Runner stops breathing, resuscitated at race

A 61-year-old man collapsed and stopped breathing Saturday morning, at the Garry Bjorklund Half Marathon in Duluth.

The runner was in the final mile of the race when he collapsed, reported the Pioneer Press.

An off-duty firefighter, Capt. Dan Lattner, was near the runner when he collapsed and immediately began CPR. Lattner reported that the runner had already stopped breathing and had no pulse.

A Gold Cross Ambulance crew, in the process of responding to another call a half-block away, arrived within minutes and were able to restore the runner’s pulse, according to Duluth Assistant Fire Chief Erik Simonson.

Simonson said the runner was taken to Essentia Health St. Mary’s Medical Center and was in stable condition by Saturday afternoon.

Dr. Ben Nelson, the medical director for the marathon said that the runner was a “61-year-old male with no history of cardiovascular disease.”