- Brazil's Daniel do Nascimento was two minutes ahead of his competitors before he collapsed.
- Kenya's Sharon Lokedi and Evans Chebet took first place in the women's and men's races.
The annual New York City Marathon ended with heartbreak for the man who led for most of the race after he collapsed six miles from the finish line.
During Sunday's 26.2-mile race, Brazil's Daniel do Nascimento, 24, set a brisk pace with a two-minute lead over his fellow runners at the halfway mark of the men's competition. But he collapsed after the 21-mile mark, The New York Times reported.
With the sizable lead, do Nascimento — who competed in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics — took an 18-second bathroom break just before he collapsed, according to the New York Post. His current condition is unclear; medical personnel rushed to help him when he fell, the report said.
His fall opened the door for Kenya's Evans Chebet, 33, to claim the top spot for the men's race with a time of two hours, eight minutes, and 41 seconds. His fellow Kenyan, Sharon Lokedi, 28, won the women's race with a time of two hours, 23 minutes, and 23 seconds, the New York Post reported.
Reed Fischer, a professional runner present at Sunday's race, told the New York Post the weather may be the reason for do Nascimento's condition.
"It was a day to run smarter rather than harder," Fischer said. "You could feel it by mile two. I mean, you're sweating way earlier than you would otherwise be sweating. So, it hurts pretty much the whole time."
Weather in New York City was unseasonably warm, staying in the high 60s and low 70s, according to the New York Times report.
The 2022 NYC Marathon was the event's first time operating back at full capacity since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the Daily Mail. The race attracted over 50,000 runners for its first year back in full swing, CBS News reported.