Tragic end for Carlsbad Half Marathon participant

Carlsbad Half Marathon Turns Tragic as Young Runner Dies Near Finish Line

The Carlsbad Half Marathon took a heartbreaking turn Sunday when 25-year-old Andres Aguilar collapsed just steps from the finish line and never recovered.

Aguilar, who worked as an investment consultant at the Charles Schwab branch in Carlsbad, was running his first half-marathon alongside coworkers when tragedy struck near Marron Road. Paramedics rushed him to Tri-City Medical Center in Oceanside, where he was pronounced dead. The San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office confirmed he suffered a witnessed cardiac arrest.

The young professional had moved to San Diego from San Antonio, Texas just two years ago. When he wasn't working with clients, he spent his free time doing what many of us transplants do—falling in love with the coastline. He could be found kayaking, snorkeling in La Jolla, and hiking local trails.

According to his family, Aguilar trained properly for the race and maintained his pace through the first 10 miles before collapsing. His live race tracker showed steady progress until those final devastating moments.

The race saw an unusually high number of medical emergencies. Nine runners total required ambulance transport to area hospitals, with eight of those transports happening within a 45-minute window around 10 a.m. Race organizer In Motion Events had medical staff positioned throughout the course, including four ambulances, two dozen CPR-certified race guards, and a full team of EMTs at the finish line.

Aguilar's employer expressed profound sadness over losing a valued team member who joined Schwab in 2023.

His family's message to San Diegans is simple but powerful: get your regular checkups. Aguilar did exactly that every year. While nothing was detected in his case, his family hopes their unimaginable loss might spare another family the same pain.

Sources: NBC San Diego | 10News