What Would You Do? Runner Collapses: Finish The Race Or Seek Medical Attention?


It's a situation no athlete or coach wants to be involved in. Running a 5k is hard enough, but add in the sweltering Florida heat and humidity, and it can be flat out dangerous. I've witnessed numerous distance runners fall victim to dehydration, fatigue, and collapse at various points in the course, including seconds away from the finish. That very instance happened at the UF Mt. Dew Invitational in the boy's seeded race when hometown Buchholz senior Calum McFetridge took the lead after the two mile mark and says he felt decent before everything came tumbling down.



"I was pretty tired by the last 800, but at 400 to go I just hit a wall with no energy left, guessing from dehydration. I figured it was a shame that I was so close to winning and didn't, I wanted to at least finish. The reason I rolled across the finish was because I was very tired and was trying to get my right foot with the tag on it across for a faster time. I was still cognizant at that point, just very tired and rolling seemed easier than crawling. That sounds funny, but I was doing what I could,"

The moment McFetridge went down teammate Brandon Mayo leaped into action and onto the course to encourage his friend and training partner to continue the race. Mayo, the team's number two runner who is injured and out for the season, was in the senior's ear the remainder of the race has runners zipped by. McFetridge says he heard him and knew he was there.

"I really appreciated him being there, he definitely helped me finish the race. Finishing was important to me because even if I screwed up I still got to show a lot of colleges I was determined to finish, which I hope they value. I never felt like my health was in long term danger; if I could go back and change my mind about finishing I wouldn't."

The instance wasn't the first for McFetridge who experienced a similar fall last year at track regionals. He admits he didn't eat enough before that race in May, but says this year he doesn't think the problem was a lack of food.

"I think it was just the combination of the heat and maybe not quite enough water. I was very dehydrated by the end."


McFetridge lost over a minute of time in his struggle and nearly 25 places, but was still able to roll through the finish line in 27th place and a time of 17:02.10. Asked if he was in Mayo's place would he have came to his teammates rescue or let the medical staff handle the situation, he says his friend did the right thing.

"I would've done the same thing for him. He never touched me, I don't know if there were repercussions for him being on the course- I hope not."

What are your thoughts?

We at flrunners.com wanted to know what you think of this situation. As someone who is a general fan of the sport, I personally want the athlete to be first and foremost safe and in good health. I occasionally see this happen at meets and think to myself why not just get them off the course and in the hands of the medical team? On the flip side, they worked that hard, why not let them finish the race, get that time recorded, and have their hard work be recognized? Does your opinion change if no PR or team points are on the line? We want to know what you think. Vote in our poll and leave a comment.