I haven't done a great deal of running in my life but my father was a competitive long-distance runner in his spare time. I recall going to see him compete in a 10k or something I don't remember exactly how far it was but I do remember seeing him really gun it at the start and since the runners were simply going around and around a building that i guess was just the right distance and therefore conducive to this kind of race, I noticed he was further and further behind each time around.
I think having his kids there watching him may have actually encouraged him to blast out of the gate and try to be a hero. I still remember that to this day and it was decades ago. I never did ask him about that, perhaps I should some day.
awwww, what a tragic story. I bet he was really disappointed in himself for letting his kids down. Yeah, you should have that talk with him for sure.