Wisconsin father of four dies after collapsing near finish line while running in his first half marathon

A Wisconsin father of four and avid runner died after collapsing just shy of the finish line in his first-ever half marathon.John Meise, 36, was running the half marathon at the Milwaukee Lakefront Marathon on Sunday morning when a witness saw him collapse to the ground shortly before 10 a.m., WISN reported.A fellow runner told the outlet they saw EMTs giving Meise lifesaving care near the 13-mile mark — less than 600 feet from the race’s finish line.Meise was rushed off the route on a stretcher and taken to Froedtert Hospital, where he was pronounced dead shortly after arriving.The 36-year-old had no known medical history, and his cause of death remains undetermined, the Milwaukee County Medical Examiner’s Office told the outlet.Meise leaves behind his wife, Lauren, and their four young children — Mason, 11, Owen, 8, Lucy, 4, and 1-year-old Isla, TMJ4 reported.His wife said he had been a runner for the past six years, but Sunday’s race was his first half marathon, according to the outlet.“His loss has left an enormous hole in the hearts of everyone who knew him, especially the family he loved more than anything,” his sister-in-law, Kristin Bennett, wrote on a GoFundMe page set up to support his family.Bennett wrote that Meise will be remembered for having “a way of making people feel welcomed, valued, and cared for, and his presence made a difference in the lives of so many.”“He was literally the best Dad, and husband and best to everyone in his world,” family friend Stacy Horneck, who also set up a Meal Train account for the family, told WISN.“He loved doing everything with his family.To say they’re heartbroken is an understatement.

He was so funny, and intelligent and talented.”Meise graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and worked as a brand and digital marketing manager for QuadMed, according to his LinkedIn.Race organizers extended their “sincere condolences to the family an...