Ryan Shay Dies During 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon

New York, November 3, 2007—Five-time USA champion and former NCAA champion Ryan Shay, 28, of Flagstaff, AZ, collapsed about 30 minutes into the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon this morning after running the first 5½ miles of the race. He was immediately given CPR and transported by ambulance to Lenox Hill Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:46 a.m.

“We all are devastated over Ryan’s death,” said Craig Masback, the CEO of USA Track & Field, the national governing body of the sport. “He was a tremendous champion who was here today to pursue his dreams. The Olympic Trials is traditionally a day of celebration, but we are heartbroken. Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan’s wife, Alicia, and all of his family. His death is a tremendous loss for the sport and the long-distance running community.”

“We extend our deepest condolences to Ryan’s family and friends, including many of the athletes in the field,” said Mary Wittenberg, president and CEO of New York Road Runners.

Shay was a native of Michigan who graduated from Notre Dame University in 2002. He won the 2001 NCAA 10,000-meter title and was a nine-time All-American. He was the 2003 USA Marathon champion, the 2003 and 2004 USA Half-Marathon champion, the 2004 USA 20K champion, and the 2005 USA 15K champion. Shay had a marathon personal best of 2:14:09, which he set at the ING New York City Marathon 2004.

Heralded as one of the top entrants at the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team Trials – Men’s Marathon in Birmingham, AL, Shay suffered a hamstring strain in that race and finished 23rd. He qualified for the 2008 trials race with a 2:14:58 third-place finish at the 2006 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon/USA Marathon Championships; the time placed him 13th on the list of qualifiers. He had a strong buildup to the Trials race with performances including third (1:17:23) at the USA 25K Championships in May, eighth (28:54.34) at the AT&T USA Outdoor Championships in June, and fifth (1:01:21) at the USA 20K Championships in September.

Shay previously trained with Team USA California (now Team Running USA), the Mammoth Lakes, CA-based group that includes Olympic medalists Meb Keflezighi and Deena Kastor, and 2008 Olympic Trials champion Ryan Hall.

Shay’s wife, Alicia (Craig) Shay, was an NCAA champion and record-holder while attending Stanford University, and is a professional distance runner. The couple had married in July.

Shay was known for his love of running and his strong competitive instincts. “Competition brings out the best in me, and I love this sport,” he said in an interview with New York Road Runners in September. “Every chance I have to speak at a high school about the sport, I do it.”

NYRR asks that you join us in extending our very deepest condolences to Alicia Shay and to Ryan Shay’s family.