Two years ago, Mark Wangrin thought treadmill No. 1 at his Austin, Texas, fitness center was malfunctioning when it showed his heart rate was 240 beats per minute, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). But then he collapsed.
Wangrin, then 61, suffered from cardiac arrest. His wife, Barbara, a physical therapy assistant and certified in CPR, was the first to assist her husband. A doctor who was on another treadmill used the gym’s automated external defibrillator (AED) unit until paramedics arrived, according to AHA.
Wangrin was in a coma in the ICU; doctors said if he survived he would “likely have significant mental and physical complications,” according to AHA.
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Barbara remained by his bed side, playing her husband’s favorite music: Bruce Springsteen.
Wangrin turned 61 during his nine-day coma. Doctors placed an implantable cardioverter defibrillator, which will automatically deliver shocks to the heart if it detects an irregular heartbeat.
On the way home from the hospital, according to AHA, Barbara bought her husband a smartwatch to track his heart rate. Since then, Wangrin, who is 14 years sober, has been focusing on eating healthier, practicing mindfulness, works closely with his doctor, and takes blood pressure medication.
To honor the one-year anniversary of his near-death experience, Wangrin hopped on treadmill No. 1.
“I went through the whole workout with no problem," Wangrin told AHA. “I'm not going to live in fear of this happening again. The only thing I can control is how I approach it and what I can do to help prevent it.”
Although he has to keep his heart rate on the low end, Wangrin frequents his exercise bike.
Wangrin told Runner’s World that he ran a marathon in 1992. He was training for the 2022 Austin Marathon but ultimately did not run.
Heather is the former food and nutrition editor for Runner’s World, the author of The Runner’s World Vegetarian Cookbook, and a seven-time marathoner with a best of 3:31—but she is most proud of her 1:32 half, 19:44 5K, and 5:33 mile. Her work has been published in The Boston Globe, Popular Mechanics, The Wall Street Journal Buy Side, Cooking Light, CNN, Glamour, The Associated Press, and Livestrong.com.
