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GREENSBORO — Capt. William Caviness would chide his fellow firefighters: “Do you want to be pretty good? Or the best?”

Caviness applied that level of excellence to one of his passions: distance running. He trained for the Bank of America Chicago Marathon for two years and often would run about seven miles from his home to Greensboro Fire Station 14 on Summit Avenue, where he worked 24-hour shifts.

“He was one of the most physically fit people I’ve known,” said Timothy Fields, the station’s other captain.

Fields and other firefighters were shocked to learn of his death. Caviness, 35, died Sunday after he collapsed near the end of the marathon.

The Chicago Tribune reported Monday that the medical examiner’s office in Cook County, Ill., found an autopsy inconclusive and awaits further results from toxicological tests.

Greensboro Fire Chief Gregory Grayson said Caviness’ most recent physical exam turned up no health issues.

“We’ve lost a great person,” Grayson said. “He’s really going to be missed by our department.”

The local firefighters association sent two captains to Chicago to escort the body back to Greensboro, said Dave Coker, president of Professional Fire Fighters of Greensboro.

“We just felt compelled to send our men there,” he said. “We couldn’t stomach the thought of Will coming home alone. We want a fire department presence every step of the way.”

Firefighters also discussed creating a fund for the family. Surviving Caviness are his wife, Jenny, who works for the city as manager of youth services for parks and recreation, and two young children. Funeral arrangements are pending.

Family members who went to Chicago to watch the race expressed disbelief at Caviness’ death. His father, Lee Caviness, wrote to the Chicago Tribune: “Will was a great man, father, husband, son, brother, uncle, cousin. He was a real HERO doing something to help others until the very end. ... I am just heartbroken. Devastated, and it feels so unreal.”

Caviness graduated from Grimsley High School in 1994 and joined the city fire department in March 2003. He spent most of his career at Fire Station 5 on Westover Terrace.

His brother, Sean Caviness, also is a Greensboro fire captain and works at Fire Station 19 near Piedmont Triad International Airport.

In December, the department promoted William Caviness to captain and assigned him to Fire Station 14. There, he led Engine 14 and its crew of three firefighters. Fields described Caviness as driven, hardworking and well-respected.

Caviness was a member of the fire department’s honor guard, the water rescue task force and urban search and rescue team. He taught children in the city’s Youth Citizens Fire Academy.

He also was an experienced distance runner. He ran in at least a full marathon and two half-marathons over the past year.

On Sunday, Caviness was on track to cross the finish line in three hours and five minutes, according to the Chicago Marathon’s website. That time would have qualified him for the Boston Marathon, in which he hoped to participate.

Caviness also wanted to raise at least $2,000 to benefit burn victims. Contributions more than tripled after news of his death and stood at nearly $11,000 by Tuesday morning, according to his donation Web page. Condolences on the donation site and Facebook poured in from former classmates, friends, Chicago residents and marathon runners.

Caviness is the second Greensboro fire captain to die in the past three months. Capt. Jackie Spoon of Fire Station 11 was killed in July at his Randolph County home when a lawn mower fell on him. Spoon’s death also happened during off-duty hours.

“That’s a lot of loss for our department in a short period of time,” Grayson said.

Staff writer John Newsom and Sports Editor Eddie Wooten contributed to this report.

Contact Morgan Josey Glover at 373-7078 or morgan.josey@news-record.com