Glen Ellyn Runners club remembering Bloomingdale father

Charles "Chuck" Vinci never missed training early Sunday mornings with a tight-knit group of runners.

So when the Glen Ellyn Runners club met just one day after Vinci died, they knew the Bloomingdale man would want them to carry on with their weekly run after a moment of silence, board member Scott Milkovich said.

"Chuck had a number of really close friends that are really devastated with this," Milkovich said.

Vinci, 55, died Saturday after collapsing at the Schaumburg Half Marathon and 5K Turkey Trot through Busse Woods. The Cook County Coroner's office ruled Vinci died from natural causes related to cardiovascular disease.

Milkovich was not at the race, but club members said Vinci collapsed just a few seconds after he crossed the finish line.

Cook County Forest Preserve police were called at 11:25 a.m. and Vinci was pronounced dead at the scene at 11:49 a.m., forest preserve spokeswoman Staci Stagner said.

Vinci was a married father who had a teenage daughter in high school, Milkovich said.

The running club counts roughly 200 members and plans to meet Friday night to discuss plans to pay tribute to Vinci and another member who died earlier this year after a battle with cancer, Milkovich said.

• Daily Herald staff writer Charles Keeshan contributed to this report.