A Missouri high school athlete collapsed at the finish line of a half marathon and died after “his body temperature reached a fatal level and his heart stopped,” his heartbroken family said.
Rudy “Junior” Zeballos, 18, of Lebanon, Missouri, was rushed to the hospital after running the 13-mile Frog Hill Half Marathon on Oct. 5, but could not be saved. The Kansas City Star reported.
“Junior was a great friend, student, brother, and son,” his family wrote on GoFundMe about the teenager who ran track, played football, and wrestled. “He was driven by a competitive spirit and an unrelenting determination to not just complete, but overcome every challenge.”
As a high school senior, he “immersed himself in Bible study, mastered investing knowledge, and devoured self-help books. He was always striving to be the absolute best version of himself.” said his relatives.
Junior plans to follow in his father's footsteps and join the Marines after he graduates in early December, the fundraiser said.
“When he wasn't at school, Junior devoted his free time to friends, family, and hobbies, whether it was hiking with his girlfriend Olivia or serving coffee at the 7Brew drive-thru,” relatives wrote. .
Fundraisers said the boy also enjoyed working on his car, playing poker with friends and having game nights with his family.
Doctors told the family that the boy's body temperature had “reached a fatal level and his heart had stopped.”
Lebanon High School, where the boy was a senior, said in a Facebook post that they were “together” mourning the student's death.
“This is a very difficult time for our school community, and we extend our deepest sympathies to the family and friends affected by this tragic loss,” the district said.
The boy's family said: “Rest was a foreign concept to him.
“One last note: I think Junior would want everyone to know,” one relative wrote in the fundraiser. “His goal was to complete the marathon in less than two hours. He completed it in one hour and 58 minutes.”
