Posted: November 12, 2007

Athletics: Remembering Ryan Shay

From David Monti © 2007 Race Results Weekly, all rights reserved RaceResultsWeekly.com Today in East Jordan, Mich., a funeral was held for Ryan Shay, the 2003 USA marathon champion who collapsed and died at the USA Olympic Team Trials - Men's Marathon on Nov. 3, in New York City. He was 28 years-old and had been married only for four months to the former Alicia Craig, the Stanford University star who won the NCAA 10,000m title in 2003 and 2004. The exact cause of Ryan's death is still unknown, but it is clear that his heart abruptly stopped at about the 9 km mark of the Trials and, despite heroic and immediate medical intervention, he died before reaching Lennox Hill Hospital on Manhattan's Upper East Side. I knew Ryan both through my role as a journalist and a race organizer. It would be a stretch to say were close, but we were certainly friendly and shared a passion for the sport. I recruited Ryan to run the 2004 ING New York City Marathon where he set his personal best time of 2:14:08, cracking the top-10 in ninth place. It didn't surprise me that Ryan would run his best marathon in New York, despite the difficulty of the course. He was so strong and so tough, the kind of runner who was well suited to the hills of the Five Borough Classic. Ryan really had heart. I last spoke to Ryan in Falmouth, Mass., last August just after the Falmouth Road Race where he finished 11th (3rd American). Alicia had finished fifth (2nd American), and the Shays were in a buoyant mood. My wife, Jane, snapped the photo (below) of Ryan and me, and this is how I will always remember him: full of confidence with a slightly mischievous smile. Ryan, may God rest your soul. Let us not forget this gentle warrior and offer his wife and family all the support we can. PHOTO: Ryan Shay and David Monti, 2007 Falmouth Road Race (photo by Jane Monti) Subscribe to the Runner's Web Weekly Digest