The New Straits Times, a Malaysian newspaper, reports that a 25-year old marathon runner collapsed and died while participating in the Standard Chartered Marathon in Kuala Lumpur on Sunday.
The deceased was identified as Lim We Ji, who, according to the paper's sources, had a heart condition. He reportedly collapsed after completing six kilometres of the 10-kilometre run. Authorities have categorized the case as sudden death.
A fellow runner, Toh Yit Ming, who claims to have helped administer first aid to the deceased, wrote and distributed a note on the social networking site, Facebook, about the incident. Toh alleges that he saw Lim sitting by the roadside as he (Toh) was finishing his final two kilometres of the run.
According to Toh, Lim soon collapsed and went into a "seizure". He and several other runners with at least some medical training gathered around Lim in an effort to stabilize his condition. Toh alleges that he shouted for medical help throughout the situation, but found that there were no medical personnel in sight. He claims that only 3 DBKL (city hall) officers were nearby, and that they did little but stare at the scene for most of that time.
Toh eventually got a passerby to ask the said officers to call for medical help. An ambulance did arrive, he claims, but only 15 to 20 minutes after Lim had collapsed. After the incident, Toh apparently learnt of Lim's death from a fellow runner who had also provided aid to the deceased.
In his note, Toh emphasizes that he did not see any medical or emergency aid personnel along the entire marathon route as was promised by the organizers. Another marathon participant, who wishes to remain anonymous, confirms that allegation.
[Correction: The original article included Toh's allegation that the ambulance that arrived was from St. John's. Toh has now indicated uncertainty on the affiliation / identity of the said ambulance, but stated that he has been told it was a Red Crescent vehicle.]
*so cham~~i was thinking of attending the event =(
