After a Midrace Heart Attack, Triathlon Champ Is Headed Back to the Start Line

He had planned to round into racing form, beginning two weeks ago with St. Anthony’s Triathlon in St. Petersburg, Fla., but a cold forced him to pull out. Now his comeback will begin in earnest this weekend in Chattanooga, Tenn., at the Ironman 70.3 North American Championship, followed by the full Ironman continental championship in June in Des Moines.

“The idea is to get back to Kona,” O’Donnell said, referring to the Ironman World Championship, which takes place in Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, in October.

Pursuing brutal tests of endurance a little more than a year after a nearly fatal cardiac event might sound reckless, and O’Donnell and Carfrae, who have two young children, had misgivings at first. They agreed that if there was any chance continuing racing would impair the health of his heart, he would quit.

Article source: https://www.nytimes.com/2022/05/16/sports/triathlon-odonnell-heart-attack.html