Runner dies and 15 hospitalized after half marathon in 83% humidity

16 people were hospitalized during the Brooklyn Half Marathon, which saw 22,000 runners take part in sweltering conditions

A runner died of a heart attack as 22,000 took part in the Brooklyn Half Marathon in sweltering conditions.

Another 15 people required hospital treatment as humidity reached 83% – unusually warm for this time of year.

The New York Post reports that the man collapsed and died yesterday morning shortly after completing the grueling 13-mile race.

He has not yet been identified.

The man is believed to have possibly gone into cardiac arrest around 9 a.m. and was taken to Coney Island Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, according to the New York City Police Department (NYPD).

According to the New York Road Runners Club (NYRR), which hosted the event, the runner reportedly collapsed after the race finished. The runner fell on the boardwalk, a source said.

The race, which took 22,000 runners from the Brooklyn Museum through Prospect Park to the Coney Island boardwalk, took place in unseasonably warm conditions.

According to Fox Weather, the temperature at 9 a.m. on Coney Island was already 21 °C (70 °F) with humidity at 83 percent.

A police officer said four other people collapsed towards the end. “Maybe an organizer or a health official should have called,” the officer said.

One participant also died in the race in 2014.

“The health and safety of our runners, volunteers, partners and employees remains a top priority for NYRR. In coordination and consultation with city agency partners and weather experts, NYRR closely monitored weather conditions leading up to and during the race,” the group said in a statement.

John Peterson, 26, said he’s run the Brooklyn Half Marathon several times but Saturday was the hottest and most grueling he’s ever experienced.

“You have to be aware of the limits of your own body. Sometimes you want to try and push yourself,” he said.

“And it’s horrible that sometimes you push yourself too far and something like this happens.”

Anamaria Flores, 42, of Howard Beach said the race was strenuous and she had to walk the final leg. “It was brutal,” she said.

New York Road Runners said it had “medical personnel deployed throughout the course from start to finish, ready to respond immediately to the medical needs of all runners, spectators, volunteers and staff.”