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Ryan's parents still have an East Jordan mailing address, and Ryan recently purchased property in East Jordan. He was often quoted as saying that the Jordan Valley was his favorite place to run.

Ryan's father, Joe Shay, said that on the starting line of the race on Saturday, Ryan told a fellow competitor that he wished he was back in Michigan, and if he had his way, he'd be going back.

"He just loved it here,"Joe Shay said, adding that the only thing that kept Ryan away from northern Michigan was his need to train at high altitudes.

An autopsy performed on Sunday did not reveal an official cause of death. More will be learned after a forensic cardiologist has a chance to examine Ryan's heart tissue.

However, Ryan was diagnosed with an enlarged heart at age 14, which according to leading cardiologist Dr. Douglas Zipes is a warning sign of a potentially deadly condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Dr. Zipes, the Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Medicine at Indiana University's School of Medicine, said that there are two types of enlarged hearts, "athlete's heart,"which denotes a normal increase in size of an endurance athlete's heart, and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, which is an abnormal enlargement of the heart that is caused by a genetic abnormality and can cause sudden death. Since endurance athletes always experience a normal heart enlargement, distinguishing between the two conditions is difficult.

"That heart is what made him a great runner, and it is also probably what killed him,"Joe Shay said.

"Ryan got pneumonia when he was 14, and he had his chest x-rayed and that is when we first became concerned, but we figured he was an athlete and it was normal so we'd just watch it. At 16, he got in a car accident and had another x-ray. At that point we became very concerned and had Ryan do a treadmill test, but we couldn't get the treadmill to max out his heart rate."

Dr. Zipes said that a full history and physical should be performed to diagnose hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, along with an electrocardiogram and heart echo test. However, he said that these tests can sometimes produce false negatives - or make an athlete think he is healthy when in reality he is at risk.

Ryan went through testing six months ago by doctors in Arizona, who cleared him for training and competition.

"Ryan called me and said that he had another treadmill test and that he almost wore that one out too. He said the doctors just thought he might have to wear a pacemaker when he got older,"Joe Shay said.Ê "We trusted the doctors and figured they knew."

Since Ryan's death, Joe Shay has wondered whether his son may have not been forthcoming about the severity of his condition. Dr. Zipes said that an athlete may feel lightheaded or even blackout before the onset of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, but he also said that an athlete may not exhibit any symptoms at all, and that death can occur "out of the blue." "I feel healthy, fit, and ready to race,"Ryan said in a phone interview with the Antrim County News on Thursday evening, less than 40 hours before the start of the race.

Dr. Zipes said that the adrenaline rush of the Olympic Trials, the biggest race of Ryan's career, could have contributed to the onset of irregular heart patterns during the race.

According to Dr. Zipes, the only guaranteed way to test an athlete is to have him do a "deconditioning test,"where the athlete's heart size will be measured before and after the athlete goes through at least a month-long period of inactivity.

"A normal heart will decrease in size,"Zipes said, "while an abnormal heart will stay increased."

It is not known whether a deconditioning test was suggested in Ryan's case, but given that Ryan was training for the Olympic Trials, it is unlikely that such a test would have been a favorable option.

Zipes also said that Ryan's parents and siblings could be tested to determine if Ryan had the genetic profile that causes hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.

"Now that we know the genes that cause this condition, a thorough workshop and genetic screening would be worthwhile,"he said.

Ryan's sudden and tragic death has wounded many hearts, not only in Central Lake, but across the country and even the world.

Joe Shay said on Sunday night that Ryan's death had been reported by at least 1,100 different newspapers in places as varied as Australia, New Zealand and the Netherlands.

"I'm just so amazed,"Joe Shay said. "I never realized the importance or impact Ryan had."

In addition to newspaper reports, Joe Shay received 450 emails on Sunday alone from people offering their condolences.

"The mounds of caring people have made this difficult time wonderful to deal with,"he said.

Several of those caring individuals could be seen walking and jogging the Central Lake High School track on Sunday night, which had been lined with candle-lit luminaries as a memorial to Ryan.

Current Trojan cross country standouts Danielle Haydell and Kari Johnson were among those who came to remember Ryan. They said that Ryan used to help them with their workouts and coach practice when Joe Shay could not be there.

"He (Ryan) was so inspiring,"Haydell said. "Coming from a small town, it was so cool to see someone achieve such great things. You would see him in a magazine and think, 'He went to my high school.'"

Inspiring others is something that Ryan did especially well, even when he was in high school.

Central Lake Athletic Director Quinn Barry, who coached Ryan's basketball team, remembers him as a fierce competitor, but also someone who cared about his friends and teammates and their success as well.

"He hated to lose more than anyone I've ever seen,"Barry said. "But as he got older, he realized his talent and used it to encourage his teammates to achieve their personal bests as well."

That competitive spirit did not diminish when Shay arrived at Notre Dame.

"He (Ryan) was the most tenacious competitor I've ever had the honor of working with,"Notre Dame head coach Joe Piane said. That's saying a lot, considering that Piane just finished his 33rd cross country season at Notre Dame, making him the longest-tenured coach in the school's history.

"I'd say let's do six times one mile, and Ryan would say 'How about we do eight?' I'd want to give the team two minutes' rest, and he'd say 'How about 45 seconds?'"

Piane also cited Ryan as having tremendous leadership.

"He instilled a phenomenal work ethic in our team,"he said. "He expected himself to work hard, and he expected everyone else to as well.

"He had an extremely positive effect that still carries over today."

Piane said that Ryan changed the culture at Notre Dame. His work ethic rubbed off on the younger kids, who in turn passed it on to incoming underclassmen.

"A bit of Ryan Shay is still with us and always will be,"Piane said.

Barry said that Ryan never lost touch with his roots, instead using his celebrity as an NCAA and U.S. running champion to come and inspire Central Lake students.

"If he had a chance to come to school, he always would,"Barry said. "He'd call and ask if we wanted him to talk to a group of kids.

"It was one of my favorite things when I could bring him into my senior class and have the kids ask him questions. He never needed a big podium or a big stage; it was always low-key.

"He'd talk to the kids about setting goals and how to achieve them.

"He could deliver that message as well as anyone I've ever heard."

Eric Shooks, who splits his time between being a teacher and the Dean of Students at Central Lake Elementary School, is a friend and former teammate of Ryan's on the Trojan track team.

"Ryan was an all-around great guy,"Shooks said. "He was always loyal to his friends and teammates.

"He was more than just a great runner, he was a great guy as well."

Barry and Shooks both spoke of the effect Ryan had on Central Lake.

"It was good to see someone from a small town and a small school achieve big things,"Shooks said. "You would see him on TV, and see him on the street the next day."

"To me, he was one of the bright lights you always take pride in,"Barry said. "We (area residents) all took pride in his accomplishments. "It was a treat for us when he came back. You'd look forward to the days when you could see him here, running through the streets. "I hope people realize the fire he had and lit up in others."

A funeral service for Ryan will be held Sunday, Nov. 11 at 2 p.m. at the Harvest Barn Church in East Jordan. Joe Shay said that anyone who wants to come is more than welcome.