Glenn Greenberg

To say Glenn Greenberg enjoys running is something of an understatement. The Rockford, Ill., man is a six-days-a-week runner. No exceptions. He runs in all types of weather and when traveling for work.

Even his vacations revolve around running: Glenn has run more than 30 marathons, including one on each of the seven continents. Yes, that includes Antarctica. He rates the 26.2 miles he covered there — over icebergs, and past penguins and seals — as the most beautiful he's run. Glenn's athletic achievements would be impressive for anyone. But they are astounding for a man who had never laced up a pair of running shoes prior to surviving a heart attack nearly 20 years ago.

When new heart trouble threatened to break Glenn's stride two years ago, he was eager to do whatever necessary to stay in the race. And he knew just where to start: Mayo Clinic.

"I knew right away I'd go to Mayo for treatment," says Glenn, a Mayo Clinic patient since 1988, when he followed a friend's advice and began coming to Mayo for an annual physical. "They've got the best physicians and the most up-to-date technology. I knew I would be in good hands there."

Heeding a wake-up call

Looking back, it should have come as no surprise when Glenn had a heart attack on Dec. 5, 1987. At the time he was overweight, out of shape and had dangerously high cholesterol. But when Glenn felt a sharp pain in his chest that morning, a heart attack was the furthest thing from his mind.

Even though he was sweating profusely and felt tremendous pressure in his chest — two classic symptoms of a heart attack — Glenn didn't rush to see his local physician. Instead, he called him.

"The doc said it was probably just the flu," says Glenn. Initially, Glenn's symptoms did seem like they could indicate the flu. But an hour later, the symptoms were worse. Glenn called his local physician again and was told to come to the hospital for evaluation. Testing revealed Glenn had indeed had a heart attack. Three of his arteries were blocked — one of them completely. Glenn had angioplasty and spent a week in the hospital. It was the beginning of his cardiac education, and of his love affair with running.

Craig Davis, M.D., a Mayo cardiologist, saw Glenn Greenberg when he came to Mayo Clinic after experiencing tightening in his chest. Testing quickly revealed that Glenn's arteries had again become dangerously blocked.

"After my heart attack, I realized I had to change my lifestyle," says Glenn. At age 49, he began a cardiac rehabilitation program, which included an exercise component. At first, Glenn had difficulty even walking. But as the weeks and months progressed, his tentative first "baby steps" on a treadmill gave way to spurts of running on a track at the YMCA. Before long, Glenn started thinking about entering road races.

"I discovered that I just plain loved running," he says.

For nearly 20 years that love has directed Glenn's life. At the beginning of each month, he creates a running schedule to prepare for upcoming races. He's treasurer of his running club — the Rockford Road Runners — and he has a sizeable collection of plaques and medals he's won in club races and other events. Wherever he's traveled, Glenn has memories of sights seen off the beaten path. "You see a lot more on your own two feet than you would from inside a car," he explains.

In November 2003, Glenn noticed a tightening in his chest when running. He began to worry his running days might be coming to an end. At his annual Mayo Clinic physical that December, Glenn mentioned the tightening to his physician, Craig Davis, M.D. Testing revealed that Glenn's arteries had once again become dangerously blocked. Dr. Davis referred him to Hartzell Schaff, M.D., a Mayo Clinic cardiovascular surgeon.

"Glenn had severe coronary artery disease with serious narrowing in four arteries," says Dr. Schaff. "I recommended surgery as soon as possible."

Glenn had quadruple bypass surgery on Jan. 2, 2004. Dr. Schaff used an artery from Glenn's chest and a vein from his leg to bypass the blocked areas in his arteries. This allowed blood to flow freely to the heart, relieving Glenn's chest pain and preventing another heart attack.

After surgery, Glenn had one pressing question for Dr. Schaff.

"I wanted to know if I could still run Boston," says Glenn. He had trained long and hard to qualify to run the Boston Marathon, which requires runners to meet a time requirement for their age. He had an invitation to run the race on April 18, 2004, a mere three months after surgery. Glenn wondered if he — and his heart — would be ready.

Getting back on track

Coming to Mayo Clinic helped his chances. "Mayo is the safest, best place in the world to come for treatment of heart problems," says Dr. Schaff. "I say that not because of any individual physician but because of the teams we have assembled to provide cardiac care. Our cardiologists provide expert testing, diagnosis and follow-up care to nearly 60,000 patients annually. Our surgical teams perform approximately 2,600 heart operations each year. Our combined experience is a tremendous advantage to patients."

Glenn had another advantage going into surgery: he was in excellent physical condition.

"Anyone who is physically fit will have a much easier time getting through surgery," says Dr. Schaff. "This is especially true of runners. Their lungs are in such good condition that they very rarely develop pulmonary problems after surgery."

Glenn's active lifestyle also likely delayed the onset of his second round of heart troubles.

"Some of my healthiest patients are mystified by the fact that they've developed coronary artery disease," says Dr. Schaff. "They'll ask, 'How can this happen to me? I'm in great shape.' I tell them that if they hadn't taken such good care of themselves, I would have seen them five to 10 years earlier. And the good news is that by getting the treatment they need, they can resume their active lifestyles."

Mayo Clinic surgical teams perform approximately 2,600 heart operations each year. Hartzell Schaff, M.D., center, discusses an upcoming surgery with colleagues Larry Sinak, M.D., left, and Martin Abel, M.D., right.

Crossing the finish line

The day after his coronary bypass surgery, Glenn began six weeks of cardiac rehabilitation. After successfully completing the rehabilitation program, Glenn got the okay from Dr. Schaff to resume training for the Boston Marathon.

"Dr. Schaff told me I could run the marathon if I promised to use common sense and stop running if at any point I felt discomfort — whether it was the first mile of the race or the last," says Glenn. He completed the race 109 days after surgery.

"For someone who has coronary artery disease, the heart is better immediately after surgery than it was before," says Dr. Schaff. "People need to give their bodies time to recover from surgery and to let their incisions heal. After six to eight weeks, it's safe to return to normal activity. For Glenn, long-distance running was a normal part of his routine."

That routine continues for Glenn. Since his surgery more than two years ago, he's completed two marathons, six half-marathons and 20 shorter races. He's on track to become the first person in the world to run both a whole and half-marathon on each continent, a goal he'll achieve when he runs 13.1 miles in Antarctica in February 2007.

And though he logs most of his miles alone, Glenn credits Dr. Schaff with helping him cross the finish line.

"I wouldn't be running at all if it wasn't for Dr. Schaff," he says. "He saved my life."