Elite marathon runner, 25, dies night before major race after horror crash with her boyfriend

DAILYMAIL.COM • 2h ago

By ANANYA SWAROOP, US NEWS REPORTER 22:35 21 Oct 2026, updated 22:36 21 Oct 2026

A young medical student has died in a car accident a day before she had planned to lead a marathon in Detroit.

Grace Nolan, 25, was involved in a crash on October 17 while traveling in Walled Lake with her boyfriend.

The Walled Lake Firefighters team responded to the accident at around 5.30pm and found the car rammed into a tree, The Detroit News reported.

The patients were transported to Henry Ford Providence Hospital in Novi by the medic. Grace died on October 18, the outlet reported.

The Oakland University student had planned to lead the women’s elite field at the Detroit Free Press Marathon last weekend but she succumbed to her injuries a night before the race.

‘Wendy and I are regrettably sharing some very sad news. Our daughter, Grace Nolan, was killed in a car crash this past weekend,’ her father, Jason Nolan, wrote online.

‘Grace was traveling in a car with her boyfriend, Matt (Dennison), when the accident occurred.’

‘Although he (Matt) sustained significant injuries, he thankfully survived and is expected to recover,’ Jason added.

‘She was the most curious, angelic, intelligent, loyal, incredible person,’ her mother, Wendy Nolan, told the Detroit Free Press.

The young woman fell in love with running when she was eight and got interested in track in the sixth grade, her parents said.

Her parents added that she had the ‘most competitive spirit,’ but Grace was always modest about her accomplishments.

‘We were always like, “You’re so good. You’re doing so great,”’ Wendy Nolan said, but said Grace would answer and say that she wasn’t.

‘She painfully understated every part of her life,’ Jason told the outlet.

Detroit Free Press Marathon also mourned the tragic loss and thanked the young woman for ‘the light’ she ‘brought to every start line.’

‘Grace was a remarkable young woman. She was also one of the finest distance runners to wear the black and gold,’ the spokesperson said.

It was due to be her second time running the race.

Grace’s accomplishments went way beyond being an elite runner.

She was a second-year medical student at Oakland University William Beaumont School of Medicine. She aspired to become a cardiologist.

‘She wanted to be a doctor from a very young age, and she made it happen,’ her mother said.

She was named first-team All-Horizon League in cross country three times and also won the Horizon League 10,000-meter title with a championship record in her final semester.

She was also named a Horizon League 2025 NCAA Woman of the Year nominee, the outlet reported.

Steve Waterfield, athletic director at Oakland University, said the news of her passing away was ‘devastating.’

‘There is no doubt in my mind that she was going to make people and communities better as a person and doctor, just like she made the OU community better as a student and athlete.’ Waterfield said.

Grace is survived by her parents, her brothers and her boyfriend. The family will release more details about Grace’s death soon, they said.

A celebration of her life is planned on October 31 at Oakland University, Grace’s family shared online.

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