Runner dies, 10 others overcome by heat at South Side half-marathon

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Updated: August 3, 2011 4:17PM

One runner is dead and 10 others were hospitalized after being “overcome by heat” Saturday morning during the 13.1-mile Chicago half-marathon on the South Side, police said.

The 22-year-old man was initially taken from the 7500 block of South Shore Drive to a local hospital in “very serious condition,” police News Affairs Officer Veejay Zala said. He died at the hospital, police said.

Other runners “overcome by heat” were hospitalized, Zala said. Superior Air-Ground Ambulance Service Inc. spokesman Mary Franco said 11 people were taken to local hospitals. Their conditions were not immediately known.

The third annual “13.1 Chicago” half marathon, run mostly along the lakefront and Jackson Park, started at 7:13 a.m. under a yellow flag, said race organizer Jeff Graves. A yellow flag means the heat index is at a point where runners should slow and drink plenty of water.

A red flag was issued at 8:51 a.m., he said. Clocks and timing devices are turned off when a red flag is issued so runners know there is no rush to get to the finish line. By 9:15 a.m., a black flag was issued canceling the race, Graves said. Buses were sent to pick people up, though some refused transportation.

It was unclear at what point during the race the affected runners were overcome. The National Weather Service said the temperature at Midway was 80 degrees at 7:51 a.m., 83 degrees at 8:51 a.m. and 86 degrees by 9:51 a.m.

Organizers anticipated the weather and added several spray stations and 10 water stations, distributed Power Aid and water, and gave out cold towels at mile seven, Graves said.

“Runner safety is just the priority ... You never like to see these warm days,” Graves said.

Because of a staggered start where about 250 runners were sent out every 90 seconds, only a few people had finished the race when the black flag was issued.

The Cook County Medical Examiner’s office could not immediately confirm the fatality.