List of marathon fatalities

Below is a sortable list of individuals who died as a result of running a marathon.

Causes of death during the marathon

The most frequent causes are:

  1. sudden cardiac death, triggered by a congenital or acquired heart disorder;
  2. exercise-associated hyponatremia or other electrolyte imbalance;
  3. exertional heat stroke or severe hyperthermia.

The age distribution ranges widely, from the teens through the sixties.

In 2016, a systematic medical review found that the risk of sudden cardiac death during or immediately after a marathon was between 0.6 and 1.9 deaths per 100,000 participants, varying across the specific studies and the methods used, and not controlling for age or gender. This translates to a few published marathon deaths worldwide in a typical year, although the authors lamented the lack of a central registry for the information.[1]

The second major risk arises from imbalanced fluid or electrolyte levels, particularly hyponatremia (sodium deficiency, overhydration, or water intoxication). As a marathon medical director described the counter-intuitive and under-publicized risk in 2005: "There are no reported cases of dehydration causing death in the history of world running, but there are plenty of cases of people dying of hyponatremia."[2]

Heat stroke is an emergency condition in which thermoregulation fails and the body temperature rises above 104 °F (40 °C). It becomes a greater risk in warm and humid weather.[3]

List

Origin Name [ref.] Age Marathon date Event Location Cause / Notes
 POR Francisco Lázaro[4] 24 15 July 1912 Olympic Marathon Stockholm, Sweden Electrolyte imbalance
  SUI Jakob Jutz[5] 35-36 26 August 1951 Swiss Athletics Federation Marathon Championships Cham, Switzerland Heart failure
 FRA Jacques Bussereau[6] 48 28 October 1984 New York City Marathon New York City, US Heart attack
 GBR Duncan Kerr[7] 28 22 September 1985 Glasgow Marathon Glasgow, UK Pneumonia
 USA Martin A. Wurst, Jr.[8] 32 2 November 1986 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., US Coronary artery disease
 USA Edwin Brown[9] 47 14 December 1986 Dallas Marathon Dallas, US Heart attack
 USA Thomas Becker[10] 40 8 October 1989 Twin Cities Marathon Minneapolis, US Heart attack
 USA William McKinney[11] 59 4 March 1990 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, US Heart attack
 USA Lisa B. Christensen[12] 19 4 November 1990 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., US Coronary artery abnormality
 USA Julius Becza[13] 58 24 October 1993 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., US Heart attack
 USA Samuel Grafton[14] 42 16 October 1994 Detroit Marathon Detroit, US Heart attack
  SWI Pierre Marguet[15] 27 6 November 1994 New York City Marathon New York City, US Heart attack; also for an unnamed second fatality
 SWE Humphrey Siesage[16] 61 15 April 1996 Boston Marathon Boston, US Heart attack
 GBR Anna Loyley[17][18] 26 8 March 1998 Bath Half Marathon London, UK Sudden arrhythmic death syndrome
 USA Kelly Barrett[19] 43 11 October 1998 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Hyponatremia
 GBR Don Scott[20] 48 26 September 1999 Robin Hood Marathon Nottingham, UK Heart attack
 USA Danny Towns[19] 45 22 October 2000 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Heart attack
 USA Luke Roach[19] 22 7 October 2001 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Heat stroke
 USA Laura M. Clancy[21] 29 20 October 2001 Baltimore Marathon Baltimore, US Brain aneurysm
 ECU Cynthia Lucero[22] 28 15 April 2002 Boston Marathon Boston, US Hyponatremia
 USA Hilary Bellamy[22] 35 27 October 2002 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., US Hyponatremia
 GBR Craig Johanson[20] 28 14 September 2003 Robin Hood Marathon Nottingham, UK Cardiac arrhythmia
 USA Rachael Townsend[23] 29 12 October 2003 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Mitral valve prolapse
 USA James Leone[11] 60 19 March 2006 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, US Heart attack
 USA Raul Reyna[11] 53 19 March 2006 Los Angeles Marathon Los Angeles, US Heart attack
 USA William Goggins[24] 43 30 July 2006 San Francisco Marathon San Francisco, US Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
 USA George Spears, Sr.[25] 49 1 October 2006 Twin Cities Marathon Minneapolis, US Heart attack
 USA Earl Seyford[26] 56 29 October 2006 Marine Corps Marathon Washington, D.C., US Heart attack
 USA Marc Witkes[27] 40 10 December 2006 Tucson Marathon Tucson, US Congenital heart abnormalities
 GBR David Rogers[28] 22 22 April 2007 London Marathon London, UK Hyponatremia
 USA Chad Schieber[29] 35 7 October 2007 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Mitral valve prolapse
 USA Ryan Shay[30] 28 3 November 2007 USA Marathon Championships New York City, US Cardiac arrhythmia
 USA Adam Nickel[31] 27 2 March 2008 Little Rock Marathon Little Rock, US Coronary artery abnormality;
electrolyte imbalance
 BRA Carlos Jose Gomes[32] 58 2 November 2008 New York City Marathon New York City, US Heart attack
 USA Joseph Marotta[32] 66 2 November 2008 New York City Marathon New York City, US Heart attack
 USA Fred Costa[32] 41 2 November 2008 New York City Marathon New York City, US Heart attack
 USA Erin Lahr[33] 29 14 December 2008 Dallas Marathon Dallas, US Cardiac arrhythmia
 IRE Colin Dunne[34] 27 1 March 2009 Barcelona Marathon Barcelona, Spain Heart attack
 USA Peter Curtin[35] 23 10 October 2009 Baltimore Marathon Baltimore, US Undetermined, possible heat stroke;
body temperature 107 °F (42 °C)
 USA William Caviness 35 9 October 2011 Chicago Marathon Chicago, US Heart attack
 USA Ulysses Thomas[36] 58 5 November 2011 Savannah Marathon Savannah, US
 GBR Claire Squires[37] 30 22 April 2012 London Marathon London, UK Heart attack, DMAA supplement
 ESP Xavier Jiménez[38] 45 17 March 2013 Barcelona Marathon Barcelona, Spain Heart attack
 GBR Sam Harper Brighouse[39] 23 14 April 2013 Brighton Marathon Brighton, UK Ischemic colitis
 USA R. Jacob Zeman[40] 35 9 November 2013 Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Savannah, US "Unsuspected heart condition"
 GBR Robert Berry[41] 42 13 April 2014 London Marathon London, UK Heat stroke
 PHI Manases Alfon Jr.[42] 38 7 February 2016 Condura Skyway Marathon Philippines
 PHI Arnold Lubang[43] 40 7 February 2016 Condura Skyway Marathon Philippines Cardiac arrest
 GBR Mike Freeman[44] 55 28 February 2016 Vodafone Malta Marathon Sliema, Malta "Natural causes"
 GBR David Seath[45] 31 24 April 2016 London Marathon London, UK Heart attack
 NED Rob Bremer[46] 50 26 November 2017 Curacao KLM Marathon Curacao Cardiac arrest
 GBR Matt Campbell[47] 29 22 April 2018 London Marathon London, UK Cardiac arrest
 GBR Juan Camilo Arboleda Alzate[48] 38 16 September 2018 Maratón Medellin Medellín, Colombia Heart attack
 CHI Claudio Agurto Spencer[49] 51 7 April 2019 Santiago Marathon Santiago, Chile Aortic dissection
 USA Taylor Ceepo[50] 22 19 May 2019 Cleveland Marathon Cleveland, US Cardiac
 CAN Steve Trickett[51] 35 26 May 2019 Ottawa Marathon Ottawa, Ontario, Canada Heart Attack
 USA Harry Vroulis[52] 74 19 January 2020 Houston Marathon Houston, US Heart attack
 USA Gregory McSween 41 9 November 2021 Marine Corps Marathon
 FRA Bruno Meunier[53] 41 5 June 2022 Marathon de la Liberté Caen, France Heart attack
 JPN unnamed[54] 69 3 March 2024 Tokyo Marathon Sumida, Tokyo
 USA Joey Fecci[55] 26 27 April 2024 Nashville Marathon Nashville, US "Natural causes"
 POR Marco Gomes[56] 42 28 April 2024 Maratona da Europa Aveiro, PT
Country Event Deaths Date
 Sri Lanka Weliveriya bombing 15 5 April 2008
 USA Boston Marathon bombing 3 15 April 2013
 China Gansu ultramarathon disaster 21 22 May 2021

References

  1. ^ Waite, Oliver; Smith, Andy; Madge, Luke; Spring, Hannah; Noret, Nathalie (January 2016). "Sudden cardiac death in marathons: a systematic review" (PDF). The Physician and Sportsmedicine. 44 (1): 79–84. doi:10.1080/00913847.2016.1135036. PMID 26765272. S2CID 36458482.
  2. ^ "Marathoners Warned About Too Much Water", The New York Times, 20 October 2005.
  3. ^ Armstrong, Lawrence E.; Casa, Douglas J.; Millard-Stafford, Mindy; Moran, Daniel S.; Pyne, Scott W.; Roberts, William O.; Roberts, W. O. (March 2007). "American College of Sports Medicine position stand: Exertional heat illness during training and competition". Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise. 39 (3): 556–572. doi:10.1249/MSS.0b013e31802fa199. PMID 17473783.
  4. ^ "Francisco Lázaro, a emborcação no treino", Fórum Olímpico de Portugal.
  5. ^ "In memoriam Jakob Jutz" (in German).
  6. ^ "The splendor of the New York City Marathon was...", UPI, 29 October 1984.
  7. ^ "Can Running Kill?", Scotland's Runner, August 1986.
  8. ^ "Marine Who Died During Marathon Here Had Undiagnosed Heart Ailment", The Washington Post, 4 November 1986.
  9. ^ "Dallas White Rock Marathon: The Seventeenth Annual Running"[permanent dead link‍], December 1986.
  10. ^ "Runner dies after finishing", St. Cloud Times, 9 October 1989.
  11. ^ a b c "Exuberance of L.A. Marathon Tempered by Runners' Deaths", Los Angeles Times, 20 March 2006.
  12. ^ "Marathon's No Random Killer, But No Running From Death", Washington Post, 12 November 1990.
  13. ^ "Runner's Heart Attack Was Waiting to Happen", The Washington Post, 30 October 1993.
  14. ^ "Runner, 42, collapses and dies", Detroit Free Press, 17 October 1994.
  15. ^ "New York City Marathon: Two Runners Are Dead From Cardiac Arrest", The New York Times, 7 November 1994. "A second runner, a man approximately 45 years old whose name was not released by St. Luke's Hospital or marathon officials, also died."
  16. ^ "Heartbreak Hill Claims Another Victim", Associated Press, 16 April 1996.
  17. ^ "First aid charity sued over death of runner". www.telegraph.co.uk. 8 October 2000. Retrieved 2021-11-24.
  18. ^ Pedoe, Dan Tunstall (2000-04-01). "Sudden cardiac death in sport—spectre or preventable risk?". British Journal of Sports Medicine. 34 (2): 137–140. doi:10.1136/bjsm.34.2.137. ISSN 0306-3674. PMC 1724190. PMID 10786871.
  19. ^ a b c "How marathons can kill you", Chicago Sun-Times, 6 October 2002.
  20. ^ a b "Marathon death man named", BBC, 15 September 2003.
  21. ^ "Marathon Runner Collapses, Dies", The Baltimore Sun, 11 October 2009.
  22. ^ a b "Too Much of a Good Thing", The Washington Times, 23 October 2003.
  23. ^ "Coach copes with wife's death", The Columbus Dispatch, 27 January 2004.
  24. ^ "The Fit Man's Heart Threat", Men's Health, 23 August 2007.
  25. ^ "Man who died in Twin Cities Marathon was experienced runner", Associated Press, 2 October 2006.
  26. ^ "Runner collapses, dies during Marine Corps Marathon", Associated Press, 30 October 2006.
  27. ^ "Man who died in marathon had congenital heart disease", Tucson Citizen, 23 January 2007.
  28. ^ "Marathon victim died from drinking too MUCH water". 13 April 2012.
  29. ^ "Autopsy: Man who died in Chicago Marathon had heart condition", Associated Press, 8 October 2007.
  30. ^ "Ryan Shay dies in U.S. Olympic marathon trials", USA Today, 3 November 2007.
  31. ^ "Doctors: Ark. marathon runner died of rare mix of heart condition, electrolyte abnormalities", Associated Press, 7 April 2008.
  32. ^ a b c "Secrets of the New York City Marathon". amNewYork. 4 November 2016.
  33. ^ "Heart condition caused White Rock Marathon runner's death", The Dallas Morning News, 2 March 2009.
  34. ^ "Teacher dies from heart attack during marathon", The Independent, 2 March 2009.
  35. ^ "Runner Was MIT Student; N.C. Native Died During The Baltimore Marathon Saturday", The Baltimore Sun, 13 October 2009.
  36. ^ "Marathon runner was 'picture of health,' wife says", Savannah Morning News, 9 November 2011.
  37. ^ "Claire Squires inquest: DMAA was factor in marathon runner's death", BBC, 30 January 2013.
  38. ^ "Muere un atleta en el maratón de Barcelona", El Periódico de Aragón, 17 March 2013.
  39. ^ "Brighton marathon runner died from bowel failure", The Guardian, 28 August 2013.
  40. ^ "Mr. Robert Jacob (Jake) Zeman obituary", Tributes.com, 11 November 2013.
  41. ^ "London marathon runner died yards from finish after his body overheated", London Evening Standard, 28 August 2014.
  42. ^ " Archived 2017-11-12 at the Wayback Machine, ABS-CBN Sports, 8 February 2016.
  43. ^ ", Rappler, 8 February 2016.
  44. ^ "Marathon runner died of natural causes – police", Times of Malta, 1 March 2016.
  45. ^ "London Marathon runner David Seath dies after collapsing near finish line", The Guardian, 25 April 2016.
  46. ^ "Runner dies during KLM marathon", Antilliaans Dagblad, 27 November 2017.
  47. ^ "London Marathon: Masterchef semi-finalist Matt Campbell dies", BBC News, 22 April 2017.
  48. ^ "Juan Camilo Arboleda, profesor universitario murió de un paro en Media Maratón de Medellín". Semena. September 16, 2018.
  49. ^ "Murió maratonista en la Marathon De Santiago". El Mostrador. 2019-03-07. Retrieved 2019-03-19.
  50. ^ Livingston, Doug. "Woman, 22, dies in Cleveland Marathon; soccer player was graduate of St. V-M and Walsh University". Akron Beacon Journal. Archived from the original on 2020-02-06. Retrieved 2020-02-06.
  51. ^ Duffy, Andrew. "Her husband died in 2019 Ottawa marathon. This year, she'll be on the start line". Ottawa Citizen.
  52. ^ McCord, Cory (21 January 2020). "Runner dies after suffering heart attack during 2020 Chevron Houston Marathon". khou.com.
  53. ^ "Le Marathon de la Liberté à Caen endeuillé par la mort d'un participant". franceinfo. June 5, 2022.
  54. ^ "東京マラソンで転倒した69歳の男性亡くなる 主催財団が発表 2007年開催から初の死者：東京新聞 TOKYO Web". 東京新聞 TOKYO Web (in Japanese). Retrieved 2024-03-09.
  55. ^ "Nashville chef, 26, identified as runner who died in St. Jude marathon". The Tennessean. Retrieved 2024-04-30.
  56. ^ "Homem que morreu na maratona de Aveiro era técnico de futsal: "Chocante"". noticiasaominuto (in European Portuguese). 29 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-05-01.

Further reading