen went missing have so far turned up nothing, and nobody has heard from him since his last GPS contact, officials said.
Officials describe Andersen as 6 feet tall and 210 pounds, with brown hair and blue eyes. He was known to drive a white 2025 Chevy Equinox with the Washington license plate CST3509. The truck also hasn’t been found.
Deputies say that anyone with information should call non-emergency dispatch at 503-629-0111 or 911 if appropriate, and reference Ben Andersen and case number 50-26-8356.
©2026 Advance Local Media LLC. Visit oregonlive.com. Distributed by Tribune Content Agency, LLC.
