Pierre Lipton, a 26-year-old athlete and businessman who was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, died earlier this month after collapsing at the Mesa Marathon.
Lipton, a Brown University graduate, went on to finish the marathon in a personal best of 3 hours, 10 minutes and 5 seconds.
After crossing the finish line, he suddenly collapsed near paramedics, Boston.com reported.
He was rushed to the hospital where he was declared brought dead.
Although there is no official cause of death yet, Lipton’s father, Dr. Jordan Lipton, told the Boston Globe, “The working diagnosis is that he had some sudden electrolyte imbalance that caused the arrhythmia”.
A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. According to the Mayo Clinic, it occurs when the electrical signals that coordinate the heartbeat don’t work properly.
“On Saturday, I lost the love of my life. The person I thought I would spend forever with,” Lipton’s girlfriend, Eleanor Pereboom, wrote in an Instagram post.
“He accomplished more than anyone I’ve known in just 26 years, but he still had so many plans. Here he is just a few feet from the finish line. He’s still smiling. With both feet off the ground, he is still flying. He was doing what he loved,” he continued.
Eleanor’s father, Dirk Pereboom, wrote a heartfelt tribute to Lipton.
“Our family has experienced a tragedy this week. On Saturday, our daughter Eleanor and her partner Pierre Lipton ran the Mesa Marathon in Arizona. After finishing the race, Pierre collapsed and died,” Dirk wrote.
“Pierre had a short life, but it was one that burned so brightly. He was an exceptionally generous person to all, driven by a deep passion to lift others up, help them succeed and be happy. He enriched all our lives. Had a lot to do,” he continued.
Pierre Lipton, a Brown grad, died Feb. 4 after completing a marathon. He is 26 years old.
The co-leader of the ‘Gansett Run Club’, which Lipton was a part of, posted a photo of the group gathered around a pair of running shoes similar to those worn by Lipton. https://t.co/ZHuAIURyJ6 pic.twitter.com/JacPzsOAS3
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 16, 2023
From his death:
Pierre Sasha Michael Lipton was born on January 15, 1997 in Charlotte, NC to Dr. Jordan Lipton and Dr. Sue Chalons-Lipton. He was their eldest and only son, followed 2 years later by his loving sister Adelina.
Pierre was a happy and beautiful child. He loved soccer, tennis, Lego, learning, geography and traveling with his family from England to Sweden and Canada and to China, Thailand and the South Pacific. We recently traveled to Iceland and had many adventures that we look forward to with him in the near and distant future.
Pierre is brilliant. He attended the Horizons Middle School program where he continued to be inspired by his teachers and classmates. He then attended Myers Park High School, where he was valedictorian. He majored in Economics and Middle Eastern Studies at Brown University
Pierre is curious and strives for the truth. During her junior year at Brown, she met Tim and Drew and co-founded and became COO of the news company, 1440, where she helped grow a readership of customers spanning the political spectrum and all walks of life. As a result of her hard work and success, she was named Rhode Island INNO 25 Under 2020, then Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2022, among other awards. He speaks Spanish, Arabic and is learning Italian in anticipation of our planned trip in May.
Pierre is an athlete. He cares about health and movement, always works to get stronger and focuses on improving the lives of others through sports. His goals of playing soccer for Tonga in the South Pacific or running at semi-elite level were a big part of his life that he dreamed about but never got the chance to realize, although everyone who knew him knew he accomplished it.
Pierre is an explorer. He loves life. He likes travel, music, art, hiking, reading, geography, trivia, scrabble, running, soccer, tennis, squash, water skiing, new foods and FIFA…
It was February 4th, 2023, a beautiful Saturday morning that Pierre died after finishing a marathon in Arizona. He did what he loved. He will be terribly missed by us all.