Runner dies after Flying Pig

See, I knew that exercise would kill you.

But on a serious not, my prayers go out to the family of this man. It is sad when any member of our community is taken from us, and I want to be sure to express my sorrow.

I do not do marathons, but on Saturday I did participate in the MS Societies MS Walk in West Chester. Went three miles, and had a great time with the family.

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45-year-old crosses finish line, then collapses

A runner in the Flying Pig Marathon died Sunday after collapsing at the finish line of the 26.2-mile race, officials said.

It was the first death in the race's nine-year history, race organizers said.

The 45-year-old runner, whose name was not released, had a history of heart disease, according to Hamilton County Coroner Dr. O'dell Owens.

"He apparently had a history of hypertension and actually had not been taking care of himself," Owens said.

The runner was taken to University Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

Owens declined to release the man's name or other details. Cincinnati police and hospital representatives declined comment. John Devine, the race's medical director, said the family of the man has requested that no more information be released.

A woman who identified herself as a friend of the family disputed Owens' characterization. She said that the man was healthy and took good care of himself.

"He's run the Flying Pig year after year," Kathy Kujawa said. She declined to identify the runner at his family's request.

"He just had his cholesterol checked and it was fine," she said. "He has no history of health problems whatsoever."

She added: "He was a hell of a man."

He was at least the sixth runner to die during or right after a marathon in the U.S. in the past year and at least the 11th worldwide, according to news reports.