Exercise fanatic mistook heart attack for 'race day nerves' before collapsing at Hyrox event
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A fitness fanatic has told how he suffered a heart attack at the end of a Hyrox event having thought the symptoms were "race day nerves". Avid gym-goer Ashley Whelan had been training for months to compete in the fitness phenomenon in November, which is a global fitness race that combines running and functional workouts.
The 37-year-old had been interested in fitness since his late teens, competing in Muay Thai boxing events in recent years, and was excited to challenge himself further with the gruelling competition. But on race day the site manager said he 'didn't feel right' and put the strange feeling down to 'race day nerves' as it was his first Hyrox. Ashley, who lives in Manchester, grew more concerned when his heart race sky-rocketed to 220 bpm while completing his last lap.
After finishing the race, Ashley began experiencing sharp pains across his chest, arms and back, prompting him to be checked over by the on-site paramedics. And, an ECG test revealed Ashley was in the middle of a heart attack and required urgent care.
Ashley was rushed to hospital where doctors discovered a blockage in his left coronary artery - and were forced to shock him with a defibrillator when his heart began beating irregularly. Luckily, Ashley has made a full recovery but is now warning others about the importance of listening to your body. He said: "My friend actually put me forward for Hyrox and asked if I wanted to do it with him and I said absolutely. I felt good in the lead up to it, training was really good and I felt really fit. My friend actually went to Thailand so I ended up doing it solo.
