Update: Chicago Marathon

A 35 year old man died on the 18th mile.

Brendan had to fight off a woman whom he was trying to help on mile 25 because she was falling into scaffolding and couldn't stand up. But, she seemed to think she was okay...but she couldn't stand up, she was so out of it, and was literally fighting him off like he was attacking her when he was just trying to hold her up to prevent her from collapsing.

Meghan, my sister, and my father saw people lying in dirty gutters--no medics had gotten to them yet, but the crowd was trying to help--and one guy was just screaming.

And after I "finished" there were guys in these towers with bullhorns screaming, "runner down" "another runner down" "we need wheelchairs!" "Another runner" "Someone get over here NOW."

And, then the race director came out and said publicly that they had more than enough water. Bull.

I understand that they are afraid to make an apology, but can't they just say clearly something went terribly wrong, and they are going to make sure this never happens again? Open an investigation? Instead of scratching your head and saying, "It was hot. What do you want us to do? Change the weather?"

And the Emergency medical staff, and all the police and firefighters and doctors and ambulances. God bless them. They were great. As were the volunteers.

I just don't understand why the race was so unprepared? Weather is notoriously unpredictable, and they had a week's notice that it was going to be unseasonably warm.

If they didn't have the proper implements in place, they should never have started it. It was, in a word, irresponsible.