New details have emerged about the athlete who died during the 2024 Free Press Marathon.

WINDSOR, ON. (WXYZ) — The 2024 Detroit Marathon ended Sunday with tragic news. A 57-year-old man died while competing in a full marathon.

Organizers told us only that the athlete died near the fifth mile marker in Windsor. 7 News Detroit reporter Faraz Javed traveled across the border to Canada to learn about the athlete and the details of his untimely death.

After knocking on houses, Faraz learned that the athlete had fallen near Riverside Drive and Elm Street. It was there that I met Susan Gevarges, who was standing outside her house cheering on her sister-in-law and the other runners. And at approximately 8:45 a.m., she witnessed something she will never forget.

“It’s about where it happened. He fell and immediately several people appeared around him, and when I saw him, I ran with the water,” said Susan.

Susan works as a nurse at Henry Ford Health System in Detroit.

“My immediate reaction was that he needed CPR. We saw blood on the sidewalk. And he had a thready pulse. He did not respond to our commands. There was an ICU nurse here. There was another doctor,” Susan said.

Another source confirmed that the 57-year-old man was a US citizen. The athlete lost consciousness due to cardiac arrest. He was taken minutes later to Windsor Regional Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

“I was very sad. My heart went out to the family. And to those you know, his family and friends,” said Susan.

This year’s marathon winners Andrew Bowman and Sydney Devore Bowman were shocked to hear the news. A husband and wife traveled from Ferndale to honor a fellow athlete they had never met.

“If you look at this stretch of road. Some of us felt pretty good walking along it. But then someone else died on the other side of the coin.” – Andrew said.

“His mother, who is in the same age group, also ran. We had friends in the same age group, and to think that any of them might not come back is simply unthinkable.” – said Sidney.

“Going across the Ambassador Bridge, going down, crossing the 5th mile marker, what challenges do you think an athlete might face?” – Faraz asked.

“The bridge is the most difficult part of the marathon. It can come as a shock to your heart if you don’t handle that hill, you go down the ramp and into this section and while it’s flat, if it started a little faster than you should then I definitely think that you could get in trouble,” Sidney said.

Andrew and Sydney have taken part in several marathons. They train other athletes, but they say no one could ever prepare for something like this.

“For many of us, it’s just a reminder and gratitude for the time we spend together. Because something like that just, I mean, anything could have happened there, but the reality is that it happened. And it’s incredibly sad,” Andrew said.

Out of respect, the marathon organizers decided not to reveal the identity of the athlete.