Stunned and saddened by the sudden death of a middle-aged runner during Sleepy Hollow's 10K, some readers have asked if a fund is being set up in his honor.
Steven Gates, 54, of Harrison, collapsed and soon died from what the county medical examiner ruled as heart disease just one-half hour into Saturday's race. He was an amateur runner, a music professional, and the father of two teenage boys, said his older brother James Gates, of Brooklyn.
The family is working out the details now of an education fund for the two boys and will update Patch with more information when available.
James Gates also expressed interest in locating the doctor who helped administer CPR at the scene to his brother, so if anyone has information on this samaritan runner in the race, please contact me at krista.madsen@patch.com.
Visitation and funeral arrangements have been made and are open to the public. To read his Steven Gates' obituary, describing him as a man of musical talent as well as "style, fair-mindedness and infectious wit," click here.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday evening, October 26, from 6 - 9 p.m. at All Saints Church at 300 Harrison Avenue in Harrison. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, October 27, at 10:30 a.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church, 168 West Boston Post Road, Mamaroneck, with a reception to follow.
Here in Sleepy Hollow, Police Chief Gregory Camp has been asked by the Village to thoroughly investigate the response time to the emergency 911 calls coming in from Fremont Road in Sleepy Hollow Manor. Gates was declared dead at 10:45 a.m. at Phelps Memorial Hospital, but the timeline leading up to that has yet to be released.
The county medical examiner issued preliminary autopsy results as pointing to enlarged heart and coronary artery disease, considered the leading cause of death of both men and women in the country. Whether this related to any preexisting heart condition, the examiner could not yet say.
To learn more of the Sleepy Hollow Holloween 10K race, see photos, and results, click here.
Among the Rivertown Runners photos are these last images of Steven Gates, number 337, at the start of the race on what seemed like a perfect day.
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