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For the past 20 or so years, I have experienced some abnormal heart rhythms. These episodes would last from 20seconds to 3-4 minutes and feel weird and cause a bit of lightheadedness, but nothing too concerning. Sometimes they would be out-of-the-blue, sometimes they would be triggered by bending a certain way, and sometimes I would get them during exercise. Usually my heart would go back to normal rhythm as long as I just sat still and relaxed. 

I decided to have it checked out back in 2014/15, and I was sent to the Ottawa Heart Institute for evaluation. At the time they told me that based on what they saw, it seemed to simply be a harmless arrythmia, likely associated with stress. My family Doc suggested that I make some lifestyle changes, which I did. I left a 14yr career at Rogers (a job that I really enjoyed, but also frustrated the shit out of me), and started to get active. I got very active. Between 2015-2022 I ran 10 Marathons, 2 50k UltraMarathons, 5 full distance Ironman Triathlons (3 of which were the "Extreme variety", and countless shorter races. My life basically revolved around endrance sports. 

Then, in June 2022, I was cycling up the Gotthard Pass in the Swiss Alps about 4hrs in to the bike leg of the SwissMan Extreme Triathlon, when my heart started to misbehave. I had been holding a planned effort @ 150bpm heart rate, and suddenly it shot to 220+, and I felt the bizarre palpitations in my chest. I stopped, got off my bike, tried to relax, as I always do, to get it back to normal sinus rhythm. Except this time it wouldn't stop. I sat at the side of the winding ancient cobblestone road, halfway up the mountain, with athlete after athlete passing me, asking if I was Ok. To each of them I lied and said I was fine. I stared at the beautiful Swiss Mountains and wondered if maybe I was done-for....I was in the middle of nowhere - it would likely take ages to get emergency services there. 

Thankfully it did finally resolve itself, but only after 25ish minutes, according to my bike computer. I got back on my bike and finished the race - another 13 hours of cycling a running. I did not tell my race crew about the incident until after the race 😬. For years SwissMan was THE bucket list race for me, and I wasn't likely to get another chance to do it. I simply wasn't prepared to quit, even if it was the obvious smart choice. I only shared what happened on the Gotthardpass after the race, to explain why it took me so long to climb that mountain pass and get to my crew station. 

Once we were home from Europe, I commited to Addie that I would get the ticker checked out again - but only after doing Ironman Cozumel together in November 2022. It was a 20th anniversary trip and everything was already booked and paid for. Thankfully Ironman Cozumel was uneventful in the cardiac department...just a bad case of unrelated heat adema that caused misery, but hey, a good lesson about doing an Ironman in 32C heat, full sun and 100% humidity. 

I finally went to my family Doc in Jan 2023, described my issues, and he sent me to a cardiologist for an ECG. The results came back indicating a heart condition known as Wolff Parkinson White Syndrome. WPW is a condition where the heart has an extra "rogue" electrical pathway that can control the heart's rhythm. It's something that I was born with, a defect, kind of like a 6th finger, as my Doctor explained. 

He told me that until it's treated, I was to refrain from any rigerous exercise. Nothing beyond going for a walk. Nothing that raises my heart rate. While the condition is treatable (and even curable), it can actually be fatal until it is treated. He also said that if I were to have another "episode", that I should chew two baby Aspirin and call 911 immediately. Gulp. Finally, he advised that I should refrain from international travel, since insurance would not cover emergency treatment, since I was being examined for a potential heart complication. This meant I wasn't able to go to Mexico with my family if February, which was a serious bummer. 

To confirm the diagnosis, and rule-out other cardiac issues, I spent the next 6 months undergoing more tests. I wore a 14 day holter monitor, I did more ECGs, I did a stress echocardiogram, and a cardiac CT scan. The diagnosis was confirmed in July, and I was given the choice of medication to regulate my heart rate (but would mean the end of running/triathlon as I know it), or I could opt for surgery (catheter ablation) to nuke this "rogue" electrical pathway in my heart permenantly. 

I opted for the surgery. I wanted this fixed and my life to go back to normal (or even better than normal). 

I was referred to the University of Ottawa Heart Institute's Department of Electrophysiology, and had a consultation with the surgeon, Dr. Nair in August. He discussed the ablation procedure with me, assured me that he had done thousands of these kinds of procedures, even on Elite athletes and Olympians. He told me that once it was done, I would be good as new. He said it was like "removing a mole...except it's on your heart". He told me that a board/panel at the heart institute determined priority/wait times for surgery based on need. Being under 50 and with an otherwise issue-free heart, I was concerned I'd be waiting years. 

Dr. Nair said that he was going to recommend that I be assigned top priority, based on my active lifestyle, and the benefit of getting me back to my running, swimming and biking lifestyle. But there were no guarantees, as the board would make the ultimate decision. On November 29th I got the call. My surgery was scheduled...for December 22nd. Amazing. Best early Christmas gift ever!

Addie brought me in at around 10:30am on December 22nd. I was advised that my procedure would be slightly delayed because the patient ahead of me in that OR had a very complex procedure that was going a bit longer than planned. Around noon the porter came to transport me to the OR. I met with Dr Nair in the hallway briefly, where he explained again how everything was going to go. He showed me the incredible technology in the OR, and how it's completely space aged stuff compared to what was available when he was in med school (he now teaches at University of Ottawa). I also met with the anaesthesiologist, who walked me through the various general and local anaesthetics I would receive. This all took about 20mins., then I was whisked into the OR. 

The OR looked like the NASA control centre. They would inject some kind of radioactive dye into me, which would then show the team a 3D model of my heart, my vascular system, and the heart's electrical system. Then, they would insert various probes into me via incisions in the groin, that would travel up to the heart, and precisely map out where my "rogue pathway" was (and probing it to confirm that it would trigger my arrythmia. They determined its exact size/length/position, and determined how much RF energy they would use to destroy it via ablation (kind of like cauterizing). 

The procedure took about 5 hours and I was awakened by the anaesthesiologist in the OR, advising me that everything went well, and that I was being taken to the recovery area. Addie was there within minutes. It's a good thing because the affects of anaesthesia hadn't totally worn-off and I had no idea what the doctors and nurses were telling me. Dr. Nair came to visit and explained how well the procedure went. He said that my extra pathway was extremely easy to find, and very easy to trigger. He said they basically just had to look at it and my heart would go bananas. Neat, I guess? But he confirmed that after the ablation procedure was completed, they were no longer able to trigger any arrythmia, so I should be good to go for life!

I stayed in recovery for another 5hrs, after which point they removed my sutures and had me lay totally still for 30mins. Once they confirmed that I wasn't going to bleed-out, I was sent hobbling home. I had to take it easy for a few days (and not shower for a few days...over Christmas, too!), to ensure my incisions didn't re-open, but recovery is otherwise pretty easy. 

I'm beyond grateful for the great care I received at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, and to have a chance to have my old life back. I'm also grateful for our Healthcare system. All of this cost a total of $22 in parking. 

A year passed between the start of diagnosis and the procedure. I'm about 25lbs heavier and severely out of shape, but I can't wait to start putting the work in to get back on start lines. 

Please consider sponsoring me to run the 2024 Ottawa Marathon as my return to sport, and to help give back, and support The University of Ottawa Heart Institute for the great work they do.