The woman, who had run about eight kilometres of the half-marathon, collapsed and went into cardiac arrest. Paramedics on site started to perform resuscitation techniques, and transported her to a hospital, where she was declared dead.
“It’s very sad,” said Stéphane Smith, chief of operations for Urgences Santé. “Unfortunately, it happens. Out of 33,000 runners, they haven’t all trained enough to do a marathon. They can overestimate their fitness level, and find themselves hurting during a marathon, but they don’t want to stop.”
François de Champlain, the doctor in charge of medical services for the marathon, issued a statement on behalf of the organizers Sunday afternoon:
“We are profoundly saddened by this tragic situation and wish to offer our sincere condolences to the family and friends of this runner at this difficult time.”
Smith said there was another runner, a man in his late 40s, who also had a heart attack near the finish line. But he was luckier. Paramedics were able to resuscitate him, though he remains in serious condition in a hospital.
In all, 16 people were transported to hospitals with various ailments, including heat stroke and nausea.
