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Runner Shay Dies At U.S. Marathon Trials

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By RACHEL COHEN, The Associated Press

Published: November 4, 2007

NEW YORK - Elite distance runner Ryan Shay, who collapsed and died Saturday during the U.S. men's marathon Olympic trials, had been diagnosed with an enlarged heart but cleared by doctors, his father said.

"The thing that made him such a great runner may have killed him," Joe Shay told The Associated Press.

An enlarged heart like Ryan's is most commonly found in drinkers, smokers or people who are overweight, the father said. But it also translated into extra endurance - crucial for a distance runner.

Ryan and other top athletes underwent medical testing in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he trained, last spring, Joe Shay said, and he was cleared for running.

"He said the doctors told him that because your heart rate is so low, when you're older you may need a pacemaker to make adjustments on that," said Joe Shay, adding his son first was diagnosed with a larger than normal heart at age 14.

The 28-year-old Ryan Shay collapsed about 5 1/2 miles into the race.

"I got a call that Ryan had fallen down ... then I got another call that his heart had stopped," said Joe Shay, who got the call while driving to Michigan's state cross country competition.

In New York, what was supposed to be a glorious weekend for the sport became instead a wake Saturday.

"It's a big loss for the running community," said 2004 Olympic women's marathon bronze medalist Deena Kastor, who used to train with Shay in California. "It's a day we should be celebrating. It has cast a pall."

That somber mood is sure to carry over to today's New York City Marathon, in which 38,000 runners will compete.

Organizers had decided to pair the trials with the storied annual marathon, hoping the timing would attract large crowds. The plan worked, as fans fought gusty wind to line the compact 26.2-mile course, which began in Rockefeller Center and traipsed through Times Square before heading to Central Park for five loops.

They witnessed a potentially historic day for American marathon running. Ryan Hall, a 25-year-old who had never raced the distance before April, established himself as a contender in Beijing, with a trials record time of 2 hours, 9 minutes, 2 seconds. He was followed by Dathan Ritzenhein (2:11:07) and Brian Sell (2:11:40), who will join him in China.

Minutes after Hall crossed the finish line, his arms raised in triumph, he heard the unthinkable news.

Shay was one of Hall's former training partners; his wife was Hall's college teammate.

"That just cut me straight to the heart," Hall said. "It makes you forget what you just did."

Shay was taken to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at 8:46 a.m., according to New York City police.

No immediate cause of death was given; the medical examiner's office said an autopsy will be performed today.

Saturday, Shay hit the ground near the Central Park boathouse, a popular Manhattan tourist spot. New York Road Runners president Mary Wittenberg, whose organization hosted the event, said Shay received immediate medical attention but would not elaborate on what steps were taken. A statement from USA Track & Field said Shay immediately received CPR.

"He crossed right in front of me and stepped off the course," said runner Marc Jeuland of Chapel Hill, N.C., who did not see Shay collapse. "He nearly tripped me. He would not have been taxed at that point."

Shay was born May 4, 1979, in Ann Arbor, Mich. His parents are the cross country and track coaches at Michigan's Central Lake High School.

At Notre Dame, Shay earned the school's first national individual track title with his victory in the NCAA 10,000 meters. There, he often ran with Wittenberg, who was attending law school. Shay went on to become a five-time national road racing champion, winning the 2003 U.S. marathon, 2003 and 2004 half-marathon, 2004 20k and 2005 15k.

At the postrace news conference, Hall started to say something about Shay, not realizing the death hadn't been announced, and was cut off by an official. After several questions about the race, a shaken Wittenberg finally interrupted to announce Shay's death.

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