OREGON: Two Young Runners Pass Away From Apparent Cardiac Arrest Shortly After Finishing Half Marathons

Two young adults in Oregon passed away this month after suffering apparent cardiac arrest shortly after completing half marathons.

One incident involved a 23-year-old participating in the Eugene Half Marathon on the University of Oregon campus.

The other incident involved a 19-year-old Oregon State University sophomore running in the Corvallis Half Marathon.

Two young runners have tragically died from cardiac arrest after completing half-marathon races in Oregon.

Both young adults collapsed and died shortly after crossing the finish lines.

According to officials, the runners both died suddenly from unexplained cardiac arrest.

On… pic.twitter.com/Q5kUmYX0c2

— Luther ‘Ćyrus’ (@Censored4sure) May 1, 2025

From The Register-Guard:

A Eugene Half-Marathon runner who collapsed just a few feet past the finish line at Hayward Field in Eugene on April 27 has died.

The runner was identified as Mateo Cruz, a 23-year-old resident of Eugene.

After a team of medics administered chest compressions to Cruz on scene, he was taken to a local hospital, according to the Eugene-Springfield Fire Department.

“He was one of the most amazing souls and he was so proud of his running accomplishments,” Christina Cruz, Mateo’s aunt, told The Register-Guard. “He loved running and was proud he was going to be doing another half-marathon. He was going to train for the marathon next.”

According to Christina, Mateo moved to Oregon a couple of years ago and worked at the Wildlife Safari with his grandmother. He also worked at a restaurant and at the local Fred Meyer.

Two young runners have tragically died from cardiac arrest after completing half-marathon races in Oregon.
Both young adults collapsed and died shortly after crossing the finish lines.
According to officials, the runners both died suddenly from unexplained cardiac arrest. pic.twitter.com/O9x1M3Eg2s

— TheTexasOne (@TexasRepublic71) May 1, 2025

Two young adults collapsed and died shortly after crossing the finish lines of half marathons in Oregon this month — apparently from unexplained cardiac arrest.

Sunday morning, steps after completing the Eugene Half Marathon, 23-year-old Mateo Cruz collapsed on the track of… pic.twitter.com/c6O6kid1qI

— “Sudden And Unexpected” (@toobaffled) April 30, 2025

Per OregonLive:

On April 5, another runner — Camryn Morris, a 19-year-old Oregon State University sophomore — died of cardiac arrest after completing the Corvallis Half Marathon. Moments after crossing the finish line, she “collapsed into the arms of her friends,” according to her obituary.

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She was rushed to Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center in Corvallis and then Legacy Emanuel Medical Center in Portland, but doctors couldn’t save her, said her father, Jeff Morris. He said his daughter had no known history of heart problems and doctors haven’t been able to explain why her heart suddenly stopped.

“We asked ‘How could this happen? What happened?’” Jeff Morris said. “They couldn’t really give us any information.”

Camryn Morris grew up in the Tri-Cities area of Washington. She was captain of the Southridge High School varsity tennis team for two years and a valedictorian for the class of 2023. She was studying environmental engineering and adored the outdoors and hiking.

She’d also trained hard for the Corvallis Half Marathon with multiple runs of more than 10 miles, said her father. Her friends also reported that she seemed fine throughout the race.

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