Marathon Runner Had Apparent Heart Attack Near End Of Race

Geoffrey Mutai—not the man who suffered the heart attack—on 5th Avenue just beyond mile 22 (jschumacher's flickr)

A marathon runner suffered an apparent heart attack toward the tail end of today's 42nd NYC Marathon. FDNY said that the call about the man, said to be in his 30s, came in around 12:30 p.m. at the 22-mile mark on the marathon route at 5th Avenue and 117th Street— only four miles short of the finish line. “He fell on his face on Fifth Avenue, he just dropped like he was was shot,” Harlem resident James White told the Post.

An NYPD cop got to the runner immediately, and radioed for race volunteers and EMTs, who arrived within minutes. The man was taken in a private ambulance to Mt. Sinai hospital, and was said to have a pulse again at that point—though his current condition is unclear.

“When the runner was on the ground, he looked bad. He was blue in the face. He did not look good," witness Carlos Arciniegas told the Post. “After the medic gave him chest compressions, he started to look a better, and then they got him into the ambulance.” Another witness noted that hundreds of runners passed the fallen man as he lay on the pavement. “Those marathon runners are a cold bunch. They almost ran over him while he was laying on the ground,’’ said witness Carlo Hinder.

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By Ben Yakas in News on November 6, 2011 4:05 PM

Comments [rss]

Deborah

that's what I always say when people stop to stare at accidents, unless you can be of some help, keep going, before you cause another one.

U.N. Owen

Life here sure can be a bitch...

eddie brannan

What were the other marathon runners to do? A guy is receiving medical attention from police and EMTs, so why would you stop, unless you had some kind of specific medical training?

whitecastlerock

Take a break from your ego driven exhibition and exhibit a shred of humanity perhaps?

Chris Malone

who's to say one of the other runners didn't run over and tell the nearest cop/emt?

whitecastlerock

I wasn't there. I am commenting on the quote from the article and the other comments. Seems like the selfish fucks who run races would rather step over a near dead body being scraped off the pavement, because they don't want to cause any more problems. Probably the same selfish fucks who jaywalk, text at the top of subway staircase, and ramble on about what they had for dinner on their $200 phone. Fuck them and their "reasons" for not showing concern. For those who did stop and offer help, I respect you...

Pooping Time

I'm impressed with how much projecting you've been able to cram into one comment.

thePinkSuperhero

Anyone who stops would become a roadblock. Everyone stops and the real help wouldn't be able to get to the guy. Continuing to run was the right thing to do.

janelle

presumably there are guidelines about how to handle such a situation given to runners - does anyone know?

GentleGiant

Exactly. While at first glance not stopping may appear harsh, the best thing a runner can do is get out of the way so that EMTs and doctors can do their job.

grandeur1

i'm in agreement here

dollarmenu

My thoughts exactly. The course is full of volunteers there to serve that very purpose. And anyway, "witness" Carlo Hinder, did you leap out to help or did you see the NYPD rush in and figure they had it covered?