Saturday’s Brooklyn Half Marathon, one of New York City’s most popular races, ended in tragedy for one runner. According to the New York Post, Charles Rogers of Iowa City, Iowa, a former Division I defensive back for the Minnesota Gophers, collapsed from cardiac arrest and was taken to the hospital, where he later died; Rogers was 31.
Rogers’ medical episode occurred around 13 kilometres into the 21.1-kilometre race, at Ocean Parkway and 18th Avenue in Brooklyn. According to the race officials, CPR was administered on-site before the runner was taken to Brooklyn’s Maimonides Medical Center.
“It is with sadness and heavy hearts that we confirm the passing of one of today’s race participants,” NYRR chief communications and community co-ordinator Crystal Howard said in a statement.
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“Charles put everything he had into everything he did,” Rogers’ wife, Sydney, told The Post. “While he leaves behind a wife and family that already miss him terribly, he loved being competitive and left us being 100 per cent himself.” The couple lived together in New York City.
Rogers was entered in the race in support of NYRR’s charity Team for Kids. “Join me in supporting Team for Kids, a team of adult runners dedicated to raising funds for New York Road Runners youth and community programs,” he wrote on Facebook on April 19. In 2022, Sydney ran the New York City Marathon while fundraising for the same charity.
Rogers began his collegiate football career at Iowa State University in 2012, before transferring to the University of Minnesota in 2015. According to his active Strava and Facebook pages, he was a fit and active individual. Aside from excelling in football, Rogers was a former Iowa state track and field champion in the 110-metre hurdles and 400-metre hurdles.
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