Philadelphia Police say two men who ran in the Philadelphia Marathon Sunday collapsed and died of apparent heart attacks.
Twenty-one-year-old Jeffery Lee, a University of Pennsylvania student, collapsed at the finish line. School officials confirm that Lee was a senior nursing and business student.
A 40-year-old man collapsed a quarter of a mile before the finish line. Both men were taken to Hahnemann University Hospital and pronounced dead.
Philadelphia Marathon Race Weekend Executive Director Melanie Johnson issued the following statement:
“Philadelphia Marathon and Philadelphia Half Marathon organizers extend our deepest sympathies to the families of the two runners who lost their lives at the Philadelphia Marathon and Half Marathon today. We are deeply saddened and our thoughts are with their families and friends. We cannot at this time disclose the identities of the runners pending notification of the families. We will provide more information as it becomes available. Our thoughts remain with the runners’ families and friends.”
About 25,000 runners took part in this year's marathon.
Local
Breaking news and the stories that matter to your neighborhood.
Fan, follow and download: Get the latest from NBCPhiladelphia.com anytime, anywhere. Follow us on Twitter, Facebook, our mobile site and NBC Philadelphia. Sign up for our breaking news newsletter. And, get breaking news delivered right to your mobile phone -- just text PHIBREAKING to 639710 to sign up. (Message and data rates may apply.)
