“A little son is left”: a marathon participant died in Yekaterinburg

On August 7, Yekaterinburg hosted a large “Europe – Asia” athletics marathon, in which about six thousand people participated. The organizers provided various distances such as 1520 meters, 3, 10, 21.1 and 42.2 kilometers and a children’s route of 800 meters. The city and the organizers carefully prepared for the event – several streets were closed, and the sale of alcohol on the central streets was also prohibited.

It was hot outside: on August 7, the air in Yekaterinburg warmed up to 27 degrees. Along the route, paramedics were on duty to provide timely assistance when needed. According to the Ekaterinburg Online edition, about 40 people applied to doctors, five of whom were hospitalized. This number included 37-year-old Ilyas Malenkov. According to the organizers, the athlete would run a distance of 10 kilometers. He fell ill shortly before the finish line, and the organizers called an ambulance, which took the athlete to the hospital, where he later died.

“I have the health report of this participant, he presented it to the organizing committee.

Doctors thought he was healthy and could participate in the marathon. Everything is very serious with us, we definitely want information.

And our doctors are on duty throughout the distance and provide assistance if someone gets sick,” Andrey Utkin, the organizer of the competition, told Yekaterinburg Online.

Criminal lawyer Maxim Kalinov, in a comment to socialbites.ca, stated that what happened could be seen as the negligence of both the organizers and the coaches, which could pose a threat of up to five years. At the same time, the lawyer believes that it is unlikely that anyone will get a real term – it can be replaced by a suspended term.

“The organizers of a sporting event must ensure the safety of both the spectators and the athletes. The same requirements apply to the coaches of the athletes. It may have been neglected by the organizers or the coaches of the athletes. That is, the crime provided for in part 2 of article 293 of the Criminal Code of the Russian Federation is negligence that caused the death of a person. Punishment – up to five years in prison. But if people have not been prosecuted before, they will most likely receive suspended sentences if the court finds them guilty.

In order to bring the organizers and coaches to criminal responsibility, it is necessary to ask the questions correctly in the forensic examination: What is the cause of death? Could death have been caused by extreme heat, weather conditions? You should also ask if the coaches have committed any violations in the sense that they may give some prohibited substances to the athletes that could have such an effect in such weather. So, with negligence, coaches can be drawn to another article. It is important to ask these questions and get their answers. The Investigation Board will definitely investigate and a criminal case will be opened. It will not be difficult to bring the organizers and coaches to justice, but it is unlikely that anyone will get real terms,” he said.

Malenkov was an employee of the Sverdlovsk railway and was fond of sports. This race was not the first for him, he often participated in such events. Malenkov’s colleagues left a deceased widow and a young son.

“He left a young son, four years old. Pity the man, he was very nice, athletic. Now we are raising money to organize a funeral to support the young widow, ”the source told the Yekaterinburg publication.

The Sverdlovsk Railway, where Malenkov worked, also offered condolences. The press service noted that the company will cover all expenses for the funeral.

“This is a great loss for both the railway team and the family of the young worker. The Sverdlovsk Railway offers its deepest condolences to Ilyas’ family and friends. The company is responsible for all burial expenses. Colleagues have also launched an additional fundraiser to help the family.”

Death during marathons is not uncommon. At the end of May 2022, Vyacheslav Isakov, a 54-year-old experienced runner, died during the Golden Ring Run.

He ran 21.1 distances in Rostov – this is a classic half marathon. A few meters before the finish line, the man fell ill and died. The medical team took all necessary steps to save the athlete’s life, but this did not work. Before the start, Isakov issued a health certificate, which allowed the athlete to run. This was said by the Deputy Governor of the Yaroslavl Region Mikhail Evraev, who participated in the half marathon.

“The doctors did an emergency resuscitation at the scene, but they couldn’t help. It’s probably a heart. I offer my condolences to his relatives and friends… I would like to support the organizers as well. Today I ran myself and, as expected, submitted a medical certificate during registration. The inspection showed that Vyacheslav also did this.” Take care of yourself, take care of your health and calculate the load when playing sports, ”wrote in his authorized Telegram channel.

That same month, 32-year-old Brooklyn Half Marathon runner David Reichman from New York died shortly after finishing the race. After completing the distance, the athlete reportedly lost consciousness and was taken to the hospital, where doctors determined him dead. Another 15 people were hospitalized, four of them in serious condition.

In May 2021, a tragedy occurred in China – in the northern province of Gansu, during a mountain race with a length of one hundred kilometers, 21 participants died. The reason was the weather: According to the reports in the Chinese press, hail, freezing rain and hurricanes began on the high-altitude section of the route, and the air temperature dropped. The race was stopped after a few people disappeared.