19yo runner suffers cardiac arrest on track, dies

Nainital: A 19-year-old seasoned long-distance runner died of a cardiac arrest while preparing for a marathon along Bhowali Road in Nainital district around 5:30 am on Wednesday. Bhupendra Devli's friend Vivek, 20, said as they increased their pace near Kailakhan area, Bhupendra collapsed face-first.Vivek took an unconscious Bhupendra on a roadways bus to Tallital and then arranged for a car to take him to B D Pandey Hospital in Mallital. However, Bhupendra was declared dead on arrival.Tallital SHO Ramesh Bora said, "We have handed over the body to Bhupendra's family after post-mortem. Initial reports suggest Bhupendra suffered a massive cardiac arrest, which proved fatal due to delayed medical intervention."Bhupendra, who was pursuing an MCA degree at Pal College in Haldwani, often participated in local marathons and was known among peers for his dedication to long-distance running. He is survived by his parents and two siblings. His father Nandan Singh Devli works with the state forest department.Recently, incidents of young people experiencing sudden cardiac arrest have surfaced in Uttarakhand. In Almora's Dhaulchhina, 23-year-old Kamla experienced severe chest pain and collapsed after returning from gathering fodder and died on the way to hospital on Tuesday.In Bageshwar's Bimona Pachhan village, 27-year-old Naveen Kumar complained of chest pain during post-wedding rituals at his in-laws' house on May 12. He was taken to Haldwani Base Hospital, but he died of heart attack en route. Similarly, 15-year-old Anuj Joshi collapsed and died while on a morning walk with friends in Rudrapur, US Nagar district, in April last year. (With inputs from Yogesh Nagarkoti)