Dan's story

My heart and I have been through a lot together. As a teenager, it kept up with me on the football pitch. As an adult, it powered ultramarathons, Ironman races, and countless predawn training sessions. But our relationship changed when I was 14. That’s when I first felt it – a sudden, jarring flutter in my chest, like a gear slipping mid-stride. Back then, doctors brushed it off. So I did too.

For years, I dismissed it. The episodes came and went, brief, unsettling interruptions during games or long runs. I learned to pause, breathe, and wait for my pulse to settle. But two years ago, the flutters grew longer and more intense. My heart would rocket to 220 beats per minute during easy jogs, leaving me dizzy and worried. Finally, after a lifetime of athleticism and denial, I got answers: supraventricular tachycardia (SVT), a glitch in my heart’s wiring that had gone undiagnosed for 20 years.

In December, I had a cardiac ablation, a procedure to fix the misfiring circuits. This wasn’t a defeat, it was a necessary pit stop.

Recovery has been humbling. My first post-op walk around the block felt miles away from trail ultras and triathlons. But progress is progress. I’m relearning my limits, swapping 100-mile weeks for deliberate, steady miles.

To the team who diagnosed me after decades of uncertainty, thank you. To researchers improving treatments for conditions like SVT, keep going.