Don Peter

Don Peter started running when he graduated from college and hasn't stopped except for a six-week break for open heart surgery. Two years ago, after running the final leg of a relay race, Don — then 47 — collapsed in cardiac arrest.

"I felt very tired. I was talking to my teammates, felt dizzy and thought to myself, 'I need to sit down on this grass," he says. "Everything just went black."

Don awoke as he was being placed in an ambulance. Fortunately for him, the ambulance was on site because of the track meet. The ambulance driver used a defibrillator to shock Don's heart within one minute of his collapse and possibly saved his life.

He was diagnosed with anomalous origin of the right coronary artery from left aortic sinus. In other words, his right coronary artery originated from the back side of the aorta instead of the front and became pinched between the aorta and pulmonary artery, producing an oxygen-starved condition in the heart called ischemia. A symptom of ischemia is fainting, which is what happened to Don. Right there on the track at the finish line. In fact, he fell so hard that he cut his head open and required stitches. But stitches were the least of his concerns.

Don had a physical exam shortly before the race and was given a clean bill of health. He'd scheduled an exercise stress test but hadn't had it yet. In the months leading up to the cardiac arrest, he'd competed in two ultra-marathons and recorded his fastest time ever in another race.

Don's problem probably couldn't have been predicted. It was an uncommon birth defect. But it would require corrective surgery. The cardiologist in Kansas City, Mo., told Don that no surgeons in the area had performed this operation before, and recommended Don go to Mayo Clinic for the operation.

At Mayo Clinic, Don met with Hartzell Schaff, M.D., a cardiothoracic surgeon. Dr. Schaff has performed several similar operations, which gave Don confidence. In the procedure, which lasted about two and a half hours, Dr. Schaff enlarged the opening in Don's right coronary artery so that it was not compressed by the pulmonary artery.

Two days after surgery, Don walked in the hospital corridor.

"The nurse said she hadn't seen any other patient walk farther than I did so soon after surgery," says the marathon runner, with pride.

After six days in the hospital, Don returned home with breathing exercises to perform and support hose to wear to prevent blood clots from forming. He worked with Mayo Clinic cardiopulmonary physiologist Thomas Allison, Ph.D., on returning to an active lifestyle.

"Dr. Allison kept in regular phone contact with me to determine when I was ready to start walking and running," says Don. "He's a runner too, which was a nice commonality."

After having various stress tests and becoming accustomed to walking at least one hour per day for six weeks, Don was given the green light to begin running. He wore a heart monitor to measure his pulse, and reported the figures to Dr. Allison.

Ten months after open heart surgery, Don competed in his first race — a four-mile run. Sixteen months after surgery, he competed in the Twin Cities marathon, running it in 4 hours and 31 minutes.

Despite the shock of requiring open heart surgery before age 50, Don describes it as a positive experience.

"The outpouring of support from co-workers and friends was tremendous," he says.

Don is a loyal sports fan of his alma mater, the Kansas State Wildcats. But the Wildcats have some competition now.

"I feel about Mayo Clinic the way I do about Kansas State," says Don. "I was treated like royalty at Mayo Clinic. Kansas State is in my blood. I guess Mayo Clinic is in my blood now too."