U.S. & World News

CHICAGO (CBS) ― An autopsy showed a heart condition, not record-setting heat, killed a Michigan police officer who died during an unusually hot and humid Chicago Marathon.

Meantime, thousands of runners were demanding answers about what caused a meltdown that led to a lack of water and Gatorade at the LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon.

The race was called off because of near record temperatures and many runners say there wasn't enough water along the course.

One person died and several others remain hospitalized in serious to critical condition.

CBS station WBBM-TV reports that race organizers held a news conference Monday morning to address concerns about their handling of the race and how both race officials and runners could have done a better job of coping with record temperatures.

More than 10,000 runners who started the marathon in high heat and humidity failed to finish Sunday. One runner, Chad Schieber, a 35-year-old police officer from Midland, Mich., collapsed and died during the race; dozens more were treated due to heat-related problems.

An autopsy Monday revealed that Schieber suffered mitral valve prolapse, according to the Cook County medical examiner's office. That's a condition that occurs when one of the heart's valves doesn't work properly.

The medical examiner's office says Schieber's collapse had nothing to do with Sunday's hot and humid weather.

Schieber, who was recently named Midland's police officer of the year, collapsed near Ashland and Roosevelt. His sister-in-law says the family is relying on faith to stay strong. "It's a horrible tragedy and it's a horrible thing that the marathon was handled the way it was, but you know, if this was the day that Chad was called home, this was the day," said Krystn Madrine.

Many runners complained about a lack of water and Gatorade at aid stations along the race course, but Executive Race Director Cary Pinkowski said runners might have been partly to blame for that.

"Our participants were not consuming the water, they were cooling themselves with it. So we had individuals that were going to these stations, stopping, grabbing five, six, seven cups of water, cooling themselves with it and blocking the traditional flow of our procession through the water stations," Pinkowski said. "That was something that, I will be honest with you, we didn't anticipate. We thought with our advisory, with our e-mail blast, that our participants would go to the cooling stations, to the hydrants, to cool themselves. But what they were doing was using the water for consumption as a cooling activity."

Pinkowski defended his decision to cut the race short after about 3 ½ hours, saying that safety must be the paramount concern. He said marathon officials are considering offering refunds to disappointed runners who did not get to finish the race.

Organizers stopped the race when medics couldn't keep up with all the heat-related problems. More than 300 people needed treatment for dehydration or other heat-related problems; dozens were hospitalized. As of Monday morning, five people were in serious to critical condition at Stroger Hospital of Cook County, two were in critical condition at Northwestern Memorial Hospital.

WBBM-TV's Kristyn Hartman spoke with relatives of one other runner who was recovering from heat-related problems and others upset about the lack of resources.

The 30th Anniversary LaSalle Bank Chicago Marathon was one for the books; it was the hottest race on record and that really affected runners.

Just ask John Martin. His son Hunter ended up in the hospital after finishing the marathon.

"I was very worried. I mean, he's 26 and he's sort of a pretty sturdy individual and I knew when he was laying on the sidewalk that he was sick," John Martin said.

The good news was that Hunter will be okay, but his situation was far from unique. In all, the Fire Department said crews treated more than 300 runners for heat-related problems.

With that in mind, and considering his own family's story, Martin believes organizers made the right decision to call off the event. But not everyone agrees.

"You know, after running 26 miles in, in my opinion, very tough conditions, you know no one is yelling congratulations to us. You've got the guy on the loudspeaker saying this is now classified as a fun run, you know, the marathon was canceled. That was kind of irritating," said runner Matt Anderson.

And then there were complaints about the water, or lack there of along the course.

"There was tables without any water at all; they were just telling us to move on because there wasn't any water," said runner Tracie Bain. "People were very aggravated and almost fighting over the water at times."

Martin and other runners weren't as critical.

"Overall I had a positive experience given the situation," said one runner "I went in understanding the heat and understanding that I needed to be hydrated. I just carried two water bottles with me from the start," said one woman.

Martin added, "I don't think that the race organization made any major mistakes. I think that people have got to listen to their own body and you've got to know when to stop."

Both said runners bear some kind of responsibility when it comes to outfitting themselves. They also credited spectators along the route with jumping in to help with things such as water and ice.

The marathon wasn't called off until after winners were declared in the men's and women's races.

The men's race ended in a dramatic photo finish. Kenyan Patrick Ivuti won the race in the closest finish in the marathon's history.

He edged out Jaouad Gahrib by a fraction of a second. Ivuti is the fifth Kenyan in a row to win the Chicago Marathon.

On the women's side, Ethiopian Berhane Adere rallied with a "come-from-behind" final sprint to defend her title. She passed Romanian, Adriana Pirtea in the last mile of the race.

Pirtea had a comfortable 30-second lead after the 25-mile mark, but in the final stretch she couldn't beat Adere to the finish line.

(© 2009 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)