Brooklyn Half Runner Dies After Finish Line Collapse: Police, Report

BROOKLYN, NY — A runner collapsed at the Brooklyn Half Marathon finish line Saturday and later died at a local hospital, according to police and reports.

The 32-year-old man was found unconscious at the end of the RBC Brooklyn Half near the Coney Island boardwalk around 9 a.m., according to police and a Daily News report.

The runner later died at Coney Island Hospital, according to CBS News.

Fifteen others were hospitalized, four in serious condition, eight with non-life threatening ailments and four with minor injuries, according to the FDNY.

In a statement, race organizers from New York Road Runners said the man — whom they say was 30 — received immediate care from medical staff.

“We are deeply saddened by the passing of a participant following the 2022 RBC Brooklyn Half,” the New York Road Runners said in a statement.

“The health and safety of our runners, spectators and staff remain the top priority for NYRR.”

The race was run on a day New York City faced hazardous heat with temperatures reaching close to 90 degrees, though at the time of the race they were in the 70s, forecasts show.

Brooklyn was also under an air quality alert between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m. Saturday, according to the National Weather Service.

New York Road Runners warned runners of the heat in the days before the race and suggested they plan to "run conservative" and "take advantage of every water station you see."

"It is going to be a hot day tomorrow," trainer Annick Lamar warned runners in a pre-race training video released Friday.

"A lot of runners maybe haven't been training in 90 degree heat, like most New Yorkers who have had this really cool spring."

The race was held for the first time Saturday since 2019 because of concerns regarding the COVID-19 pandemic.

It started next to the Brooklyn Museum, and the course took runners past the Brooklyn Botanic Garden and around Grand Army Plaza before entering Prospect Park.

Runners looped around the park before exiting the southwest corner onto Ocean Parkway. Runners followed Ocean Parkway for a nearly six-mile stretch to the finish at Coney Island.

Patch initially reported the man was 3o, as was reported by other outlets. Kathleen Culliton contributed reporting.