25-year-old runner dies after collapsing near finish line at Carlsbad Half Marathon
A 25-year-old runner died after collapsing near the finish line of the Carlsbad Half Marathon over the weekend.
The runner was among nearly a dozen participants who required hospital care during Sunday’s race, according to the city of Carlsbad.
The runner, Andres Aguilar, collapsed just short of the finish line off Marron Road and was rushed to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, where he died. The San Diego County Medical Examiner’s Office is investigating his cause of death, but said “he had a witnessed cardiac arrest.”
City officials said nine people were taken to the hospital by ambulance during the marathon. Eight of those transports happened within a 45-minute window at around 10 a.m. The city noted the number does not include runners treated at on-site medical tents “that were deemed to be non-emergent.”
The runner, who was identified by his family as Aguilar, was born and raised in San Antonio, Texas. He was the middle child in a family of three boys. He moved to San Diego two years ago for work and often spent his free time outdoors, kayaking or snorkeling in La Jolla, and hiking, according to his family. They said running his first half-marathon made sense for someone who had always been active and a team player, running alongside a group of his coworkers in the race.
The family said Aguilar trained beforehand and maintained his pace through the first 10 miles, according to his live race tracker, before collapsing just before the finish line.
The city shared details of the medical plan in place for the race, hosted by In Motion Events, which included four ambulances positioned along the course, two first aid stations and about two dozen roaming CPR-certified race guards. Meg Treat, with Treat Public Relations, also reached out to NBC 7 on behalf of the marathon organizers and said, “We are deeply saddened by the passing of a runner who suffered a medical emergency near the finish line of the Carlsbad Half Marathon on Sunday, Jan. 18. We wish peace for anyone impacted by their passing, and our condolences go out to their family.”
Treat elaborated on the medical support team and added that there was “medical staffing at the finish line, including one registered ER nurse, one EMT supervisor/paramedic, one EMT supervisor, and 11 EMTs,” along with others at a different location, among other resources. Both the city and Treat commented on coordination between the event and local first responders.
In Motion Events shared a statement on Instagram following the runner’s death:
“The safety and well-being of our participants is central to everything we do, and we appreciate the swift, professional response of our medical teams and emergency responders.”
Aguilar’s employer, Charles Schwab, also sent a statement:
We are deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Andres Aguilar, an investment consultant at our Schwab branch in Carlsbad. Andres was a valued member of our team since 2023, and his loss is felt profoundly by his colleagues, friends and the broader Schwab family.
We extend our deepest condolences to Andres’ family. We are supporting our Carlsbad-area team as they grieve this loss, and we are honoring Andres’ contributions to our firm and the care he showed in serving others.
The Aguilar family hopes their loss serves as a reminder for people to get regular checkups. They said Aguilar did so every year, and while nothing was detected in his case, they do not want another family to experience the pain they are enduring.
This story was originally reported for broadcast by NBC San Diego. AI tools helped convert the story to a digital article, and an NBC San Diego journalist edited the article for publication.
