An Elite Runner Was Supposed to Run the Detroit Marathon. She Died the Night Before the Race.

Grace Nolan was supposed to be at the front of the women’s field at the Detroit Free Press Marathon on Sunday, October 18, returning to a race that had quickly become one of her favorites.Sadly, she never made it to the start line, as Nolan, 25, died early Saturday following a car accident in Walled Lake, Michigan, the night before, according to the Detroit Free Press. Her boyfriend, Matt, was also in the car. Nolan’s family said in a Facebook post that he “sustained significant injuries [but] thankfully survived and is expected to recover.”Her father, Jason Nolan, shared the news by describing just how many different parts of people’s lives his daughter occupied.“If you knew Grace, I don’t need to tell you what an amazing human she was, truly extraordinary,” he wrote. “Daughter, sister, girlfriend, friend, mentor, scholar, athlete, comedian....those are just a few of the ways to begin describing Grace.”The marathon community knew her especially well as an athlete on the rise. Nolan made her marathon debut in Detroit in 2025 and finished fourth, immediately giving her plenty of reason to see what she could do with another shot at the distance.That first 26.2 came during her first semester of medical school, when Nolan later described herself as “stressed and severely sleep deprived” and admitted she didn’t really know how to train for a marathon. Apparently none of that spoiled the experience.“I had the most fun I have ever had in a race that returning to this race wasn’t even a question!” she said in comments shared with race organizers before this year’s event.Oakland AthleticsAt Oakland University, Nolan won the Horizon League 10,000-meter championship in 2025, running 34:17.44 to set a meet record.By the time she was preparing to come back, Nolan had joined Michigan-based Gazelle Elite and was training with considerably more structure. Her parents told the Free Press that she quietly hoped to run an Olympic Trials qualifying time, even if she wasn’t exactly broadcasting that goal herself.Their descriptions of Grace filled in the person behind all of her accomplishments.“She was the most curious, angelic, intelligent, loyal, incredible person,” her mother, Wendy Nolan, told the Detroit Free Press, with her father saying “she painfully understated every part of her life.”And there was plenty to understate. Not only did she earn first-team All-Horizon League honors in cross country three times and set a championship record while winning the conference 10,000-meter title in 2025, but Oakland University also selected Grace as its NCAA Woman of the Year nominee.Running, meanwhile, was competing for space with a pretty full life off the course. Nolan was in her second year at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine after already earning undergraduate and public health degrees from Oakland. She hoped to become a cardiologist, volunteered as a phlebotomist at free clinics, and worked with Girls on the Run to introduce younger girls to the sport.“She wanted to be a doctor from a very young age, and she made it happen,” Wendy Nolan told the Free Press.The Detroit Free Press Marathon called Nolan “a remarkable young woman” in its own tribute on Instagram and noted that her impact extended far beyond racing.“We are honored she chose to share her running with us,” organizers wrote. “Grace, thank you for the light you brought to every start line. You will always be part of this race.”Her family is planning a celebration at Oakland University on October 31, which Jason Nolan described in his post as a celebration of Grace’s “remarkable 25 years of life.”Find Your Next Running PlaylistSean Abrams was the Senior Editor, Growth and Engagement at Men’s Health. He’s a former hip hop dancer who likes long walks on the beach and large glasses of tequila. You can find his previous work at Maxim, Elite Daily, and AskMen.