It will be several weeks before coroner’s officials in Arkansas can make an official determination of what caused the death of a Madison marathoner who collapsed eight days ago as he crossed the finish line of a 26.2-mile race.
Adam Nickel, 27, had no medical problems that would have caused concern about him running marathons, his family said after his death on March 2 in Little Rock, Ark. It was his sixth marathon.
Nickel’s mother, Cynthia Nickel of Kaukauna, said the day after Nickel’s death that an emergency room physician told her Nickel may have died from a potassium buildup, which can cause abnormal heart rhythms. But Pulaski County, Ark., Coroner Mark Malcolm said today that results of Nickel’s autopsy last week were inconclusive and he hoped that toxicology tests would shed light on the cause of Nickel’s death. The tests should take about four weeks to complete, he said.