WEBVTT - How Runners Can Save Lives 0:00:00.300 --> 0:00:03.900 Liam, their son, was born with a congenital heart condition 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:07.950 and they outfitted his track team with an AED. And 0:00:07.950 --> 0:00:11.190 so running that night, there was an AED there kind of 0:00:11.190 --> 0:00:13.470 with a thought of if Liam would ever need it 0:00:13.680 --> 0:00:15.570 and I was the one who needed it. And so 0:00:15.570 --> 0:00:18.840 this family who had been preparing for a cardiac event, 0:00:18.930 --> 0:00:21.510 indeed there was one and it happened to be mine. 0:00:21.510 --> 0:00:24.090 And I'm just so fortunate that that family was knowledgeable, 0:00:24.090 --> 0:00:27.090 they were prepared, and all the stuff that they had 0:00:27.090 --> 0:00:30.810 done in preparation for their son really came, stepped in 0:00:30.810 --> 0:00:32.400 at the right moment to save my life. 0:00:38.340 --> 0:00:41.430 Hey everybody, and welcome to Set the Pace, the official podcast 0:00:41.430 --> 0:00:44.550 of New York Road Runners presented by Peloton. I'm Rob 0:00:44.550 --> 0:00:47.010 Simmelkjaer, the CEO of New Yorker Road Runners. I am 0:00:47.010 --> 0:00:51.240 flying solo this week. Becs is off on assignment with 0:00:51.240 --> 0:00:53.940 Peloton. Well, as you all know, this year is the 0:00:54.000 --> 0:00:58.200 50th anniversary of the Five- Borough New York City Marathon, and 0:00:58.200 --> 0:01:00.960 we're celebrating it in so many ways. But I think 0:01:00.960 --> 0:01:02.910 the headline for me is the fact that for the 0:01:02.910 --> 0:01:06.390 first time in the history of the marathon, we're looking 0:01:06.390 --> 0:01:12.180 to raise $ 100 million for over 650 charities that are a 0:01:12.180 --> 0:01:15.990 part of the TCS New York City Marathon charity program. 0:01:16.170 --> 0:01:19.350 These are charities of all kinds, as you can imagine. 0:01:19.560 --> 0:01:22.020 We're going to highlight one of them today, but in 0:01:22.020 --> 0:01:24.060 the last couple years, I've had a chance to really 0:01:24.060 --> 0:01:28.140 see firsthand the impact of this charity program. As many 0:01:28.140 --> 0:01:30.510 of you know, we visited Kenya earlier this year at 0:01:30.510 --> 0:01:32.850 New York Road Runners, and while we were there, we had 0:01:32.850 --> 0:01:37.380 a chance to visit an organization called Shoe4Africa. This is 0:01:37.380 --> 0:01:40.740 a charity set up by a former New York area 0:01:40.770 --> 0:01:45.300 local running legend named Toby Tanser. And he started this 0:01:45.569 --> 0:01:49.350 really as a way to take used shoes from runners in 0:01:49.350 --> 0:01:52.500 New York and send them over to Kenya to benefit 0:01:52.710 --> 0:01:57.060 local kids and adults running. But through the funding that 0:01:57.060 --> 0:02:00.600 he was able to raise through the Marathon Charity Program, 0:02:00.930 --> 0:02:04.830 he did so much more than that and created a 0:02:04.830 --> 0:02:07.650 hospital that we actually visited while we were in Kenya, the 0:02:07.650 --> 0:02:12.929 only children's hospital in that entire region of Kenya, treating kids 0:02:12.930 --> 0:02:17.250 with cancer and other ailments and has changed countless lives 0:02:17.250 --> 0:02:20.549 through that, through schools that were set up through Shoe4Africa 0:02:20.550 --> 0:02:24.480 as well. That was just one example of the power 0:02:24.720 --> 0:02:27.990 of the TCS New York City Marathon Charity Program. And 0:02:28.139 --> 0:02:31.200 having seen that earlier this year, I said to my 0:02:31.200 --> 0:02:35.250 team, we can do so much more to highlight the 0:02:35.250 --> 0:02:39.450 impact that the Marathon Charity Program has for these hundreds 0:02:39.450 --> 0:02:42.375 and hundreds of charities. So over the next few weeks 0:02:42.375 --> 0:02:45.510 as we lead up to November 1st and the marathon this 0:02:45.510 --> 0:02:48.150 year, we're going to be telling some of those stories 0:02:48.360 --> 0:02:51.300 and we're excited today to tell you one of them 0:02:51.300 --> 0:02:55.139 that is near and dear to our " hearts" at New 0:02:55.139 --> 0:02:56.070 York Road Runners. 0:02:57.540 --> 0:03:01.169 Whether you're in NYC to run, cheer, or explore, planning your marathon 0:03:01.169 --> 0:03:04.560 weekend just got easier. With Get Your Guide, you can 0:03:04.560 --> 0:03:07.290 explore the five boroughs at your own pace, see more 0:03:07.290 --> 0:03:10.380 than the finish line with guided experiences in all five 0:03:10.380 --> 0:03:13.770 boroughs. And if your plans change, your booking can too 0:03:13.770 --> 0:03:18.150 with flexible cancellation options. Book today and enjoy later knowing 0:03:18.180 --> 0:03:22.080 that you have secured your spot, no bib required. Find 0:03:22.080 --> 0:03:24.870 tours, tickets, and activities in the Get Your Guide app 0:03:24.870 --> 0:03:29.550 now, the official travel experiences partner of the 2026 TCS New 0:03:29.550 --> 0:03:30.510 York City Marathon. 0:03:31.260 --> 0:03:34.740 As we count down the days to the 2026 TCS New 0:03:34.740 --> 0:03:37.560 York City Marathon, we wanted to put a spotlight on 0:03:37.560 --> 0:03:40.770 the runners who put purpose behind every mile. This year 0:03:40.770 --> 0:03:45.510 they're running for more than 670 official charity partners, the 0:03:45.510 --> 0:03:48.720 most that we've ever had for the marathon. And today 0:03:48.720 --> 0:03:51.390 we're telling the story of just one of those partners. 0:03:51.480 --> 0:03:55.050 The American Heart Association's mission is to be a relentless 0:03:55.050 --> 0:03:59.460 force in the world for longer and healthier lives. Some 0:03:59.460 --> 0:04:01.980 of the runners on their team are running for someone 0:04:01.980 --> 0:04:05.100 that they lost too soon. Some are running for someone 0:04:05.100 --> 0:04:09.690 who's still here because someone standing by knew CPR or 0:04:09.690 --> 0:04:13.620 because there was a defibrillator close enough to matter. We 0:04:13.620 --> 0:04:16.110 have some guests today, three of them, who can speak 0:04:16.110 --> 0:04:19.710 to that mission each from a very different perspective. First, 0:04:19.710 --> 0:04:23.400 we've got Christopher Sheridan who is the director of development at 0:04:23.400 --> 0:04:27.300 the American Heart Association where he builds and leads their 0:04:27.510 --> 0:04:30.390 Team Heart and Stroke, the runners who will be out 0:04:30.420 --> 0:04:33.120 there on the course for the Heart Association on November 0:04:33.150 --> 0:04:36.810 1st. Our second guest is someone we know very well 0:04:36.810 --> 0:04:40.140 at New York Road Runners. Jenny Simpson is an Olympic bronze 0:04:40.140 --> 0:04:43.469 medalist, a world champion, and an eight time winner of 0:04:43.470 --> 0:04:46.230 the New Balance Fifth Avenue Mile. She's also a member 0:04:46.230 --> 0:04:48.450 of the New York Road Runners Hall of Fame inducted 0:04:48.450 --> 0:04:51.000 just about a year ago at the finish line of the 0:04:51.150 --> 0:04:54.299 New York City Marathon. This past June, in case you 0:04:54.300 --> 0:04:57.839 don't know, Jenny was at a free community running event 0:04:57.839 --> 0:05:01.320 in Raleigh, North Carolina. She was pacing a heat of 0:05:01.320 --> 0:05:05.520 middle school girls and she went into sudden cardiac arrest. 0:05:05.880 --> 0:05:09.150 She's sitting here with us today because two people standing 0:05:09.150 --> 0:05:12.750 just a few feet away knew exactly what to do. 0:05:13.080 --> 0:05:15.570 Jenny, so glad you're here with us. We'll get to 0:05:15.570 --> 0:05:18.540 you in just a minute. And then Dr. Matt Friedman is 0:05:18.540 --> 0:05:21.000 the medical director for New York Road Runners on the 0:05:21.000 --> 0:05:25.169 first Sunday in November when nearly 60,000 people run the 0:05:25.380 --> 0:05:29.190 50th Five- Borough Marathon, keeping every one of them healthy 0:05:29.190 --> 0:05:33.089 across 26. 2 miles is his job. Dr. Friedman, great 0:05:33.089 --> 0:05:36.240 to have you back as well. All right. Well, lots 0:05:36.240 --> 0:05:38.700 to talk about here. We're going to start with you, 0:05:38.760 --> 0:05:44.250 Christopher. You wrote something about your marathon team that we 0:05:44.250 --> 0:05:46.409 thought was really interesting. You said that you're building a 0:05:46.410 --> 0:05:51.420 community of survivors and lifesavers. What do you mean by that? 0:05:51.660 --> 0:05:56.160 Really what it's about is I meticulously read and review 0:05:56.160 --> 0:05:59.820 every single application that comes through. One of my biggest 0:05:59.820 --> 0:06:02.070 things that I like to do is learn people's why and 0:06:02.070 --> 0:06:06.390 their connection to the cause. We essentially prioritize those who 0:06:06.390 --> 0:06:08.880 have a very strong connection, whether they've lost somebody close 0:06:08.880 --> 0:06:12.839 to them or they themselves are a survivor. Every team 0:06:12.839 --> 0:06:16.169 member participating is because they care about the mission and 0:06:16.170 --> 0:06:18.330 not just the race. And that's something that I really 0:06:18.690 --> 0:06:20.940 pride my team on and something that I really try 0:06:20.940 --> 0:06:23.550 to coach them to as well is that we're not 0:06:23.550 --> 0:06:27.690 just here to run the marathon. Yes, that's wonderful, that's 0:06:27.690 --> 0:06:31.860 a beautiful accomplishment, but really it's to build this community 0:06:31.860 --> 0:06:34.800 together of people who have been through this shared experience. 0:06:35.790 --> 0:06:40.500 Sometimes people who have been through a cardiac event or 0:06:40.500 --> 0:06:42.930 someone who has saved someone's life from a cardiac event or 0:06:42.930 --> 0:06:46.200 lost somebody that can feel so isolating. So something that 0:06:46.200 --> 0:06:48.659 I like to do is I always create a group 0:06:48.660 --> 0:06:51.060 chat with all of them so everybody uses each other 0:06:51.060 --> 0:06:54.930 as also their greatest resource, not only for running tips 0:06:54.930 --> 0:06:58.440 or fundraising ideas, but also to just create that sense 0:06:58.440 --> 0:07:02.400 of community that they are not alone throughout the entire 0:07:02.400 --> 0:07:07.320 experience from training to race day and even afterwards. That 0:07:07.320 --> 0:07:09.150 is our main focus of the event. 0:07:10.080 --> 0:07:12.360 Can you tell us, Christopher, about a few of the 0:07:12.360 --> 0:07:17.070 people running on this year's team, whether they're survivors or 0:07:17.070 --> 0:07:18.720 running in someone's memory? 0:07:19.290 --> 0:07:22.739 So I would say that we have definitely a good 0:07:22.740 --> 0:07:25.260 even split of people who are running in someone's memory, 0:07:25.260 --> 0:07:29.820 someone who's a survivor. The first story that reaches out 0:07:29.820 --> 0:07:31.800 to me that I think about first when you ask 0:07:31.800 --> 0:07:34.380 me to talk about somebody is one of the things 0:07:34.380 --> 0:07:37.230 I do all the time is when somebody applies, usually 0:07:37.230 --> 0:07:39.870 I'll set up a phone call conversation with them. I'll 0:07:39.870 --> 0:07:42.840 read their application, I'll be like, " This is a beautiful 0:07:42.840 --> 0:07:47.880 story." Or sometimes they're a little bit more closed off, 0:07:47.880 --> 0:07:50.100 I guess you could say, and not really saying everything 0:07:50.100 --> 0:07:51.480 about why they want to be a part of it, 0:07:51.480 --> 0:07:54.120 but I see something there. And there was somebody very 0:07:54.120 --> 0:07:56.790 special that I called this year and he let me 0:07:56.790 --> 0:08:00.180 know that he actually was running a marathon down in 0:08:00.180 --> 0:08:05.610 Florida where, and this was I believe three years ago, 0:08:05.910 --> 0:08:07.800 he was running a marathon down in Florida and while 0:08:07.800 --> 0:08:10.350 he was halfway through the race, he went into cardiac 0:08:10.350 --> 0:08:14.160 arrest. He was so lucky that a nurse had stopped 0:08:14.160 --> 0:08:18.240 to use the bathroom nearby him and she was able 0:08:18.240 --> 0:08:21.780 to save his life with CPR. They ripped open his t- 0:08:21.780 --> 0:08:24.150 shirt, put him in the ambulance and they saved his 0:08:24.210 --> 0:08:29.310 life. A year later, he was cleared by his cardiologist 0:08:29.310 --> 0:08:33.000 to run the same marathon again, and he stitched up 0:08:33.000 --> 0:08:35.189 that shirt that they ripped off him and he ran 0:08:35.190 --> 0:08:38.699 the marathon with that nurse again who saved his life, 0:08:39.780 --> 0:08:43.770 which when he was telling me that story, I was 0:08:43.770 --> 0:08:47.040 about to cry because it's wild to think that there 0:08:47.040 --> 0:08:50.250 are so many instances in life where if that woman 0:08:50.250 --> 0:08:52.829 just didn't stop to use the bathroom and know how 0:08:52.830 --> 0:08:56.100 to do CPR or if nobody nearby had acted, he 0:08:56.100 --> 0:08:57.750 would not be here with us today. He would not 0:08:57.750 --> 0:09:00.120 be on this team. And the fact that he is 0:09:00.120 --> 0:09:04.920 still willing to run the New York City Marathon, raise 0:09:04.920 --> 0:09:09.240 money for Team Heart and Stroke is really beautiful. And 0:09:09.240 --> 0:09:11.100 that was one of my favorite stories I heard this year. 0:09:11.400 --> 0:09:14.970 Yeah, Christopher, thank you so much. And that leads me 0:09:14.970 --> 0:09:19.080 right to Jenny because Jenny, when you hear a story 0:09:19.080 --> 0:09:22.890 like that, it must remind you so much of the 0:09:22.890 --> 0:09:26.190 story you're living through right now when it comes to 0:09:26.190 --> 0:09:29.730 that kind of serendipity of who was nearby. So let's 0:09:29.730 --> 0:09:34.860 go back to this past June. Before we get to 0:09:34.860 --> 0:09:38.309 what happened, just take us there to the start of 0:09:38.309 --> 0:09:40.890 that evening. You were in Raleigh, North Carolina at a 0:09:40.890 --> 0:09:45.360 free community running event, a one- mile event, your specialty, 0:09:45.750 --> 0:09:49.620 on a Tuesday night pacing a heat of middle school 0:09:49.830 --> 0:09:51.150 girls. What was going on? 0:09:51.958 --> 0:09:55.380 Yeah, it was just a normal evening, June 16th, and 0:09:55.410 --> 0:09:57.150 a lot of the day I really don't remember. It 0:09:57.150 --> 0:09:59.760 was a very ordinary day. I was at work. I 0:09:59.760 --> 0:10:02.880 left work early with some coworkers to go join this 0:10:02.880 --> 0:10:07.170 evening track event. And again, just celebrating running with a 0:10:07.170 --> 0:10:13.650 lot of community here in the Raleigh- Durham area. And I 0:10:13.650 --> 0:10:18.000 mean, cardiac arrest and cardiac events don't announce themselves, right? 0:10:18.030 --> 0:10:22.770 There's not symptoms that take place often. Everybody's circumstances are 0:10:23.070 --> 0:10:26.699 different and everyone's story is their own and novel, but 0:10:26.700 --> 0:10:30.390 oftentimes cardiac arrest in particular really comes out of nowhere. 0:10:30.390 --> 0:10:32.190 And that was certainly the case for me. I had 0:10:32.190 --> 0:10:34.679 run the mile. I was pacing a bunch of young 0:10:34.679 --> 0:10:39.270 girls, which is a really dear and wonderful and important 0:10:39.270 --> 0:10:43.620 memory for me personally. But I wasn't in the race. 0:10:43.620 --> 0:10:47.370 I wasn't working hard when my heart started to struggle. 0:10:47.370 --> 0:10:51.330 I actually had completed the four laps around the track 0:10:51.330 --> 0:10:54.270 and was chatting casually with other people and then suddenly said, " 0:10:54.270 --> 0:10:56.040 I don't feel well," and collapsed. 0:10:56.190 --> 0:10:58.949 I don't think you remember much. I know you don't remember much 0:10:58.950 --> 0:11:02.370 about what happened next, but what do you know of 0:11:02.370 --> 0:11:04.260 what happened next from what you've been told? 0:11:04.470 --> 0:11:07.650 Yeah. What's so important is that, again, there wasn't anything 0:11:07.650 --> 0:11:10.080 that really stood out to give me a lot of 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:12.600 alarm leading into that moment to say, " Oh, you should 0:11:12.600 --> 0:11:16.290 be paying attention because today is something's different than any 0:11:16.290 --> 0:11:20.670 other day." But then the flip side of that coin 0:11:20.670 --> 0:11:24.449 is that what was really important and really important in 0:11:24.450 --> 0:11:27.510 my survival was that I'm so fortunate that this happened in a 0:11:27.510 --> 0:11:31.110 really public place. I know there's this idea... I mean, 0:11:31.110 --> 0:11:33.660 of course, of course, it's frightening to think that anybody 0:11:33.660 --> 0:11:38.670 has a cardiac event at any time anywhere, but in 0:11:38.670 --> 0:11:41.790 a race scenario out at a community event, honestly, it's 0:11:41.790 --> 0:11:44.220 about the best place for something like this to happen 0:11:44.460 --> 0:11:48.660 because no matter what level of incredible health, I mean, 0:11:48.660 --> 0:11:51.959 Rob, you mentioned I've trained my whole life as an 0:11:51.960 --> 0:11:54.300 elite athlete and a runner. I was still in really 0:11:54.300 --> 0:11:57.870 great shape, but no matter what kind of health you 0:11:57.870 --> 0:12:03.090 bring to the incident, to the table, you need people 0:12:03.090 --> 0:12:05.190 of courage to be there to step in to help. 0:12:05.190 --> 0:12:07.740 And I'm so lucky that that was the situation I 0:12:07.740 --> 0:12:08.220 was in. 0:12:08.429 --> 0:12:12.210 Yeah, Jenny, it stunned me so much when I heard that 0:12:12.780 --> 0:12:16.470 this had happened to you, given who you are and 0:12:16.470 --> 0:12:21.929 the active, incredibly elite athlete that you were and still 0:12:21.929 --> 0:12:25.770 are, by the way. I want to talk about the 0:12:25.770 --> 0:12:28.950 people standing by you that day because there were two 0:12:28.950 --> 0:12:34.050 folks near you, Ivy Pointer, who is a pediatric ICU doctor 0:12:34.050 --> 0:12:37.770 and her husband, Joey, who runs the company that you 0:12:37.770 --> 0:12:41.940 work for, Fleet Feet. And they happen to have a 0:12:41.940 --> 0:12:46.920 defibrillator in their car, Jenny, because their child has a 0:12:46.920 --> 0:12:49.380 heart condition. Can you talk about that and what that 0:12:49.380 --> 0:12:51.960 ended up meaning for your survival? 0:12:52.710 --> 0:12:54.270 Yeah, this is a part of my story that's just 0:12:54.300 --> 0:12:57.540 really strange. And Christopher mentioned before that there was a 0:12:57.540 --> 0:13:00.480 nurse that stepped in for another survivor and another story. 0:13:00.690 --> 0:13:03.209 I mean, the people that step in, first of all, 0:13:03.720 --> 0:13:09.030 they're often... I don't know. I was just really lucky 0:13:09.030 --> 0:13:11.670 because I knew these people so well. Like you said, 0:13:13.020 --> 0:13:16.710 my boss and then also his wife who is an 0:13:16.710 --> 0:13:21.030 ICU physician, but more importantly to me, also a really 0:13:21.030 --> 0:13:24.059 great friend and running buddy. There were also several other 0:13:24.120 --> 0:13:28.170 medical professionals around who stepped in, but the most important 0:13:28.170 --> 0:13:30.090 thing about the people that stepped in were they were 0:13:30.090 --> 0:13:32.520 people of courage. You don't have to be a medical 0:13:32.520 --> 0:13:35.490 professional to be somebody that saved someone's life. And so 0:13:35.490 --> 0:13:38.100 these people were the most critical to me because they were 0:13:38.100 --> 0:13:40.949 the most nearby and they were the people that were willing 0:13:40.950 --> 0:13:44.070 to step in when the circumstances were chaotic and crazy 0:13:44.070 --> 0:13:49.079 and really frightening. And so I'm really lucky. But in 0:13:49.080 --> 0:13:52.860 addition to their courage, they also had, I mean, like 0:13:52.860 --> 0:13:55.949 you said, they had a lifetime of preparation for a 0:13:55.950 --> 0:14:01.050 moment like this. I feel like God or fate or 0:14:01.050 --> 0:14:04.860 destiny plucked me out of a very random situation in 0:14:04.860 --> 0:14:07.679 life where my husband and I were traveling around the 0:14:07.679 --> 0:14:12.690 country and put us into this family. Liam, their son, 0:14:14.190 --> 0:14:17.579 was born with a congenital heart condition and they knew 0:14:17.580 --> 0:14:20.160 his whole life that eventually he would have to have 0:14:20.160 --> 0:14:22.920 surgery on his heart. And so with that kind of 0:14:22.920 --> 0:14:28.770 awareness, years ago, they outfitted his track team with an 0:14:28.770 --> 0:14:32.580 AED. And so running that night, there was an AED there 0:14:33.300 --> 0:14:35.460 kind of with a thought of if Liam would ever 0:14:35.460 --> 0:14:38.010 need it and I was the one who needed it. 0:14:38.010 --> 0:14:40.530 And so this family who had been preparing for a 0:14:40.530 --> 0:14:44.700 cardiac event, indeed there was one and it happened to 0:14:44.700 --> 0:14:46.980 be mine. And I'm just so fortunate that that family 0:14:46.980 --> 0:14:50.730 was knowledgeable, they were prepared, and all the stuff that 0:14:50.730 --> 0:14:55.230 they had done in preparation for their son really came, 0:14:55.230 --> 0:14:57.390 stepped in at the right moment to save my life. 0:14:57.390 --> 0:15:00.840 Jenny, I hear your story. You and I talked a 0:15:00.840 --> 0:15:03.479 couple of months ago about everything that happened to you 0:15:03.480 --> 0:15:08.970 and people have different ways of interpreting these things when 0:15:08.970 --> 0:15:13.140 they happen to you. Why did it happen? Was this 0:15:13.140 --> 0:15:17.730 fate? Was this luck or bad luck? I mean, I listened to 0:15:17.730 --> 0:15:20.070 your story and we'll get into more of it later, 0:15:20.070 --> 0:15:22.590 including the causes of what happened to you. And it's 0:15:22.590 --> 0:15:26.190 just to me, it's a miracle that this was all 0:15:26.190 --> 0:15:29.850 lined up the way it was for you to be 0:15:29.850 --> 0:15:33.780 able to survive what was a really serious situation that 0:15:33.780 --> 0:15:37.140 it took you quite some time to recover from, which 0:15:37.140 --> 0:15:40.230 we'll talk about, but how do you think about it? 0:15:40.380 --> 0:15:44.250 Oh, I totally believe that there's not enough luck in 0:15:44.250 --> 0:15:46.440 the world to have all the dominoes lined up so 0:15:46.440 --> 0:15:52.020 perfectly. Rob, there's so many factors. Like you said, I've 0:15:52.020 --> 0:15:55.980 been an elite athlete my whole life, and so there's 0:15:55.980 --> 0:15:58.140 so many positives that I brought to the table, but 0:15:58.140 --> 0:16:00.390 ultimately at the end of the day, you need someone 0:16:00.390 --> 0:16:02.850 there that's courageous and willing to step in and help 0:16:02.850 --> 0:16:07.530 you when you have a cardiac event. And so the 0:16:07.530 --> 0:16:11.280 year previously, my husband and I had been traveling around 0:16:11.280 --> 0:16:13.140 the country in a van and we'd run to the 0:16:13.140 --> 0:16:15.180 bottom of the Grand Canyon and we'd run all over 0:16:15.180 --> 0:16:17.820 national parks. We'd done a lot of running, just the 0:16:17.820 --> 0:16:20.700 two of us or even solo. There's many, many training 0:16:20.700 --> 0:16:24.420 runs in my career. I had been out alone. And 0:16:24.420 --> 0:16:27.750 now spending some time in North Carolina, I was starting 0:16:27.750 --> 0:16:29.910 this new job at Fleet Feet, and it was really 0:16:29.910 --> 0:16:31.979 the first time in my life that I was really 0:16:31.980 --> 0:16:35.280 surrounded by that level of community at all times. And 0:16:35.280 --> 0:16:39.240 so to have people like that and especially medical professionals 0:16:39.240 --> 0:16:42.840 right there, and I mentioned the medical professionals, it wasn't 0:16:42.840 --> 0:16:45.060 just Joey and Ivy, there were other people there that 0:16:45.060 --> 0:16:49.859 stepped in hands and knees down in the dirt doing 0:16:49.860 --> 0:16:53.040 CPR. It took a long time for EMS to get 0:16:53.040 --> 0:16:57.600 there, and so they actively did CPR for somewhere between 0:16:57.600 --> 0:17:01.890 20 to 30 minutes. And I just feel so fortunate 0:17:01.890 --> 0:17:04.679 that these people in the middle of the chaos, in the 0:17:04.680 --> 0:17:07.680 middle of the fear of everything that was going on, 0:17:07.680 --> 0:17:09.869 they really stuck with me for a really, really long 0:17:09.869 --> 0:17:14.250 time. My odds were not good going into the ambulance 0:17:14.250 --> 0:17:17.820 and headed to the hospital and was even transferred to 0:17:17.820 --> 0:17:22.050 Duke a day later for more advanced care. But the 0:17:22.050 --> 0:17:26.520 critical, critical moment in the whole chain of survival, the 0:17:26.520 --> 0:17:31.320 whole series of events was really that first few minutes 0:17:31.320 --> 0:17:33.930 when people responded right away and then stuck with me 0:17:33.930 --> 0:17:36.419 until more advanced help arrived. 0:17:36.540 --> 0:17:42.210 That's a great segue, Jenny, to Dr. Friedman. And Matt, 0:17:42.270 --> 0:17:45.990 you and I spend lots of time talking about these 0:17:45.990 --> 0:17:51.060 situations and you spend a great deal of your time 0:17:51.060 --> 0:17:55.590 thinking about and preparing for these situations. And there's three 0:17:55.590 --> 0:17:57.630 things that kind of jump out at me about what 0:17:57.630 --> 0:18:01.080 both Christopher and Jenny have said in the stories they've 0:18:01.080 --> 0:18:05.460 told. First of all, just the fact that you're so 0:18:05.460 --> 0:18:09.330 much more likely to survive an event like this when 0:18:09.330 --> 0:18:12.810 you are in a race or an event that is 0:18:12.810 --> 0:18:16.109 well prepared, like one of these events is, when there 0:18:16.109 --> 0:18:19.919 are people nearby who hopefully have been trained in hands- 0:18:19.920 --> 0:18:24.660 only CPR, there's defibrillators nearby. So in a way, how 0:18:24.660 --> 0:18:26.970 fortunate one is if an event like this happens in 0:18:26.970 --> 0:18:30.570 a race. Number two, just from Jenny's point, the incredible 0:18:30.570 --> 0:18:35.490 importance of having people nearby, the people who can perform 0:18:35.490 --> 0:18:40.350 CPR, people who can get to a defibrillator, just the 0:18:40.350 --> 0:18:43.350 role that every person at an event can play in 0:18:43.350 --> 0:18:45.629 saving a life. And then three, in Jenny's case, the 0:18:45.630 --> 0:18:47.910 fact that it really can happen to anyone. I mean, 0:18:47.910 --> 0:18:51.210 we're talking to Jenny Simpson here, eight time New Balance 0:18:51.210 --> 0:18:54.419 Fifth Avenue Mile champion who had this happen at a 0:18:54.630 --> 0:18:58.560 middle school girls community run, right? It can happen to 0:18:58.560 --> 0:19:02.970 anyone, anywhere, anytime. Dr. Friedman, how does that all factor 0:19:02.970 --> 0:19:07.859 into the way that we prepare for these events happening 0:19:08.130 --> 0:19:10.020 in our events at New York Road Runners? 0:19:10.680 --> 0:19:12.960 I have to start by saying that I just told 0:19:12.990 --> 0:19:16.859 Jenny's story to a group of 150 medical volunteers before 0:19:16.859 --> 0:19:20.340 our last big race, which was the Bronx 10 Mile, 0:19:20.640 --> 0:19:24.780 and it is inspiring on so many levels. The community aspect 0:19:24.780 --> 0:19:28.109 is inspiring, everyone's sort of will to work, and really 0:19:28.109 --> 0:19:33.210 the length of recovery. In best case scenarios, the heart 0:19:33.210 --> 0:19:37.379 starts again within a few minutes and your dedicated friends 0:19:37.410 --> 0:19:41.280 and community members really were working for 30 minutes in 0:19:41.280 --> 0:19:45.480 excess. It is really inspiring just as the beginning of it. 0:19:46.680 --> 0:19:49.680 The thing is these skills, everyone can do them and 0:19:49.680 --> 0:19:52.050 we're here to make people aware of how to do 0:19:52.050 --> 0:19:58.440 them. Over the years, we have data from 2000 to 2009 where 0:19:58.440 --> 0:20:04.200 the survival rate is about 30% from endurance medicine, from 0:20:04.200 --> 0:20:06.929 long distance races. The risk of cardiac arrest, the survival 0:20:06.930 --> 0:20:11.250 rate was 29%. Thanks to efforts by Jenny and by 0:20:11.250 --> 0:20:15.060 other people who have made more aware, more AEDs throughout 0:20:15.060 --> 0:20:19.169 the course, that survival rate is now 70%. So it's 0:20:19.170 --> 0:20:24.119 a dramatic climb from 29% to 70%. And let me just, just 0:20:24.119 --> 0:20:28.740 for comparison's sake, without an endurance medicine event, without a 0:20:28.740 --> 0:20:32.669 large community around, the survival rate is fairly abysmal. It's 0:20:32.670 --> 0:20:38.520 less than 10% in a typical 911 public setting environment. 0:20:38.730 --> 0:20:41.280 So we're close to 70% now thanks to the public 0:20:41.280 --> 0:20:44.940 awareness efforts, thanks to the multiple AEDs along the course, 0:20:45.150 --> 0:20:48.570 and people like Jenny who are advertising the story about what 0:20:48.570 --> 0:20:50.550 to do in that environment and how to help. 0:20:50.640 --> 0:20:56.340 Dr. Friedman, Jenny mentioned someone nearby had a defibrillator. We 0:20:56.340 --> 0:21:00.030 all walk by defibrillators, we see them in parks and 0:21:00.390 --> 0:21:01.890 at events. Of course, we have a lot of them 0:21:01.890 --> 0:21:05.310 in the hands of trained professionals at our races, but 0:21:05.310 --> 0:21:08.879 for someone who isn't familiar with them and maybe is 0:21:08.880 --> 0:21:12.119 even scared by the idea of using one of them, 0:21:13.230 --> 0:21:16.230 talk about those things and how easy they are to 0:21:16.230 --> 0:21:19.770 use and what the risk is of using one as 0:21:19.770 --> 0:21:23.100 a bystander. Can they hurt someone? Talk about that a 0:21:23.100 --> 0:21:23.490 little bit. 0:21:23.760 --> 0:21:25.859 Sorry, I have to start with saying a medical joke, 0:21:25.859 --> 0:21:29.550 which is an AED is sort of like the kidney. 0:21:29.550 --> 0:21:33.690 It's smarter than the greatest physician in human, meaning it 0:21:33.690 --> 0:21:37.379 is impossible to hurt somebody with an AED. The AEDs 0:21:37.380 --> 0:21:41.340 are designed that once you apply them, it will tell 0:21:41.340 --> 0:21:44.040 you what to do next. There are voice prompts along 0:21:44.040 --> 0:21:48.540 the way which inform you, connect the probes now, place 0:21:48.540 --> 0:21:52.440 the pads on the chests and on the left side 0:21:52.440 --> 0:21:55.859 of the chest underneath the heart. It's really hard to 0:21:55.859 --> 0:21:59.010 get it wrong. Even if you're off, it will still 0:21:59.010 --> 0:22:02.700 deliver a shock if it is indicated. And these things 0:22:02.700 --> 0:22:05.790 are nearly perfect. It does not deliver a shock if 0:22:05.790 --> 0:22:09.390 it's not indicated and it absolutely does if it is the right 0:22:09.390 --> 0:22:10.050 thing to do. 0:22:10.200 --> 0:22:13.650 Yeah, you've done demos. I've seen many of your demos 0:22:13.650 --> 0:22:16.440 about them in our offices and they really are just 0:22:16.440 --> 0:22:19.619 about foolproof and then lifesaving. But of course, Dr. Friedman, 0:22:19.619 --> 0:22:23.550 for most people in most situations, it's that hands- only 0:22:23.550 --> 0:22:26.369 CPR, which is going to be the go- to first 0:22:26.790 --> 0:22:32.790 available remedy for someone. And we've trained now thousands of 0:22:32.790 --> 0:22:36.869 people in hands- only CPR at our expos, through videos 0:22:36.869 --> 0:22:39.209 we've put together. Jenny is going to be a part 0:22:39.210 --> 0:22:42.180 of us helping to train more people going forward in hands- 0:22:42.180 --> 0:22:45.930 only CPR, which we're very grateful for. Can you just, 0:22:45.930 --> 0:22:49.140 Dr. Friedman, for anyone listening, what's the best way for 0:22:49.140 --> 0:22:51.330 them to learn it? Is there a video they can 0:22:51.330 --> 0:22:54.030 watch and what do they need to know about the 0:22:54.030 --> 0:22:55.080 basics of hands- only CPR? 0:22:55.080 --> 0:22:58.440 There is many videos. We offer one at the New York 0:22:58.440 --> 0:23:02.040 Road Runners. AHA, the American Heart Association offers one as 0:23:02.040 --> 0:23:05.640 well. I think the major thing, there's really two teaching 0:23:05.640 --> 0:23:09.270