Youth pastor dies after heart attack during Portland Marathon

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - A youth pastor has died after a heart attack caused him to collapse during the Portland Marathon on Sunday.

Thousands flocked to the Rose City for the annual Portland Marathon.

One of those participants was 24-year-old Treyton Lara, known by friends and family as Trey.

His wife, Audrey Shin-Lara, said he trained for the marathon for several months.

“I think he’s just always just enjoyed running as just a way to like relax and release,” said Audrey.

Everything was going great that morning.

Family and friends were set up along the marathon path to cheer Trey on.

“I saw him at 18, 19. He ran over and was able to smile and give me a kiss, and then he ran off, and he looked good,” Audrey said.

Then around mile 20, Audrey said Trey collapsed.

She shared that doctors told her he went into cardiac arrest.

Trey was taken to the hospital, and Audrey said doctors did all they could to save him, but it was too late.

“The grief is coming in waves where one moment it still doesn’t feel real where we’re like I’m just gonna wake up, and he’s gonna be over there,” said Audrey.

Trey was a youth pastor. And most recently, his wife says, he was working with other youth pastors and leaders, hoping to make a change in the community around him.

“Besides loving Jesus, he loved his friends and family. He was the best big brother, Tio to so many cousins, and some of our friends’ kids would call him Uncle Trey,” Audrey said.

Audrey says Trey most recently helped open a youth camp called Camp Genesis over the summer.

It was one of the many goals he had for himself.

Audrey shares that, besides ambition, Trey was full of love.

And it’s the love from all those who knew Trey that’s getting Audrey through this heartbreaking time.

“He’s the love of my life, always will be. And we’ll see him again,” said Audrey.

She shared that Trey was as healthy as could be, with no underlying medical issues, so this loss is sudden and shocking.

A donation page has been set up to help the family during this heartbreaking time.