No immediate cause of death was released.

According to people who saw Shay collapse, several spectators began to attend to him, administering CPR, before an emergency medical services team arrived.

Shay, whose marathon personal best was 2 hours, 14 minutes, 9 seconds, was considered a longshot to earn one of the three places on the Olympic team.

He was among the favorites going into the 2004 Olympic marathon trials but wound up 23rd after struggling with a hamstring injury.

Shay's wife, the former Alicia Craig, was a Stanford teammate of both Ryan Hall and his wife, Sara, who was a bridesmaid in the Shays' July 7 wedding in Jackson Hole, Wyoming.

``Alicia thought he was going to have a good race today,'' Sara Hall said.

Shay, a native of Central Lake. Michigan, had been living in Flagstaff, Ariz.

Shay won the 2001 NCAA 10,000 meters, becoming the first Notre Dame runner to win an individual national title. Since college, he won five U.S. road racing titles: marathon in 2003; half-marathon champion in 2003 and 2004; 20kilometers in 2004 and 15 kilometers in 2005.

He is believed to be the first elite level U.S. runner ever to die in a race.

Shay's younger brother, Nathan, also is a Notre Dame graduate and a former Irish runner.

Ryan Shay and Ryan Hall trained together in Palo Alto and Mammoth Lakes, Calif., in the late winter and spring of 2006.

``He was a workhorse,'' Ryan Hall said. ``He had a lot of passion. He introduced me to the marathon a little bit. You kind of saw the marathon mentality in him day-in and day-out.''

Sara Hall said she had seen Shay push himself to the point of collapse when he did oxygen capacity tests on a treadmill.

``He had an incredible ability to tolerate pain,'' Sara Hall said.

The Halls and Shays, all professional runners, had done a workout in Central Park together Friday. The men ran about four miles as a final warmup for the marathon and the women did a longer run.

``It may seem like the Olympic trials are the end of the world, but the most important thing is the people we impact and the God we serve,'' Sara Hall said.

Sara Hall said Ryan Shay's parents did not come to New York for the race.

``We all are devastated over Ryan's death,'' said USA Track and Field CEO Craig Masback. ``He was a tremendous champion who was here today to pursue his dreams. The Olympic Trials is traditionally a day of celebration, but we are heartbroken.

``Our thoughts and prayers are with Ryan's wife, Alicia, and all of his family. His death is a tremendous loss for the sport and the long-distance running community.''