G. Chris Gleason, 40, a lawyer from Clifton Park, N.Y and Jeffrey Lee, 21, a Penn senior both collapsed and died Sunday in Philadelphia taking part in the city's half and full marathons.
Gleason was an experienced Ironman triathlete who collapsed and died about a quarter mile short of the Philadelphia Marathon finishline, while Lee collapsed and died after finishing the half marathon.
Both deaths have shocked and saddened the endurance community once again raising serious questions in the minds of some amateur endurance athletes to the safety of long races.
According to philly.com:
"Between 6 percent and 17 percent of sudden cardiac deaths are associated with exertion, and about one in every 50,000 marathoners dies in connection with a race.
"Usually when you stress your body to extremes, the weakest link is going to fail first," said John D. Kelly IV, a sports medicine expert and associate professor of orthopedic surgery at the University of Pennsylvania."
An informal tribute to Gleason has been established HERE on slowtwitch.com
According to the slowtwitch post"
"Chris was super smart, super social and had strong opinions about racing, training, and just about everything else. He was irrepressible -- in person or on-line. He's going to be missed for his sharp wit, his competitive spirit, his big heart and his loyal friendship. For those that perhaps didn't know Chris well, you'll see posts and pictures throughout ST that illustrate very well the kind of competitor and human being he was. Chris walked the walk, and challenged others to live life in the same way. This was his real gift to those that knew him.
Most important though, Chris was a dedicated and loving father and husband. Training for Ironman, he'd set off at 4:30 AM routinely no matter how cold or wet the weather. Come hell or high water, he was back at the house when the kids woke up. His job was putting them on the bus, and I don't think he ever missed that responsibility when he wasn't out of town on business.
In short, he loved his family as intensely as he did everything else. This was Chris' finest achievement."
Photo and tribute posted by Kevin Martin to slowtwitch.com
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