In marathons, every minute matters, and races are often decided by agonizingly small margins. But when a medical emergency strikes, every second becomes even more critical. At the recent Zurich Barcelona marathon, however, something went terribly wrong, raising serious concerns.

With the race still ongoing, an ambulance was forced onto the scene in an attempt to deal with an emergency. While the nature of the emergency was unknown, paramedics and other medical personnel entered the course and tried to create a safe zone around the injured person.

But things went awry as a video on social media showed that several runners ignored the medical staff.

The clip, posted by X user @Niporwifi, showed runners brushing past the medical staff despite their pleas to stop. It meant that the medical staff’s attempt to create a cordon was hampered, although they eventually managed to do so. Even then, runners continued to impede the paramedics, with some even shoving people aside to continue running.

Criticism online called the runners’ behavior “shameful,” “incívico” (uncivil).

Eventually, as per the video, medical personnel brought a second ambulance on scene to block the track and create a safety cordon around the injured person. However, runners continued to crowd through and tried to push their way past the safe zone, but medical personnel stopped them.

There has been no update regarding the injured person, but this isn’t the first time a marathon has faced a medical emergency in the near past.

Zurich Barcelona Marathon isn’t the only marathon to face medical emergencies

As recently as November 2025, at the Indianapolis Monumental Marathon, two runners tragically passed away after experiencing a medical emergency. Officials released a statement showing that medical teams gave both participants immediate care and then transferred them to a nearby hospital.

Beyond that, the New York City Marathon has unfortunately endured rare fatal events when a 58-year-old collapsed at the finish line. The runner had finished his race and then collapsed at the 2008 NYC Marathon and received immediate medical attention. However, medical staff unfortunately pronounced the participant dead at the hospital.

Over the years, other marathons have also unfortunately experienced similar fatal incidents, but they have largely been isolated cases.

That’s thanks in part to the quick actions of the medical personnel and even bystanders, like at the California International Marathon. When a runner collapsed around the halfway mark, medical responders acted rapidly and managed to save her life. That was only, however, after a quick reaction from bystanders and medical staff, who ensured that they were on the scene to help out.

They administered CPR and restored her pulse with the help of an automated external defibrillator (AED), which helped save the woman’s life. That echoes what happened during the 2022 Monterey Bay Half Marathon when a participating cardiologist intervened to save a runner who suffered cardiac arrest near the finish line. Dr. Steven Lome administered CPR and used an AED on Gregory Gonzalez, restoring his pulse and preventing a fatal outcome.

The events do show how tough and rigorous marathons can be. Not to mention, it shows that even with strict rules and regulations in place alongside experienced medical personnel, unforeseen tragedies can occur. Unfortunately, that is the inherent risk that an endurance sport carries.