15th October 2011 - The Portsmouth News
‘Running gives me a sense
of achievement...’
Cardiac Athlete Russ Bestley from North End who despite having a pace
maker fitted has gone on to run 50 marathons. Pictures: Ian Hargreaves
(113514-2)
Published on Friday 7 October 2011 22:39
He may have a pacemaker to prevent his heart from missing a beat,
but that hasn’t stopped Russell Bestley living life to the full.
The running enthusiast, from Shadwell Road, North End, clocked up
his 55th marathon on American soil five days ago.
Russell joined thousands of other participants as they took to the
streets of Minneapolis in the Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon. The
gruelling 26-mile race saw Russell take part with like-minded runners
from as far afield as Australia, Brazil, Italy and Israel.
He was part of a 25-strong team chosen for the challenge because they
had a medical device to treat either heart disease, diabetes or spinal
disorders. The ‘Global Heroes’ group was selected by Twin
Cities in Motion, which set up the marathon, to highlight their passion
for running despite living with their daily illnesses.
Russell, 49, had a pacemaker fitted 15 years ago, but he relishes
putting on his racing gear. He said: ‘I’ve been running
since I was a teenager. It’s my life. The marathon in Minneapolis
was a phenomenal experience. ‘Twin Cities paid for me and the
rest of the Global Heroes team to take part. They bought us new racing
gear and we were treated like rock stars. ‘I loved every second
of it.
People on the side lines were chanting my name and were behind me
every step of the way.’ It was back in 1996 when Russell suffered
a blackout whilst training for his first marathon.
He was rushed to Queen Alexandra Hospital, in Cosham, where consultant
Dr Thomas Farrell diagnosed a sinoatrial block. The condition causes
the breakdown in signal between the top and bottom of the heart. It
also skips heart beats. But the set-back didn’t stop the father-of-three
from getting back on his feet.
Russell said: ‘All I could think about was getting back into
running. The doctors told me as long as I lived a healthy lifestyle,
I wouldn’t need to drastically change the things I did.’
Since then, Russell has run in Barbados, South Africa and across the
Nevada Desert. He was also part of the first civilian team to finish
the 100km Gurkha Trailwalker from Petersfield to Brighton last year.
Russell, a coach at Portsmouth Joggers Club, said: ‘Running
gives me a sense of achievement. I didn’t see having a pacemaker
as a sign that I should have given up. I saw it as an opportunity
to make me think about the great things I could do in life.’
http://www.portsmouth.co.uk/lifestyle/tn2-saturday/a-weekend-with/running_gives_me_a_sense_of_achievement_1_3131731.