Posted at 8:06 a.m., Sunday, November 4, 2007
Running: Autopsy on marathoner Shay inconclusive
Associated Press
NEW YORK — An autopsy of elite runner Ryan Shay was inconclusive today after the 28-year-old collapsed and died in Central Park at the U.S. men's marathon Olympic trials a day earlier."We want to take a closer look at the heart tissue," said Ellen Borakove, spokeswoman for the city medical examiner's office. She said the office likely would reach a conclusion in a week after examining Shay's tissue on microscopic slides.
Shay collapsed about 5½ miles into the race Saturday, and later was pronounced dead at a city hospital.
His father, Joe Shay, told The Associated Press that Shay had been diagnosed with an enlarged heart. But Ryan and other top athletes underwent medical testing in Flagstaff, Ariz., where he trained, last spring, Joe Shay said, and he was cleared for running.
