New York - Two competitors in last Sunday's New York City Marathon have since died, organizers confirmed Tuesday.

A 58-year-old man from Brazil collapsed after crossing the finishing line and later died at the Lennox Hill Hospital while a 66- year-old American, who walked the distance, suffered a heart attack several hours after completing the race.

"There's nothing harder for us than when one of our participants doesn't make it home at the end of the day. We express our deepest condolences to the athletes' families," said Mary Wittenberg, president of the New York Runners.

The deaths are the first in the race since 1994. The Manhattan Fire Department revealed that two other athletes suffered heart attacks during the race and had to be brought to hospital. (dpa)