An ultramarathon runner says he is lucky to be alive after dismissing warning signs that later turned out to be serious heart disease requiring life-saving surgery.
Callum Gillespie always considered himself healthy — he exercised regularly, didn't smoke and had completed several marathons and ultramarathons.
So when he started experiencing chest discomfort while training for the Kepler Challenge in Fiordland last July, heart trouble was not front of mind.
“When you’re training for an ultra, you often experience aches and pains and you put up with them,” the 57-year-old told 1News.
“Normally, you get to the top of a hill, catch your breath, and it passes. This didn’t.”
That discomfort lingered for about 45 minutes during a training run in the lead-up to the gruelling 60km event.
When he got home, Gillespie mentioned it to his wife, who is a GP, and she urged him to see a doctor and reconsider doing the race.
Instead, Gillespie made a deal with himself to finish the race and then get checked.
“I didn’t ignore her advice, but my ambition to complete the adventure I had been so looking forward to was very strong,” he said.
He completed the Kepler Challenge without issue, much to his wife’s relief, before visiting his GP two weeks later.
An abnormal treadmill ECG during his GP visit prompted doctors to refer Gillespie for an angiogram, a procedure used to examine the heart’s blood vessels.
“The cardiologist said there may be nothing serious and I’d just need medication,” Gillespie said.
“Or they could wheel me back out and book me for bypass surgery. That was pretty thought-provoking.”
The angiogram ultimately revealed three serious blockages in Gillespie’s heart. He underwent two life-saving procedures and received several stents.
“I got an upgrade,” he joked, describing the stents as “seven centimetres of new plumbing”.
‘This can happen to anyone’
Looking back, Gillespie said it was confronting to realise how close things may have come to ending differently.
“If I hadn’t gone to the GP when I did, who knows what would’ve happened,” he said.
“We’re often tempted to downplay symptoms, especially if we feel fit. But chest pain is never something to ignore.”
Heart disease had already affected Gillespie’s family. His father underwent a triple bypass at 67 despite also being physically fit and a non-smoker.
“That really stuck with me,” he said. “It gave me an awareness that heart disease was probably in my DNA.”
Gillespie said he had been prescribed statins years earlier after a calcium score test showed early signs of risk, but admitted he had not always taken them consistently because he felt healthy.
“You can think you’re in good shape, but actually on the inside you’re not,” he said.
Since the procedures he has gradually returned to running in what he described as a “sensible and measured” way, starting with walking before easing back into gentle runs.
He is now taking part in the Heart Foundation MyMarathon challenge, which encourages people to walk, jog or run throughout May while raising money for heart research.
Gillespie has set himself a goal of running 100km across the month alongside his wife.
“This can happen to anyone, even if you think you’re doing all the right things,” he said. “It pays to be alert.”
Heart disease remains NZ's biggest killer - expert
Heart Foundation medical director Dr Gerry Devlin said heart disease remains the single biggest cause of death in New Zealand.
“One New Zealander dies from heart disease every 90 minutes,” Devlin said.
“When it comes to heart disease, we often hear phrases like ‘that could never happen to me’ or ‘it happens to someone else’. The reality is that heart disease can affect anyone."
Devlin said men aged 45 and over and women aged 55 and over should consider regular heart health checks, particularly if there was a family history of heart disease.
“Do not ignore symptoms such as chest discomfort, particularly if it occurs with exercise, becomes prolonged, or becomes more frequent,” he said.
“Seek medical attention promptly or call 111 if the pain persists.”
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