Local runner, med student killed night before Detroit Free Press Marathon

A Detroit runner died in a car crash ahead of a promising performance in a local marathon.

Grace Nolan was killed in the early hours of Sunday, Oct. 18, the day that she was supposed to run in the Detroit Free Press Marathon, according to the Detroit Free Press, part of the USA TODAY network. The crash occurred in Walled Lake, a suburb northwest of Detroit.

Nolan finished fourth in the race last year in her first ever marathon. She participated in the competition with her friends and was a member of the cross country team at Oakland University. The 25-year-old was a student in medical school with aspirations of becoming a cardiologist. Her parents said she started running when she was eight years old and joined the local track team in sixth grade.

"The Detroit Free Press Marathon family is heartbroken by the passing of Grace Nolan, who was to lead our women's elite field this past weekend," marathon organizers said on Tuesday, Oct. 20 in asocial media post. "Grace was a remarkable young woman."