Tyler Rasch, 46, of Park City, Utah, collapsed while running the RAGNAR relay in Paradise, Utah, The Cache County Sheriff’s Office said.
Rasch was six miles into his 6.2-mile leg of the race at the time, Cache County Sheriff Lt. Brian Locke said.
“Ty Rasch was a healthy and active man with no preexisting medical conditions,” family friend Velvet Rodriguez-Poston said in a statement. “He was an avid exerciser and he was in the best of health. He had been training for the Ragnar race for a very long time and had participated in multiple other races. Racing was a big part of Ty and his family’s life. His sudden collapse and death comes at a huge shock for all of us. We ask for your respect and our privacy during this difficult time.”
Fox 13 reports that his team, including his wife, was nearby when he collapsed.
Rasch was rushed to the hospital where he later died.
“A loss like this affects us all at Ragnar, and the prayers and thoughts of (our) staff go out to the Rasch family,” Elise Timothy, a Ragnar spokeswoman told KSL.com. “First responders acted within minutes, and our safety team has remained in touch with the family to aid them in any way we can. We ask that the community join us in respecting the family’s privacy at this hard time and include them in their thoughts and prayers.”