Virginia Beach, VA (WTKR) - A runner collapsed Sunday during the Rock "N" Roll Half Marathon at the Oceanfront.
EMS workers say the man was rushed to hospital, but it was too late.
Jimmy Mitchum saw the man down on the ground while he was running past mile marker one.
“I saw him before EMS got there, it was just racers helping him out and they were giving chest compressions… I just started praying for him immediately, I just thought about his family and I prayed for him, hope he could make it through,” says Mitchum.
In the past five years, three people have died running the race.
“This is a tragic loss and our deepest sympathies go out to the runner’s family and friends,” says Dr. PZ Pearce, the race's medical director.
Around 15,000 people participated in Sunday’s race.
