SYDNEY, N.S. — A man believed to be running in the Cape Breton Fiddlers Run half-marathon was taken to hospital by ambulance after he collapsed about 10 feet away from the finish line Sunday.
The runner appeared to stumble, then fall to the ground at about 9:30 a.m. A doctor and other onsite medical personnel immediately ran to the man, who appeared to be in his 40s or 50s. They removed the man’s shirt and hat and began performing CPR. More people, including at least one other doctor, came to help the man, and at least three people performed CPR before the man began breathing on his own about 15 minutes later.
People still cheered as runners continued to cross the finish line on the Esplanade, some seemingly not fully aware of what was happening behind the circle of people surrounding the man.
At about 9:48 a.m., Emergency Health Services paramedics arrived and transported the man to hospital by ambulance.
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Many people in the crowd, including fellow runners, expressed concern about the man and said they were relieved he was breathing again.
“Well, they all pulled it off. That’s your emergency plan in place… (Fiddlers Run organizers) handled it well,” said one woman, who asked to remain anonymous.
Three women who ran in the race also praised event organizers for being quick to respond. Asking to remain anonymous, they said they were surprised how long it took for an ambulance to arrive.
“It took quite a while for them to get here while they worked on him. We knew this event was happening today, I find it surprising it took them so long to get here,” said one.
“Luckily, there were a lot of doctors here today that could help,” added another.
