Massachusetts man who collapsed while running Santa Rosa Marathon remembered as ‘blessing’

Sam Norton was running the Santa Rosa Marathon on Sunday when he collapsed just before reaching his 23rd mile.

Medical personnel rushed to the 26-year-old’s side along the Santa Rosa Creek Trail and performed chest compressions as runners passed by.

He was taken to a hospital, where he was later pronounced dead. Details about his cause of death were not available Monday, though he was diagnosed with a rare condition earlier this year.

“He was doing something that he loved,” his mother, Kristen Caisse, told The Press Democrat on Monday.

Norton, a New York City resident, was running the marathon to gain a qualifying time to participate in the 2024 Boston Marathon ― a race he had already scheduled to run.

“He loves to challenge himself,” Caisse said.

Norton had obtained a number for the Boston Marathon through the Herren Project, a national nonprofit providing resources for the treatment, recovery and prevention of substance use disorder, Caisse said.

He raised more than $16,000 for the organization running in last year’s race.

In an essay appealing to prospective donors, Norton told the story of his father, who was an addict and killed himself in 2020. His father also was an avid runner, so Norton saw it as an appropriate outlet for his grief.

“There’s a unique and distinct clarity that comes when you’re miles out, just you and the road, when you settle in and feel like you could go on just like this, forever,” he wrote in the essay.

“I like to think that it was moments like these that brought him some peace and relief from the anguish that was all too present for him. It’s the closest I’ve felt to him in years, even when he was alive.”

But Norton had collapsed near mile 14 while running the Boston Marathon in April.

He was hospitalized for two days and ultimately diagnosed with Rhabdomyolysis, a rare condition in which damaged muscle rapidly breaks down and releases a damaging protein into the blood.

He was cleared for running and successfully ran the Brooklyn Half Marathon three weeks later.

When he first discovered his interest in running, Norton tried out Orchard Street Runners, a New York City running club. He told his mother he ran out of energy about four times.

“I go, OK, well maybe it’s time for another group,” Caisse said. “He goes, ‘Nope. this is exactly what I need.’”

Norton always had an interest in athletics, Caisse said. He played football all four years he attended St. Johns High School, a private Catholic boys’ school in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts. He was one of four team captains in his senior year.

He graduated Boston College with a bachelor’s in finance. And played club rugby for three years.

Norton loved sports because he could push himself, Caisse said, but he also liked being part of a team and helping people.

Victor Zeitoune, Norton’s running coach, said Norton had a knack for drawing in members and building community.

“Some people just come to a space and others come and bring an energy that people gravitate to,” he said. “People gravitated to Sam.”

Norton often traveled to San Francisco to visit his girlfriend, Meghan Summers, who was at Sunday’s race.

He started his career in finance at Goldman Sachs and worked at Gamut Capital Management. He had two sisters, Lucy and Maggie Norton, and was very passionate about his faith.

“He just was such a blessing to all who knew him,” Caisse said.

You can reach Staff Writer Madison Smalstig at madison.smalstig@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @madi.smals.