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Medical student dies nearing finish line of 102-mile bike race, Ohio officials say

A 27-year-old medical student at Ohio State University died while racing in the 102-mile Pelotonia bicycle race for cancer research, officials say.

Mason Fisher was biking in the annual Pelotonia race for the third time, but in the event on Saturday, Aug. 6, in Columbus, he experienced a “medical event” and later died, Pelotonia CEO Doug Ulman said.

Family members told The Columbus Dispatch he had a heart-related issue during the 100th mile of the race.

“Mason was a beloved member of the Team Buckeye – Spin Doctors Peloton, as well as The Ohio State University,” Ulman said. “His giving spirit and dedication to helping others were evident to all and this loss affects the entire Pelotonia community.”

About 6,500 riders took part in the race, which raised more than $13 million for cancer research, the Dispatch reported. Fisher has raised more than $18,000 as of Aug. 8, with the figure continuing to grow after his death.

It was Fisher’s first time biking in the event since 2014, he said in a Facebook post.

“For me, the fight against cancer is personal, as it is for so many others,” Fisher said. “Over the past few years, I’ve seen how cancer diagnoses have affected my family and friends. I’ve seen them fight back, and have some winning days and some losing days.”

OSU President Kristina M. Johnson said the university was “heartbroken” over Fisher’s death.

“The death of a student impacts the entire Buckeye family and I know that all of us send our deepest expressions of sympathy to his parents, family, and friends,” Johnson said in a statement.

Friends, family honor Fisher

During a vigil held on Sunday, Aug. 7, friends biked 2.9 miles — the distance Fisher had remaining in the race when he collapsed, WBNS reported.

“I mourn for the loss experienced by all those who were blessed to know him, and for all his future patients whose lives he had yet to touch,” Fisher’s cousin Mark Loper told WBNS. “He set the example to which every physician should aspire. He spent his last day serving others yet again.”

Matthew Marquardt, a classmate of Fisher, said the aspiring surgeon “pushed us to do better things,” according to WCMH.

“He was a big personality in the best way you can be, where he very much filled the room up with his love and his caringness and also his energy,” Marquardt said.

His family told the Dispatch he enjoyed “golf trips, boating, trivia night and March Madness festivities.”

“Mason welcomed life and people in with open arms,” the family said in an obituary, the Post-Dispatch reported. “He loved everything around him.”

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