May be nothing, may be something, but Elizabeth wasn't the only runner in the family. And by that, I mean that some, at least 2, (aunts) were runners and possibly some cousins.From what I've gathered in searches, running is a mighty popular pasttime in Utah.
RE: The abductor possibly being a runner. Is this why he told her to take her running shoes with her? Some kind of creepy runner's fantasy? Some kinky perversion??