Attorney and father-of-nine Benjamin Greene collapsed while running a 5K in California as temperatures hit 110 degrees.
The grieving widow of a California man who died while running a 5K race in 100-degree heat is demanding to know why the event wasn't canceled.
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“My husband is no longer here for me or our children because he ran in the heat,” Benjamin Greene’s crestfallen widow, Michelle, told local news outlets.
The high in Bakersfield on the day of the race was 110 degrees, and the temperature was still over 100 degrees when the race began in the evening.
Before Tuesday evening’s event, Greene, a 48-year-old attorney and a father of nine, wrote on Facebook expressing concern about the race.
"I am nervous but here goes: [A 5K] run in 110 degree heat. I have no idea how difficult this is going to be. I have never run long distance in heat like this. Maybe it won't be as hard as I think. Or maybe it will be absolutely brutal,” he wrote.
The Bakersfield Track Club, which organized the race, issued its own warning on Facebook.
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"We know it's hot out,” they wrote. “Please bring your own hydration systems and be diligent not to become overheated or dehydrated. Take it easy and walk if you want."
"Because of the heat, five aid stations were set up to provide the 180 runners with extra water, ice and Gatorade,” they said in a statement to Inside Edition. “Misting stations were also set up... Prior to the race, runners were also encouraged to bring extra water.”
Greene collapsed during Mile 2. He was given CPR and rushed to the hospital, but didn't make it.
David Kirsch, a fitness expert, spoke to Inside Edition about running in the heat.
"I do not advise people to go out in extreme heat; I don’t care how elite of a runner you are. It is just not healthy and not smart to be running in 100 degrees," he told Inside Edition.
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