O.C. Marathon runner dies shortly after 4-hour finish

Larry Altneu set one goal Sunday: Finish the Orange County Marathon in four hours.

He finished the marathon in 4 hours 31 seconds, just about spot on. But tragedy struck at the finish line, where he collapsed. He was pronounced dead a short time later at Irvine Regional Hospital and Medical Center.

The quick death of the Anaheim runner came as a shock to family and friends.

“He’s very goal-oriented, very driven, very positive,” said his cousin Robin Garfield, 34, of Redondo Beach. “He was an ‘If you believe you could do it, you could do it’ kind of person.”

Family members said he had no known health problems, and they speculated that he died of a heart attack.

An autopsy completed Monday did not reveal the cause of death. Coroner’s officials are awaiting results of toxicology tests, which take up to six weeks.

Altneu, 45, had been getting ready for the Orange County Marathon by working out at the gym four days a week and running 13 miles on weekends. On Sunday, he got up early and had a peanut butter and jelly sandwich before he took off on the 26.2-mile race in Newport Beach and Irvine.

“He was so dedicated and driven that I think in his mind he just had to do it,” said his wife, Dana. “I don’t know if he was in pain during the race, but his body held out until he crossed the finish line. It’s mind-boggling to me how he did that.”

He started running three years ago, and Sunday’s event was his fourth marathon, family members said.

A former engineer at Hughes Aircraft and Gateway computers, Altneu was known as a family man who loved to run, fix things and build computer systems. He had spent Saturday watching football with his sons.

“He accomplished his goal and was doing what he loved, without question,” Garfield said. “But he was just too young.”

Altneu is survived by his wife and two sons, Justin, 15, and Adam, 12.

Services will be held at 10 a.m. Thursday at Temple Beth Shalom, 2625 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana.

mai.tran@latimes.com