May 27--A 43-year-old man from Wilmette collapsed and died while running in a Grant Park race Thursday evening and his death was attributed to heart disease, officials said.
Bing Cao was participating in the J.P. Morgan Corporate Challenge when he collapsed in the 100 block of North Columbus Drive at 7:35 p.m., about half an hour into the race, according to Chicago police.
He was taken by a private ambulance to Northwestern Memorial Hospital, where he was pronounced dead at 8:25 p.m., according to police and the medical examiner's office.
Bing had lived in the 2300 block of Iroquois Road in the north suburb. An autopsy conducted on Friday determined that he died of hypertensive and atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease and his death was ruled natural.
The 3.5-mile race drew 27,037 runners and walkers from 683 companies, Morgan Chase said on its website.
In a statement, the company said "we are aware of the fatality of a race participant and express our sincere condolences to their family, friends and co-workers."
