Ryan Shay
Ryan Shay collapsed and died while running in the Olympic Marathon Trials in NYC Central Park on November 3rd. I was a freshman when Ryan was a senior at Central Lake High School and I remember the countless times I would watch him win a race or see his name on a banner in the high school celebrating another state championship. I remember when our high school honored him with “Ryan Shay Day” as he left for Notre Dame, where he also dominated.
I had followed his professional running career closely as there aren’t many folks from a small town of 1,000 that ever make it big. Ryan made it big and he did it the right way. I was excited for the trials and had told Sarah numerous times in the two weeks leading up to the race about what was going on. He had been listed in several running magazines that I read as the “dark horse” to make the team. I remember coming back in from my Saturday morning run and going straight to the computer to see the results. When I opened the link on espn that said a runner had died during the race I went numb.
How does a person in seemingly perfect health and during the biggest race of his career suddenly die? I don’t understand and suppose I never will. Not that it is for me to understand anyway. Countless people die unexpectedly for inexplicable reasons. I just trust that there was a higher purpose for them to go to and that they are in a better place.
