T.J. Holmes, renowned reporter and television personality, and his partner, Amy Robach, have spoken out about his tragic experience of having to leave the Bank of America Chicago Marathon in an ambulance.
On an episode of their podcast, Morning Run, he stated that on the morning of October 13, “Every single thing that could have gone wrong went wrong.”
He continued by listing some of the issues, such as having trouble locating the right check-in tent, beginning a marathon without a restroom, and failing to eat or drink enough water.
He said, “The fact of the matter is, you and I started a marathon without having a single drop of fluid and not having a single bite of food. That’s stupid,” adding that he figured they could get water along the route, per People.
He continued by saying that his medical episode on Sunday wasn’t caused by his Achilles, even though he had been battling “an Achilles issue” with his left leg for the past couple of months.
He narrated, “I had to go around this pretty sharp curve. I didn’t have time to adjust to a guy [who] for reasons I don’t understand was walking in the middle of the marathon” instead of moving over to the side.
Holmes added that he felt a cramp in his right hip and butt cheek when he attempted to hold onto the man to get over him, but instead, he caught himself on his right leg.
He described, “And at that moment, I said, ‘Uh-oh,’ because this was a previous injury from my first marathon in 2022, the IT band [iliotibial band],” while Robach added, “You were literally grunting in pain. It wasn’t until we finally ended up having to stop, and I saw tears running down your face, I knew it was probably over.”
Around mile 21, their ordeal landed them on the side of the route, where Holmes’ health began to deteriorate.
According to Robach, Holmes became pale and vomited on the street, which paramedics later claimed was due to his body “trying to adjust” to pain.
She stated, “And they said, ‘We’re gonna call an ambulance,’ because they just got nervous at that point and understandably so.”
Meanwhile, he revealed that even before they returned to the hotel, he was thinking about being fit enough for the New York City Marathon in three weeks, to which Robach responded, “I know you’re running, and I’ll definitely cheer you on.”
But Homles jokingly replied, “I don’t need a cheerleader. Obviously, I need a nurse.”
