BURLINGTON, Vt. (AP) – A runner who collapsed during the early stages of the Vermont City Marathon over the weekend remained in critical condition Monday.
Marathon and emergency officials have not released the man’s name because of federal medical privacy laws. They also have not released his age or hometown.
Several other runners on the course performed CPR on the man after he collapsed Sunday near the six-mile mark of the marathon’s 26.2-mile route.
Emergency crews had to use a defibrillator to resuscitate the marathoner after his heart stopped on the way to Fletcher Allen Health Care. A hospital official said Monday the patient remained in critical condition.
Andrea Sisino, the race director, said the incident was one of only two severe medical emergencies to occur during the marathon’s 15-year history and cast a shadow over an otherwise problem-free event.
“These are my runners,” Sisino said Sunday. “I want to make sure they all go out and come back safe. It’s definitely weighing on my mind.”
The runner was participating in the full marathon and was running along Vermont 127 when he collapsed at about 8:45 a.m., said Burlington Fire Department Battalion Chief Mike Richard, who coordinated emergency-medical services for the marathon.
Runner Jennifer Demaroney came upon the marathoner soon after he collapsed. Demaroney, who is an EMT with the University of Vermont Rescue squad, said several other runners were attending to the marathoner, and she helped as well.
She said there were a number of other EMTs and doctors who happened to be running near the man when he collapsed.
Emergencies such as this are tragic but sometimes unavoidable in a large marathon, she said.
“With an event of this magnitude, it’s a numbers game,” she said. “At some point, something happens.”
In 1998, Amanda Berry was running a leg of the relay when a car hit her from behind. Berry suffered a head injury and nearly died, but she recovered fully and ran the final leg of the relay the following year.
AP-ES-05-26-03 1140EDT
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