David Reichman Brooklyn Half Marathon runner dies amid sweltering heat. NYC therapist died shortly after crossing finishing line and collapsing. Questions raised.
The runner who collapsed and died finishing the Brooklyn Half Marathon amid sweltering temperatures has been identified as a Brooklyn behavioral therapist.
David Reichman fell in the sweltering heat on the boardwalk near the finish line at Ocean Parkway at Brighton Beach, Saturday and was later pronounced dead at Coney Island Hospital, cops said.
Reichman finished the 13.1 mile race with a time of 1:40:53, according to the NYRR results page and placed 2,427 out of 18,770 runners.
Temperatures in New York City soared from below 60F at dawn to nearly 80 degrees by morning, and reached 90 later in the afternoon. Police said 16 other runners were hospitalized following Saturday’s race CBSNY reported.
The tragedy has led to questions over whether the race should have been postponed given the sweltering temperatures.
Cause of death to be determined
Reichman was a founder of Field Trip Health, a mental health and psychotherapy company in Kips Bay, according to his LinkedIn profile.
The company, founded in October 2020, says that it is ‘redefining mental health and well-being through ground-breaking work in psychedelics and psychedelic-enhanced psychotherapy,’ according to its LinkedIn page.
He previously worked for two years as a substance use specialist for NYC Health + Hospitals and has a master’s degree from the NYU Silver School of Social Work, according to his profile.
Reichman lived in Flatbush with his girlfriend until moving to Manhattan in March the nypost reported.
The 22,000-runner event, sponsored by New York Road Runners and the NYPD, runs from the Brooklyn Museum, through Prospect Park and to the boardwalk on Coney Island.
The race was run this year for the first time since 2019 due to the COVID-19 lockdown but was run in sweltering heat that had reached 70 degrees and 83% humidity when it began at 9 a.m., Fox Weather reported.
Reichman’s death is the event’s first since a 31-year-old runner collapsed and died in 2014 after crossing the finish line.
The New York City Medical Examiner will determine Reichman’s cause of death.
In a statement released Saturday, New York Road Runners said it had ‘medical staff placed from start to finish throughout the race course, who are ready to respond immediately to the medical needs of all runners, spectators, volunteers and staff.’
‘The health and safety of our runners, volunteers, partners, and staff remain the top priority for NYRR,’ the group said. ‘In coordination and consultation with the city agency partners and weather experts, NYRR was closely monitoring weather conditions leading up to and during the race.’
