Disqus Comment Count:
Pierre Lipton, a 26-year-old athlete and businessman who was featured on Forbes’ 30 Under 30 list, passed away after collapsing at the Mesa Marathon earlier this month.
Lipton, a Brown University graduate, was about to finish the marathon in 3 hours, 10 minutes, and 5 seconds, setting a personal best.
After crossing the finish line, he suddenly collapsed near the paramedics, Boston.com reported.
He was rushed to the hospital and was later pronounced dead.
Though there is still no official cause of death, Lipton’s dad, Dr. Jordan Lipton told the Boston Globe, “the working diagnosis is he might have had some sudden electrolyte imbalance that caused arrhythmia”.
A heart arrhythmia is an irregular heartbeat. It occurs when the electrical signals that coordinate the heart’s beats don’t work properly, according to Mayo Clinic.
“On Saturday, I lost the love of my life. The person I thought I would spend forever with,” Lipton’s girlfriend, Eleanor Pereboom, wrote in an Instagram post.
“He accomplished more than anyone I know in just 26 years, but he still had so many plans. Here he is just a couple feet from the finish line. He’s still smiling. Both feet lifted off the ground, he’s still flying. He was doing what he loved,” she continued.
Eleanor’s dad, Derk Pereboom, penned a heartfelt tribute to Lipton.
“Our family has suffered a tragedy this week. On Saturday, our daughter Eleanor and her partner Pierre Lipton ran the Mesa Marathon in Arizona. After completing the race, Pierre collapsed and passed away,” Derk wrote.
“Pierre had a short life, but it was one that shone so brightly. He was an exceptionally generous person to all, motivated by a deep impulse to lift others up, to help them to succeed and be happy. He did so much to enrich all of our lives,” he continued.
Pierre Lipton, a Brown grad, died after completing a marathon on Feb. 4. He was 26.
The co-leader of the ‘Gansett Run Club, which Lipton was a part of, posted a photo of the group gathered around a pair of running shoes like the ones Lipton wore. https://t.co/ZHuAIURyJ6 pic.twitter.com/JacPzsOAS3
— The Boston Globe (@BostonGlobe) February 16, 2023
From his obituary:
Pierre Sasha Michael Lipton was born in Charlotte, NC on the 15th of January 1997 to Dr. Jordan Lipton and Dr. Siu Challons-Lipton. He is their eldest and only son, followed 2 years later by his loving sister, Adelina.
Pierre was a happy and beautiful child. He loved soccer, tennis, Lego, learning, geography, and travel with his family from England to Sweden and Canada and as far as China, Thailand and the South Pacific. Recently we travelled to Iceland and had many adventures we were looking forward to with him in the near and distant future.
Pierre is brilliant. He attended the Horizons Middle School program where he continued to be inspired by his teachers and classmates. He then attended Myers Park High School, where he was valedictorian. He went on to excel at Brown University, studying Economics and Middle Eastern Studies
Pierre is curious and strives for truth. In his Junior year at Brown, he met Tim and Drew and cofounded and became COO of the news company, 1440, where he helped grow readership of subscribers who span the political spectrum and all walks of life. As a result of his hard work and success, he was named Rhode Island INNO under 25 in 2020, then Forbes 30 Under 30 in 2022, in addition to receiving other awards along the way. He speaks Spanish, Arabic and has been learning Italian in anticipation of our planned trip in May.
Pierre is an athlete. He cares about health and movement, always working on becoming stronger, and focused on improving the lives of others through sport. His goals of playing soccer or running at a semi-elite level for Tonga in the South Pacific are a big part of his life that he dreamed about but didn’t have the chance to realize, even though everyone who knows him knows that he would have accomplished it.
Pierre is an adventurer. He loves life. He loves travel, music, art, hiking, reading, geography, trivia, Scrabble, running, soccer, tennis, squash, water skiing, new foods, and FIFA…
It was on February 4th, 2023, on a beautiful Saturday morning that Pierre passed away after completing a marathon in Arizona. He was doing what he loved. He will be so terribly missed by us all.