Tragedy in running
15-year-old dies in half marathon
May 10, 2026 – 5:57 p.mReading time: 1 min.
A girl collapses four kilometers from the finish line during a half marathon in the Netherlands – and cannot be saved. It was not registered for the race.
A 15-year-old died during the half marathon in the Dutch city of Leiden. The girl collapsed around four kilometers from the finish and could not be saved despite immediate medical attention. It would not have been allowed to take part in the race – the minimum age was 16 years.
Organizer Tjeerd Scheffer told the ANP news agency that the system is based on the age that the participants themselves declare. The cause of the collapse was initially unclear. The weather was mild and not too warm. Medical help was on site very quickly – but the helpers could not save the girl.
“This is terrible news, especially for the family this girl belonged to,” Scheffer said. Leiden’s mayor Peter Heijkoop also commented: “This is incredibly sad news, there is great dismay about it. As a father, as a lover of running and also as mayor, I feel enormously. And my heart goes out to the family that is affected by this.”
