Peter Hass Dies During Kaiser Permanente Marathon, City Investigates

that's racist

This is a real tragedy. I'm unsure, however, whether the gut response of assigning guilt and blame will prevent another death at a mass-participation running event. This should be the focus and purpose of any and all punitive action taken against the race organizers.

This is not an isolated incident. If you have been following the sport then you know that there has been an increase in deaths at running events as they have grown to sizes bordering on absurdity. In fact, every major marathon I have run in has seen at least one fatality. It's a worrisome trend. It seems almost assured now that if there is a relative temperature increase the day of a major event, someone, usually an adult male, will die from heart failure.

The medical resources of the race were stretched thin as Bay area runners wilted in the warmer temperatures. As there were runners down with medical issues throughout the latter half of the course, then this must have been critical in Hass not receiving care. One of the immediate witnesses watched three other runners collapse as Hass was dying. How many medics should a race have? I think it's obvious that there were not enough on hand at the race given the number of people who were in distress.

Let's assume that Peter Hass was well-trained for the event. Should we blame the race directors for not providing enough support? Or perhaps the other runners who skipped reading the waiver, decided that a half-hour of jogging on a treadmill was sufficient for a half-marathon, and then sucked up medical resources when things went pear-shaped in the heat? These are the folks who frustrate me. Perhaps they should bear a share of the blame in this tragedy.

Should race fees increase to an even higher level than they currently are to pay for the extra help (which I'm sure is not cheap)? Or should entries be capped for better race management? Or perhaps we should start frowning upon the notion that anyone can and should run a distance event?

I am not defending the race organizers. If incompetence played a role in this, than I hope it is brought to light. However, I think this is likely a more systemic problem of mass participation. I'm just unsure how much you can plan and pay your way out of disaster when there are simply too many people running in these events.

I hope my comments are not taken as inflammatory, I just hoped to add another nuance to the discussion.

I was a runner to and saw many other patients needing help. If they saved him, someone else would have taken his place. Personally, I think it was whoever made the races fault . Some hate kaiser for this event. To me, they where just a sponsor. Nothing more. I also think the paramedics gave it their best shot. Too bad the best was not enough. I also blame traffic.

I am very sorry that in 2011 a life is lost at a marathon that should promote health and better life.

My thoughts go to Mr. Hass family. There is nothing in the world that can bring back his life. I am astonished by the lack of the medical team.

Also I have to express the fact that there should never be lack of medical team(s) on the premises of such an event. There is no excuse from the organizers.

honestly pretty badly organized from the get-go. I've never run the Kaisar and never will at this point. Another reason they should start half marathons at 7am. Yeah the weather was a fluke, but honestly runners don't mind waking up early for a race. It gets progressively hotter the later in the day and in my opinion slower runners are more likely to be unprepared for harsh conditions. So shifting the race an hour earlier may have helped with the heat issues. Even the US Half which is in November starts at 7am.

Does anyone know what killed him?

I saw the whole thing when the tragedy occurred! I was standing at the finish line waiting for my cousin just across where he collapsed. When he collapsed and and fell flat on his face.. His forehead hit the pavement and started bleeding. I saw one of the runners who just finished the race help Mr. Peter Hass and started doing CPR. A lady started yelling If there's a doctor on site. It took about 30 mins for the firemen to response and be on site. I saw that his face down to his neck is already blue. After the medics came and did CPR and defibrillation on him they pronounce him dead. My prayers goes out to his family..

I crossed the finish line at 2:24 (clock time) and paramedics in front of an ambulance were doing vigorous chest compressions. The crowd was not "hysterical" at all (so insulting to say that!) but extremely clam and quiet. I saw and heard fire trucks all up and down the access road on the beach and saw paramedics RUNNING down the path to help the runner down at mile 10 (anyone know her status?) and saw another runner at 12.5 getting an IV from paramedics much later. I saw not a single first aid station or tent, not even at the finish line. My thoughts are with Mr. Hass's family and friends, and I hope we can all learn something from this; runners, city and organizers alike.

Hello, I am Peter Hass's brother. No family members or close friends were at this running event with Peter, and we are still trying to make sense of what led to my little brother's death. If anyone has any informaiton, or was a witness to this horrible tragedy, can you please contact me and share your experience. mhasscivil@yahoo.com

Thank you for your time.

Michael Hass

Disturbing comments by Mr. Rhody. I was there and finished around the same time as Mr. Hass. Rhody said "...no delays in getting medical aid..." If your first responders are people in running bibs doing CPR, I say that there was definitely a delay.

Rhody goes on to say that an EMT was on the scene within five minutes. Can dozens of eyewitnesses be wrong? Is he counting the runners who helped as part of his medical staff? And to say that people's eyewitness accounts are "hysterical"??? Outright insulting!!!Overall, just poor choice of comments from Mr. Rhody. One way I know of to make sure this (insufficient medical staffing) doesn't happen again is to boycott any RhodyCo produced races.

In honor of Mr. Hass, please join me and a few dozens of other fellow runners who I know are doing so, in refusing to participate in any RhodyCo events until they make the necessary changes.

I ran the race and have NEVER seen such a lack of medics ona course, ever. People were fallen ALL OVER THE PLACE. No, not all were facing cardiac arrest, but all needed a medic. This was by FAR least supported race I have ever run in.

I've ran several half marathons and marathons. Never have I seen anything like what I saw yesterday. There was no medical staff to be seen anywhere along the course, to few water stations and only two electrolyte stations! I will never run this race again, what happened to Peter should have never happened. My heart goes out to his family.

From what we can piece together my friend and I passed the finish line shortly after Peter did. My friend who is an EMT up in Petaluma, immediately reacted when she saw Peter down and jumped in an performed CPR and compressions for 20 minutes at the least. We crossed at gun time 2:06 and he crossed around 2:00. She was not relieved by ambulance until about 2:30. Someone there giving assistance actually timed the event. Kaiser and the Race Organizers should be held responsible. There should have been a medical tent immediately upon finishing the event and emergency staff on hand. Everyone who was working on Peter to save his life had a BIB on. All racers. As I watched, them work on Peter a girl vomitted right in front of me. There were plenty of other sick people who came across that finish line and there was NO medical assistance readily available. I am outraged at RhodyCo's response today. How dare they..... We can't let this incident pass without repercussion. Peter may or may have not been saved, but the time it took to get medical attention was abhorrent and demonstrates deep negligence on the part of Kaiser and RhodyCo to put on an event of this distance and size. SHAME ON THEM!

From SFGATE (Dave Rhody)said it is "entirely not true" that qualified medical personnel were not already in place at the race. "Understandably, a lot of remarks get embellished and close to hysterical,"This is insulting to the bystanders who witnessed Mr. Hass laying at the finish line. I had noticed him 30 seconds after his collapse, was told to keep moving by a volunteer. He had blood on his head and face (probably from hitting his head on the pavement) and looked semi conscious to me, definitely not in good shape. I saw other runners trying to assist him. I assumed medical help was on it's way. 20 minutes later (I know because I have the time on my phone), I received a text from my friend who had just crossed the line saying people were giving CPR on a runner. This turned out to be the same runner. Then, just a minute or so later, I noticed the ambulance trying to come down MLK. Drive. I STILL couldn't believe it was for the same guy. I assumed he was already taken care of. But sadly I was wrong. If this were me or a loved one, I would be very upset at this kind of delay and I think Rhodyco needs to man up to their responsibility here! Yes, running has it's risks but that's not an excuse to not have an ambulance at the Finish Line where most of these types of collapses occur.

"Kaiser Permanente is a promotional sponsor of the San Francisco half marathon, which does not include operations, management, or staffing the medical response."

What a perfect Kaiser response.

I am so upset this man passed. I was there and ran this race,my husband was there and saw cpr being administered to peter. There should have been medical support. I have run 3 half marathons in the last 4 months. This was the first race that did not have paramedics lined up and down the road. I am so sorry for his wife and his children. They are in my thoughts and prayers.

I have to disagree with DANIELLEDOLCE. Being the MAIN SPONSOR of an event, only mean that the organization is donating an amount of money to the success of the event. It is the responsibility of the Organizers to coordinate an emergency & medical response team PLUS anything that pertain to the overall need of the event.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/...

This is insane. Now I'm really pissed. I cannot believe this race promoter would actually say that WE (the crowd) were hysterical. I was there there the whole friggin time Mr. Rhody. I watched with my own eyes and HEARD what was going on. There was NOT a proper medical response for Mr. Hass. You can spin it in the newspaper anyway you like but you're only being disrespectful to Mr. Hass's family. I'd suggest hiring a good lawyer. You're going to need it.

SHAME on you Kaiser...SHAME on YOU!!!!

I was at the race. It was really hot. I slowed down at 8 miles and walkedfor some time just to get away from exhaustion. Also, there were only two electrolytestations between 8-13 miles. There were water stations, but I guess few moreelectrolyte stations would have helped.

Pete was one of the most amazing people; I've ever met. He would always tackle life with a smile and a fight and give the shirt of his back! But he'd tell a joke to make you smile to get it.. Miss you. Rw

I believe I ran past Peter during the last few hundered yards of the race and saw that he was in very bad shape. Only volunteers and possibly runners helping him from what I saw. There was also a woman down between mile 9 and 10 that lay on the concrete for at least 10 minutes with no medical assistance. Eventually saw EMTs walking down the frontage path to assist...but in no big hurry. Sadly unorganized medical support.

Peter was a good man. He has a two year old and his wife is 7 months pregnant. There is many human faces in this tragedy. Eden, you and you children are in our prayers.

I ran that race too. My heart goes out to the family.... I am really sorry.....

I was there. This man could have lived had there been basic, medical equipment available. Kaiser should have known better being the MAIN SPONSER. Shame on them. It doesn't matter if they don't organize the event. I hope they get their butts kicked in court.