Chris Poole, 40, is crediting a decision to attend his regular running session with saving his life after his heart stopped while he was training. The security engineer from the Redway Runners group collapsed during a session and was resuscitated by fellow runners who performed CPR and used a defibrillator.
Collapse and Immediate Response
Chris, who trained three to four times a week and had completed multiple half-marathons and two full marathons, collapsed while waiting to start a session. A run leader with recent CPR training began chest compressions immediately, while others called 999. Another club member ran to fetch a defibrillator from a nearby gym, and air and road ambulances arrived within minutes.
He was resuscitated using CPR and defibrillator shocks before being taken to Oxford's John Radcliffe Hospital, where he spent almost 50 days, including time in a medically induced coma.
A Life-Changing Decision
Chris had just returned from holiday and nearly skipped the session, feeling tired, but went after being persuaded by his wife. He said: "One moment I was standing there waiting to start the session, and the next thing I knew, I woke up in hospital days later. I had no warning signs, no pain – nothing. It's terrifying to hear what happened to you when you weren't conscious for any of it."
Doctors later confirmed Chris had suffered a cardiac arrest caused by acute myocarditis, leading to heart failure. He now lives with an implanted cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and will need lifelong medication. He returned home at the end of March and has recently been cleared for gentle walks.
Recovery and Advocacy
Chris said: "Running was how I coped with life's stresses and anxieties - how I relaxed, socialised and felt like myself. Losing that has felt like losing a part of who I am. I'm grateful to be alive, but I'm also learning how to live again. The physical and mental recovery has been tough, but I've refused to let this define me. Instead, it's given me even greater determination to move forward."
He is now urging communities, gyms, workplaces and organisations to register defibrillators on The Circuit and encouraging the public to learn CPR, which can be done for free in 15 minutes using the British Heart Foundation's online tool, RevivR.
According to the BHF, fewer than one in 10 people survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest in the UK, while early CPR and access to a defibrillator can more than double the chances of survival. Simon Dunn, Head of Circuit Operations at the BHF, said: "Chris' story is a powerful reminder that cardiac arrest can strike without warning - even in people who are young, fit and seemingly healthy. His survival depended on a chain of events happening quickly: people recognising a cardiac arrest, starting CPR immediately and using a defibrillator before emergency services arrived. That's why it's vital that defibrillators are registered on The Circuit and that as many people as possible feel confident stepping in during an emergency. Every minute without CPR and defibrillation reduces the chance of survival, and too many people still don't get the help they need in time."
