An 18-year-old girl from Cape Breton, N.S., who died after collapsing while competing in the Toronto Marathon, was a well-liked honours student just weeks away from graduating high school.

Emma van Nostrand of Coxheath, N.S., collapsed on Lake Shore Boulevard near the end of the 42-kilometre race Sunday.

Police said the teen was found without vital signs and there were attempts to revive her. She was transported to hospital where she was pronounced dead. Police said she suffered a medical emergency, but the exact cause of death is not yet known.

Van Nostrand was a top student who played soccer and basketball, Riverview High School principal Joe Chisholm told CTV News.

“She was very well-liked and very respected,” he said. “She (was) a very driven, determined young lady.

“We’re pretty stunned and shocked at the news. Our students are having a tough time with it.”

A crisis intervention team is at Riverview High School to offer students support as they grieve for van Nostrand.

Van Nostrand came from a family of avid runners. Her father competed last month in the Boston Marathon, where three people were killed and more than 200 injured after two bombs exploded near the finish line.

It was her father’s seventh time finishing the prestigious Boston race.

Dr. Chris Milburn, an emergency room doctor who knew van Nostrand through a running club, said such a tragic incident among young marathon runners is extremely rare, and shouldn’t discourage people from running.

“This kind of sudden cardiac death in athletes can occur during any kind of athletic competition, so it’s not due specifically with the stress of the marathon,” he told CTV News.

Police officer collapses

Another competitor, a male runner, also collapsed on the course Sunday after he suffered a medical emergency, officials said.

The man, an off-duty police officer, received CPR from Toronto police Const. Laurie McCann and two bystanders who rushed to his aid.

“It was a great outcome,” McCann said of the incident.

Paramedics later attended to the man and he was taken to hospital for treatment.

In addition to the full marathon, runners also completed a half-marathon, a 5 km run and/walk, and a team relay race.

Around 10,000 runners competed in Sunday’s race, including nearly 2,500 runners in the full marathon.

Before the race began, runners paused for a moment of silence to honour the victims of the Boston Marathon bombings.

With a report by CTV Toronto’s Ashley Rowe and files from CTV Atlantic, CP24 and The Canadian Press