Treyton “Trey” Lara, 24, suffered cardiac arrest near mile 20 after months of training, according to his family.
PORTLAND, Ore. — A 24-year-old youth pastor died after suffering cardiac arrest while running the Portland Marathon, collapsing only a short time after stopping along the course to greet and kiss his wife, according to his family and local news reports.
Treyton “Trey” Lara was running the 26.2-mile race on Oct. 4 when he collapsed near the 20-mile mark. His wife, Audrey Shin-Lara, said he had trained for the marathon for several months and appeared well when she saw him around miles 18 and 19. Lara was taken to a hospital, where efforts to save him were unsuccessful. A family fundraiser said he died surrounded by his wife and relatives, just days before he was expected to turn 25.
Shin-Lara told KPTV that family and friends had positioned themselves along the race route to support her husband. She said she saw him during the later stages of the marathon, when he came over to her, smiled and gave her a kiss before continuing. She recalled that he looked well at the time. Not long afterward, she learned that he had collapsed farther down the course.
Doctors told the family that Lara had gone into cardiac arrest, Shin-Lara said. His family said his death was unexpected and that he had no known underlying medical conditions. The family fundraiser also described the medical emergency as sudden cardiac arrest. No publicly released medical findings have established what caused the cardiac arrest.
Lara was involved in youth ministry and had recently taken on broader work with the Foursquare Church, according to reports about his ministry. His wife said he had been working with other youth pastors and leaders and hoped to have a lasting effect on young people and the communities they served. He and Shin-Lara also helped launch Camp Genesis, a youth camp that opened during the summer.
Shin-Lara said running had been one of her husband’s ways of relaxing and clearing his mind. His preparation for the Portland Marathon had stretched over several months, making his sudden collapse especially difficult for relatives and friends to understand. Those close to him had gathered along the course expecting to celebrate his finish instead of facing a medical emergency.
Family members remembered Lara as someone strongly connected to his faith, relatives and friends. The fundraiser established after his death described him as outgoing, humorous and deeply committed to the people around him. It also highlighted his interests outside ministry, including film, food, clothing, photography and coffee.
The fundraiser was created to help Lara’s family with funeral, hospital and other expenses connected to his death. Hundreds of people had contributed in the days following the marathon as news of his death spread beyond his church community. Public tributes also focused on his youth ministry and the relationships he had built through church work.
Lara’s 25th birthday would have been Oct. 15, according to the family account cited by local reports. His death came 11 days before that date. Shin-Lara said the loss had been difficult to process because of how suddenly the day changed from a marathon surrounded by family and friends into a medical crisis.
No additional medical explanation for Lara’s cardiac arrest had been publicly released as of Sunday. His family and church community continued mourning him while remembering his work with young people, his faith and the projects he had begun before his death.
Author note: Last updated October 11, 2026.