An Elite Runner Was Supposed to Run the Detroit Marathon. She Died the Night Before the Race.
The elite runner and medical student was remembered for her championship record, volunteer work and plans to return to the marathon after finishing fourth last year.
- Grace Nolan, 25, died following a car crash in Walled Lake, Michigan, on Sunday, Oct. 18, the day she was scheduled to lead the women's elite field at the Detroit Free Press Marathon.
- A second-year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine, Nolan was an accomplished athlete who won the 2025 Horizon League 10,000-meter championship and earned NCAA Woman of the Year nomination.
- Beyond her accolades, Nolan volunteered as a phlebotomist and worked with Girls on the Run; her mother, Wendy Nolan, described her as "the most curious, angelic, intelligent, loyal, incredible person."
- The crash occurred Saturday, Oct. 17, while Nolan traveled with her boyfriend, Matt Dennison, who survived; Walled Lake Police Chief Paul Shakinas confirmed the location but cited an ongoing investigation.
- Family and friends will hold a celebration of life on Oct. 31 at Oakland University to honor her legacy, while the Detroit Free Press Marathon mourned her as "a remarkable young woman.
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Marathon Runner’s Final Hours End in Tragedy | Fresh Off The Press
A 25-year-old elite runner and medical student died hours before she was set to race, after a single-vehicle crash on a suburban Michigan road. Story Snapshot Police, family, and race organizers confirmed Grace Nolan died after a Saturday crash. The crash happened just before 5:30 p.m. on Decker Road in Walled Lake, Michigan. Nolan was scheduled to compete in the Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday. Investigators have not released what caused…
Marathon Runner Grace Nolan, 25, Dies Hours Before Race in Car Crash, Boyfriend Injured in Same Wreck
Elite marathon runner Grace Nolan died just hours before she was scheduled to compete in the Detroit Marathon. She was 25. Nolan was involved in a car accident in Walled Lake, Michigan, on the evening of Saturday, October 17. She succumbed to her injuries early the next morning, shortly before she was due at the […]
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