Disney TikToker Collapses, Dies at Disneyland Race

Half marathon was held amid record temperatures in southern California
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted Sep 11, 2024 1:30 AM CDT
Disney TikToker Collapses, Dies at Disneyland Race
FILE - The Disneyland Resort entrance is seen, March 9, 2021, in Anaheim, Calif.   (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)

"I really hope I get through the race tomorrow morning," Caleb Graves, a popular Disney travel TikToker, posted in a video Saturday, the day before the Halloween Half Marathon at Disneyland resort in Anaheim, California. It was his final social media post—and at the finish line of the race the next day, Graves collapsed and died. The race was held Sunday amid record, triple-digit temperatures in southern California, and Graves could be seen clutching his chest as he crossed the finish line, the Los Angeles Times reports. A volunteer caught him, and though lifesaving procedures were attempted for an hour, he was ultimately pronounced dead at a nearby hospital. The race started at 5am and he finished about two hours later, People reports. He died of cardiac arrest, but the cause of that has yet to be determined; the 35-year-old had no known health issues.

In his video the day prior, he had shared with his more than 18,000 followers that he is particularly "susceptible" to heat, and that he was worried about the race the following day. "I was outside for like 20 minutes, walking my dog, and it was hot, but I felt fine," he recounted about an incident that had apparently just taken place. "And then like 10 minutes after I got back in, I just passed out. I just fell asleep—no control over my body. It was heat exhaustion, it's only happened once to me before," said Graves, an experienced distance runner who had previously competed in marathons and half-marathons at Disney World. (More Disneyland stories.)

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