Channel 6 is reporting that two runners collapsed and were taken to the hospital in the Philadelphia Marathon this morning. Both were said to have “no vitals” according to the report and were later pronounced dead at Hanhemann hospital. The names are unknown, but the runners were 21 and 30 years old and they reportedly collapsed along the 2200 block of the Ben Franklin Parkway.
Unseasonably warm temperatures made for a beautiful race day, but also raises the danger of overheating and dehydration. Ideal temperatures for a marathon are said to be in the mid to upper 40s. Temperatures certainly weren’t extreme today in Philadelphia however, as they were in the mid 50s with low humidity.
Runners told WPVI that they regarded the conditions today to be optimal for the race.
The deaths are a sad footnote on what was otherwise a celebratory day in the city in which over 60,000 people came out to cheer on over 25,000 runners.