At least three area runners were among more than 18,000 who competed in the 32nd Detroit Free Press/Flagstar Marathon in Detroit on Sunday where, according to news reports, three half-marathoners died during the race.
As of press time, no results from the autopsies were made public on the three runners.
Detroit Police spokesman John Roach reported a man in his late 20s to early 30s collapsed and died at approximately 9 a.m. on Michigan near First Street. Moments later, a 65-year-old man collapsed and hit his head on the pavement on Michigan Avenue near Third Avenue and died. And finally, a 26-year-old man died after collapsing around 9:20 a.m. on Fort near Second Street.
Daniel Langdon, 36, of Laingsburg, Mich., collapsed between the 11th and 12th mile, near Michigan Avenue and First, and later died. Rick Brown, 65, of Marietta, Ohio, collapsed, hit his head on the pavement near the same area as Langdon, and later died. And Jon Fenlon, 26, of Waterford, collapsed after crossing the finishing line and died.
All three men were taken by Detroit Medical Center personnel to area hospitals, Harshbarger said, where they were pronounced dead. Race officials said all three men were running the 13.1 mile half-marathon.
After competing in more than 70 marathons, lifelong runner and Grosse Pointe Park resident Bill Snyder, 65, had a difficult time with the race.
‘The cold is almost as stressful as the heat,? said Snyder, Brandon Middle School principal. ‘We were shivering at the start of the race. Now, I can only speculate on what happened to those three runners, but they may never have even been warmed up that day.?
Snyder, who has competed in more than 20 Boston Marathons, said he’s seen runners keel over during a race, but cannot recall a death.
‘Consider it was 30 degrees with a wind chill during the start of the race,? he said. ‘I was wearing long pants and a jacket; hours after the race I was still trying to warm up. Hydration during a race, even in cold weather, is an issue’you still need plenty of fluids. The extreme weather is a big factor’look what happened at the Chicago Marathon in 2007.? According to news reports, the Chicago Marathon, in high temperatures and humidity, resulted in one runner death and 312 others taken to hospitals or treated at medical stations.
A daily runner for more than 15 years, Atlas Township resident Jennifer Belanger, 52, was racing in the Detroit Free Press Marathon, her first attempt at 26.2 miles.
‘The day was cool and bright,? said Belanger. ‘The race was very well organized’the start was staggered so there was no pile up crossing the Ambassador Bridge heading into Canada. There were plenty of water stations and most runners who try the longer distances are typically in good shape and know what they are doing. At about the 11 mile marker I saw the young man lying on the street and they were trying to revive him. They had all us runners go to one side of the road so the ambulances and medical people could work on him. We all had no idea he had died.?
Brandon Township resident Joe Wojciechowski, 47, a runner for the past seven years, was entered in the full marathon. On average, he runs about 10 miles per week and says the conditions on Sunday morning were cold and clear.
‘It’s very difficult to dress for that race due to the temperature,? said Wojciechowski. ‘You start out dressed for cold, then by mid race it’s too hot. There were plenty of water stations and I only saw one man fall at the 23 mile mark. He jumped right back up and took off. The only thing I noticed odd was at the end of the race all the food was gone from the finish line area. Typically there are plenty of bananas or apples to eat at the end.?