Chicago Marathon

Human Interest Story

Chicago Marathon was third goal of heart patient

54-year-old Dwight Carmen comes through heart surgery with goal of running a marathon again. Carmen picked the Chicago Marathon as his goal and began training with a group of runners.
Together, they ran the marathon, forming a tight bond among them.

Finishing a marathon after heart surgery sweetened life for Minneapolis man

Training/ Health

Hardening of arteries claimed veteran marathoner

Veteran runner Dan Towns and Pilar Blitchok ran side by side for nearly two-thirds of the Chicago Marathon's 26.2-mile course, each motivating the other, when suddenly Towns said that he didn't feel well, Blitchok said Monday.

"I asked him if he wanted some water or if he wanted to stop," said Blitchok, 35, of Grand Rapids, Mich., who on Sunday was running her third marathon. "He said, `No.' I looked over at him and he didn't look good, but by that point we all looked kind of burned."

They ran the next two miles in silence, at a slowed pace on the crowded route, and sometime after passing the 20-mile mark, Towns, 45, a geologist from Edmond, Okla., collapsed, unconscious, Blitchok said. Although fellow runners who were trained health professionals and paramedics worked hard to resuscitate him, Towns died a few hours later in Mercy Hospital and Medical Center.

Runner's death raises question about safety at marathon

Post-Race Review/ Results

An autopsy showed that the runner who collapsed and died in the 2000 Chicago Marathon was a casualty of atherosclerosis, the most common cause of death in his age group.

Chicago Marathon Death caused by hardened arteries

Danny Towns, 45, collapsed at the 22.5 mile mark in the Chicago Marathon, after running for slightly more than 4 hours.  Attempts to revive him were unsuccessful.

Runner, 45, Collapses, Dies During Chicago Marathon

City of the Big Shoulders and a Big Heart

Marathon Summary

Marathon Results