Runner, 27, Collapses and Dies During Race Just a Few Days Before Anniversary with His Partner, Family Says

Family and friends are mourning the sudden loss of their loved one who died of cardiac issues during a half marathon race in Minnesota over the weekend.

Blake Joseph Groulx, 27, was approximately 11 miles into the 13.1-mile City of Lakes Half Marathon in Minneapolis when he collapsed and died on Sunday, Sept. 8 — just days shy of his two-year anniversary with his partner James Menden.   

“In each other, they found their best selves and built a relationship full of authenticity, reciprocity, humor, security, trust, and love,” according to Groulx’s obituary. “Their families witnessed both their independent and combined growth and watched with joy as they flourished.”

“Blake and James discovered their love of musicals and created a tradition of sushi dinners before show nights. They would have celebrated their two-year anniversary next week and no doubt Blake would have been impeccably dressed but James knows Blake is ‘looking good, feeling gorgeous’ wherever he is now,” the obituary added. 

Madison Styrlund was participating in the half marathon with her sister when they saw Groulx appear to be having difficulty running. 

“We noticed this guy stumbling,” Styrlund told the Minnesota Star Tribune. She said they asked him if he was okay and “he just kind of shook it off and started running again.”

He collapsed shortly after. 

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Dr. Katherine Katzung was also running in the half marathon and spoke to the outlet about Groulx’s death. She said that she and about five others took turns doing CPR on him.

“We were trying to give him the best chance of survival,” Katzung said. “He looked like a fit person, not somebody you would think this would happen to.”

Run Minnesota, which hosts the half marathon, issued a statement on its Facebook page following Groulx’s death.

“On a day meant to be a celebration, a family lost a loved one. Our hearts go out to the runner’s family and all those who were close to them,” the organization said on Monday, Sept. 9. 

“Run Minnesota and the City of Lakes Half want to express our heartfelt gratitude to the participants on the course who came to the aid of a fellow runner and the first responders and medical professionals who provided medical care,” it added. “We also send our care to the running community as we grieve this loss together.”

While working at General Mills as a packaging engineer in his home state, Groulx “found his true home, where he felt embraced by the richness of its diversity, liveliness, and acceptance,” according to his obituary.

He was remembered as a “perpetual host,” whose “table was always set and his bar always stocked ready for family and friends old and new.” His loved ones cherished his “warm smile” and his “contagious” laugh, while also being known as a “creative” and as “a gifted artist.”

Groulx was also close to his family, sharing an “inseparable” bond with his sisters. 

He is survived by his mother Dr. Sandra Kaye Smith, his father Joseph Groulx, siblings Bryan Groulx, Morgan (Ted) Matuszewski, and Madelyn (Ruturaj Jadeja) Groulx, and Menden.

Blake’s Celebration of Life service will be held at 6 p.m. Friday, Sept. 13, with a private ceremony to follow at a later date for immediate family. 

“In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Blake’s honor to The Bridge for Youth or the American Heart Association. The family also encourages heart health screenings and regular visits with your health care professional,” the obituary added.