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Pierre Lipton, 26, started the Mesa Marathon at 6:30 a.m. on February 4, chasing a personal best. After 26.2 miles running 7:15 mile pace, Lipton crossed the finish line in 3:10:05, a new PR.
A few steps from the finish line, he collapsed near paramedics. They tried CPR unsuccessfully and sent him to the hospital. Soon after, he passed away.
Lipton’s father, who works in emergency medicine, told the Boston Globe that “the working diagnosis is he might have had some sudden electrolyte imbalance that caused arrhythmia.”
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Lipton, who resided in Providence, Rhode Island, was a celebrated media businessperson. After founding the Chicago-based newsletter company 1440 Media, he was named to Forbes 30 Under 30 list in 2022.
Lipton’s girlfriend, Eleanor Pereboom, said he died “doing what he loved.”
“He accomplished more than anyone I know in just 26 years, but he still had so many plans,” she wrote on Instagram. “I ask that you please hold him in your heart and share your memories of him.”
Chris Hatler is a writer and editor based in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, but before joining Runner’s World and Bicycling, he was a pro runner for Diadora, qualifying for multiple U.S. Championships in the 1500 meters. At his alma mater the University of Pennsylvania, Chris was a multiple-time Ivy League conference champion and sub-4 minute miler.
