Family, friends celebrate life of marathoner Shay
EAST JORDAN, Mich. -- Friends and relatives mourned the sudden death of marathon runner Ryan Shay on Sunday, describing him as courageous and passionate about his family and sport.
Hundreds attended the nearly three-hour funeral at the Harvest Barn Word of Life Church for Shay, the 28-year-old runner who collapsed and died Nov. 3 during the U.S. Olympic trials in New York. The cause of death remains undetermined.
He was buried as darkness fell at Dunsmore Cemetery in the northern Michigan countryside, with the funeral procession taking a route among fields and trees where Shay ran frequently as a teenager.
"It's so hard to process how he could be gone and why he's gone," said Mary Wittenberg, chief executive of the New York Road Runners, which organized the trials. "You just have to believe that somehow it was meant to be."
Mourners wore blue and gold lapel ribbons with the logo of Notre Dame, Shay's alma mater, and the open lid of his casket was decorated with a Fighting Irish symbol. Photos of Shay running were on display at the church. The front page of the remembrance card showed a photo of Shay in full stride approaching a finish line, arms raised in triumph.
Floral arrangements lined the stage of the sprawling church in the village of East Jordan, 225 miles northwest of Detroit. Shay grew up in nearby Central Lake, where he won 11 state high school running championships.
He was an All-American at Notre Dame, where he earned a national individual track title in the NCAA 10,000 meters. Shay went on to become a five-time national road racing champion.
With tears and laughter, mourners recalled the good times in Shay's life.
His wife Alicia, also a runner whom he married July 7, read from the Bible. A praise band played and sang.
Shay's father, Joe Shay, said his son's character was illustrated in an essay he wrote for his application to Notre Dame. It discussed how inner strength could overcome "dark, unreasonable fear.
"Every individual has that spark of steel to confront fear face to face," Ryan Shay wrote.
His voice barely above a whisper, Joe Shay said his son was "now in heaven. He has a new training partner."
Ryan Shay's former coaches told stories about his drive and achievements, saying he was never satisfied, no matter how well he performed.
Joe Piane, track and cross country coach at Notre Dame, said the words that came to mind about Shay were "focus, discipline and sacrifice."
Shay's professional coach, Joe Vigil, said he had been surprised by Shay's decision to be a marathon runner from the start instead of focusing on shorter distances and working up to marathons, as racers typically do.
"Not Ryan. He knew what he wanted -- immediately," Vigil said. "He taught us a lesson in how relentless he was in pursuit of his goals."
The crowds that attended candlelight vigils at the Central Lake High School track during the past week were a testament to the community's pride in Shay, said Quinn Barry, the school's athletic director.
Even after he left town, Shay would stop at the school when visiting home and always took time to chat with student admirers, Barry said. He would advise them to "set your mind and heart to be the best you can be," Barry said.
Shay was born May 4, 1979, in Ann Arbor and was the fifth of eight children in a running family. His parents are the cross country and track coaches at Central Lake High School.