Costa Mesa man dies in L.A. half-marathon

A 37-year-old man who collapsed and died near the finish line of the Los Angeles Rock ‘n’ Roll half-marathon was identified Monday as Charles Whitmore Riske of Costa Mesa.

He died about two hours into the event as he kicked into the final stretch of the race in downtown L.A., officials said.

The runner had previously been identified as being 40 years old, but L.A. County Coroner Assistant Chief Ed Winter said Riske was 37. His cause of death had not been determined.

Paramedics attempted CPR before Riske was taken to a hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 10:10 a.m., Winter said.

Race officials said Sunday the death was the only serious health issue associated with the race. More than 8,000 runners ran the 13.1 miles that started and ended at L.A. Live.

— LATimes.com

Twitter: @LATimes