ORLANDO, Florida (AP) -- A missing runner was rescued from a Florida swamp after spending four days stuck in the muck with only the waist-deep water to drink. Eddie Meadows, 62, had left for a run over his lunch hour Thursday but never returned to his office at a nearby University of Central Florida research park, authorities said. He was spotted among the brush and trees Monday morning as 50 friends and colleagues searched for him.
Meadows, who was parched and covered with bug bites, had consumed swamp water to stay hydrated during the four-day ordeal, said university police Sgt. Woody Furnas. Furnas said the area has thick silt and muck that can act like glue.
University police Sergeant Woody Furnas said: "He had great spirits, and he was very adamant about getting a drink of water. He said he slept a lot and stayed down in the water."
Sergeant Furnas described Mr. Meadows as "a strong guy". The local swamp area has thick silt which can act like glue, police said.