Runner who dies had heart condition, officals say
Maraton Death not heat-related, medical examiner says
An autopsy found the Michigan police officer who collapsed during the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon died from a heart condition not related to the heat, a spokeswoman for the Cook County medical examiner's office said today.
Chad Schieber, 35, of Midland, died of mitral valve prolapse, a condition where the valve between the chambers doesn't close properly. Schieber collapsed around the 19-mile mark.
Also, marathon officials asserted Monday that they never ran out of water during the race, but said volunteers did have trouble refilling cups fast enough for runners.
The marathon was stopped early because of oven-like temperatures. More than 300 people sought medical treatment for heat-related conditions.
Many runners reported that they found no water on the course and that they had to buy their own or rely on people on the sideline to supply them.
Carey Pinkowski, executive director of the marathon, said runners often took five to seven glasses of water and poured them over themselves to cool down, quickly depleting the supplies.
"That's something I've never seen in the 17 years I've been doing this," he said.
At least 25 people remained hospitalized this morning with heat-related conditions. The race was cut short for the first time in its history due to the excessive temperatures.
Nine of those hospitalized were in serious to critical condition, according to officials from five of the seven Chicago hospitals that treated runners Sunday.
Fire officials said about 315 runners were taken from the course by ambulance. City and suburban ambulances took 146 people to hospitals, most in good condition, and the rest were taken to hospitals or medical aid stations along the route by private ambulances, officials said.
The race was stopped about 3½ hours after the start gun on an abnormally sweltering autumn day, amid complaints of insufficient water for more than 35,000 runners from around the world.
mowen@tribune.com
