(KTLA) — An avid runner and TikTok creator died Sunday after completing Disneyland’s Halloween Half Marathon amid a heat wave in Southern California.
Around 7 a.m. Sunday, 35-year-old Bobby Graves, who went by his middle name Caleb, crossed the finish line while clutching his chest. A volunteer caught him before he collapsed, Anaheim Police Sgt. Matt Sutter told the Los Angeles Times.
In a TikTok video posted one day before his death, Graves recounted passing out from heat exhaustion after going outside to walk his dog. “I really hope I get through the race tomorrow morning,” he said at the end of the clip.
Sutter told the Times that Graves had no known medical conditions before his unexpected death; the coroner’s office is still investigating the cause of his cardiac arrest.
Graves, an experienced long-distance runner, completed Disney World’s full marathon and half-marathon races in 2024 and 2023.
“We are deeply saddened by this tragic loss, and our hearts are with Caleb’s family and loved ones during this difficult time,” Jessica Good, a Disneyland Resort spokesperson, said in an emailed statement to NewsNation affiliate KTLA.
Graves had over 18,000 followers on TikTok, where he shared tips for runners and often documented his trips to Disney and Universal theme parks. In addition to social media, he was a litigation associate at Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati, a firm representing “technology pioneers,” according to its website.
Graves’ friends and family shared condolence messages on Facebook, while fans of his content mourned his loss on TikTok.
The Disneyland Halloween Half Marathon Weekend event is the latest in a long list of marathon races regularly held at Disneyland and the Walt Disney World resorts as part of the company’s ongoing runDisney program.
In 2019, another runner also died during a runDisney event after collapsing while running in the Walt Disney World Wine & Dine Half Marathon Weekend 5K.
According to forecasters, a slight relief from Southern California’s heat wave is expected to arrive midweek.
