Family shares reason behind fatal collapse of runner at Minneapolis half marathon

Heart problems were likely behind the fatal collapse of a runner during a half marathon in Minneapolis over the weekend, his family said in the man’s online obituary.

Blake Joseph Groulx, 27, of Minneapolis, was roughly 11 miles into the City of Lakes Half Marathon when he fell to the pavement and hit his head on a curb on W. Bde Maka Ska Parkway just south of W. Lake Street.

Several health professionals rushed to his aid and provided CPR until an ambulance took him to Abbott Northwestern Hospital, where he was pronounced dead later that day.

Groulx suffered “cardiac issues while finishing the last stretch” of the 13.1-mile race around Lake Harriet and Bde Maka Ska, according to his obituary.

The obituary encourages donations made in his memory to the American Heart Association, along with the Bridge for Youth homeless shelter in Minneapolis.

“The family also encourages heart health screenings and regular visits with your health care professional,” the obituary read.

Sarah Ahlers McInerney, the executive director of the race’s organizer, Run Minnesota, said one day after Groulx’s death that “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.”

Groulx grew up in Midland, Mich., graduated from Michigan State University’s College of Agriculture and was hired in 2020 by Twin Cities-based General Mills as a packaging engineer, a position he held at the time of his death.

The company released a statement Tuesday that read, “We are deeply saddened by this news. Blake was an incredible person and talented colleague, and our thoughts are with his family and friends at this difficult time.”

The obituary noted that Groulx was “passionate about and actively involved in Betty’s Family Network, General Mills’s LGBTQ+ employee network.”

Groulx and his partner, James Menden, were to celebrate their two-year anniversary next week, according to the obituary.

“Their families witnessed both their independent and combined growth and watched with joy as they flourished,” the obituary read.

Along with Menden, Groulx’s survivors include his mother, Sandra Kaye Smith; his father, Joseph Groulx; and siblings Bryan Groulx, Morgan Matuszewski and Madelyn Groulx.

A visitation is scheduled for 4 to 6 p.m. Friday at Washburn-McReavy Northeast Chapel, 2901 NE. Johnson St. in Minneapolis. A private ceremony will be held in Michigan at a later date for immediate family.