Hatboro Man Dies During Broad Street Run (ICYMI)

HATBORO, PA — A Hatboro man who worked as an athletic trainer for Upper Darby High School died Sunday after suffering a heart attack during the Broad Street Run in Philadelphia.

Brian Smart, 25, reportedly suffered the heart attack at about the 8-mile mark of the 10-mile race.
"It is obvious that Brian was beloved by the students that he worked with, and we've been receiving messages all morning about his passing," the Upper Darby School District said in a written statement on Monday.

Smart was running a good pace when he collapsed during the race, district athletic director Frank Nunan told The Inquirer. Citing a conversation with family members, Nunan said Smart was tended to by medical professionals immediately and was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where he was pronounced dead.

The school district shared a statement from Smart's father.

"Thank you very much for such kind words and your prayers," he said, according to the statement. "The world certainly lost a good one yesterday … Brian really enjoyed working in UD…working with you and the students of Upper Darby."

No funeral arrangements had been publicly announced as of Tuesday morning.

Meanwhile, a petition had been started on Change.org to rename Upper Darby's football stadium as the Brian Smart Memorial Stadium. As of Tuesday morning, that petition had 1,423 digital signatures.

"He was loved by all of the athletes at the school," the petition reads. "With the football stadium getting a turf field over the summer, we feel it would be an appropriate way to remember his legacy at Upper Darby."