HOUSTON – He ran for nearly three hours to complete the 13 miles of the Chevron Houston Half Marathon. 47-year-old Craig Orr was exhausted, but he made it, crossing the finish line.
Orr had competed in other marathons, sometimes alone and sometimes with his wife.
The video of his triumphant moment also showed the final few seconds before he collapsed and his heart stopped.
"From the accident and brain damage that Craig suffered, his prognosis was not good," Orr's wife, Angela, said.
Orr suffered massive brain damage from the lack of oxygen to his brain. The cause of his collapse is still a mystery to doctor.
"They don't know for certain, but it possibly could've been an electrolyte imbalance," Angela Orr said.
Orr was in the ICU for a month, and then moved to hospice. He died early Wednesday morning.
"We're, the whole family, everybody is just heartbroken," Angela Orr said.
The last time she saw him awake was when she met him at mile 10 with their two little kids, Liam and Luciana.
"I just want everyone to know what kind of a wonderful person he was," Angela Orr said.
His wife said Craig Orr was healthy. So what happened? The family may never know for sure.
Family members posted a note to Craig Orr's Facebook page on Wednesday to thank everyone for their prayers:
"Our family is deeply saddened to announce that Craig passed away early this morning. He fought a good fight and will be greatly missed. He is watching over us now and I know he will be Liam and Luciana's special guardian angel. Thank you for all of your prayers, love, and support. You will and always will be Craig's prayer WarriORR's."
"God has a reason for everything. We may not understand now, but I am hoping I will someday understand why," Angela Orr said.
She said the family plans to participate in the marathon next year in honor of Craig Orr.
If you would like to donate to the family, visit: https://www.gofundme.com/39tdir4?rcid=ad9158e29582491aac9b21ba7b8a76c9