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Lead Stories: Wednesday, August 20, 2008

Autopsy: Enlarged Heart, Natural Causes Led to Tragic Death of Runner Ryan Shay

Posted March 18th, 2008 at 5:07 PM by Adam Jacobs

Section: News & Results, Marathons, TFS News Briefs, Trail / Ultra

The following information was just released to the media and general public regarding the cause of death for Ryan Shay, 28, the U.S. distance runner who tragically collapsed and died during the U.S. Olympic Marathon Trials on November 3, 2007:

“Cardiac arrhythmia due to cardiac hypertrophy with patchy fibrosis of undetermined etiology. Natural Causes.”

The release was made by Ellen Borakova, the Director of Public Affairs of the New York Chief Medical Examiner. The full report of findings from the official autopsy will be made available exclusively to Shay’s family.

Ryan’s father, Joe Shay, told the The New York Times that all of the toxicology reports came back negative and that the family would make a statement later in the day to address the report’s findings.

Our thoughts and prayers go out to Alicia and the entire Shay family. May Ryan’s memory, kind soul, and endearing spirit live on forever in our hearts.

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Remembering Ryan Shay

Posted November 11th, 2007 at 9:45 PM by David Monti

Section: News & Results, Marathons, Columns, SPOTLIGHT

Today in East Jordan, Mich., a funeral was held for Ryan Shay, the 2003 USA marathon champion who collapsed and died at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men’s Marathon on Nov. 3, in New York City. He was 28 years-old and had been married only for four months to the former Alicia Craig, the Stanford University star who won the NCAA 10,000m title in 2003 and 2004.

The exact cause of Ryan’s death is still unknown, but it is clear that his heart abruptly stopped at about the 9 km mark of the Trials and, despite heroic and immediate medical intervention, he died before reaching Lennox Hill Hospital on Manhattan’s Upper East Side.

I knew Ryan both through my role as a journalist and a race organizer. It would be a stretch to say were close, but we were certainly friendly and shared a passion for the sport. I recruited Ryan to run the 2004 ING New York City Marathon where he set his personal best time of 2:14:08, cracking the top-10 in ninth place. It didn’t surprise me that Ryan would run his best marathon in New York, despite the difficulty of the course. He was so strong and so tough, the kind of runner who was well suited to the hills of the Five Borough Classic. Ryan really had heart.
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