Runners start the Rock Creek StumpJump 50k trail race from Signal Mountain Middle/High School on Saturday. StumpJump is billed as the largest and most competitive 50k trail race in the Southeast, and it is helping kick off the 2014 River Rocks festival this weekend.A runner died during the Rock/Creek StumpJump 50K trail race today, said Mark McKnight, a representative from Rock/Creek.
He said the runner collapsed on the trail about 20 miles into the 32-mile race. The race takes place on Signal Mountain and Walden's Ridge.
"They're thinking it was some kind of aneurysm or heart failure of some sort," he said, adding that they don't yet have confirmation from a hospital or coroner about what specifically happened.
McKnight said this happened around 4 p.m. this afternoon. He said as far as he knows, this has never happened before at the StumpJump race.
"We've never had anyone die on us," he said. "It was a pretty shocking thing for us."
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