AN INSPIRATIONAL dad has completed his 100th Parkrun since suffering an “out of the blue” cardiac arrest less than five years ago.
Martin England, 59, collapsed following a 3K race in June 2018 which was caused by a cardiac arrest.
Luckily, he collapsed next to an off-duty nurse and a football coach who carried out CPR.
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There was also a defibrillator within 100 metres from where Martin collapsed.
After being recorded as “dead” for approximately five minutes, Martin woke up in Basildon Hospital the following day.
The father to triplets had two stents fitted and left hospital just four days later with a lot of “broken ribs and a life-time of tablets”.
This weekend Martin, who runs for Castle Point Joggers, completed his 100th Parkrun since suffering the sudden cardiac arrest.
He said: “Many times I would not have thought this would be possible, mentally, physically, and emotionally.
“I definitely believe that my prior fitness helped my survival and also helped me recover quicker, which shows the benefits of exercising regularly.
“Although mentally running can now be daunting and I’m apprehensive, it has always been part of my life so after the cardiac arrest I was never going to stop.
“Everything is possible if you stay strong and believe.”
Statistics show that a cardiac arrest survival is only ten per cent when you are not in hospital.
Since Martin’s cardiac arrest, Hadleigh Parkrun now have three defibrillators around the course.
Martin has run more than 400 races in his life, including three ultra-events, 21 marathons and 40 half marathons.
He added: “Parkrun has been one of the biggest factors in my recovery, the support and enthusiasm by all just inspires you to succeed.
“I am a Tottenham fan, and I was at the game in 2012, when Fabrice Muamba collapsed, watching that situation unfold, then six years on it happens to me.
“The same with my Spurs hero’s Glenn Hoddle, David Ginola, and Christian Eriksen, they have all suffered the same cardiac arrest and survived, sadly Justin Edinburgh was not so lucky.
“It shows you and teaches you how short life can be. It makes you appreciate every day.”
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