IPMBA News

Apple Valley man upgraded after collapse at TC Marathon

by Rob Olson, KMSP Minneapolis, October 6, 2014

Speed makes a huge difference in a race, but it's also crucial when it comes to emergency medical care -- and doctors at HCMC say quick response is why 61-year-old Chuck Bergen is doing so well a day after his collapse.

Bergen was upgraded to serious condition on Monday, which is pretty remarkable considering he was critical when he was taken from the Twin Cities Marathon course. He was in mile 11 near the corner of Cedar and 48th when the Apple Valley marathoner suffered a heart attack during what was his 7th race. On any other day, a similar medical emergency near that intersection likely would have had a very different outcome -- but on Sunday, medics were there in seconds.

"My understanding was in 30 seconds, CPR was administered and in a minute, the AED was used," Virginia Brophy Achman, executive director of Twin Cities in Motion, told Fox 9 News.

There are more than 300 medical volunteers at the Twin Cities Marathon, and that means no runner is ever out of sight for someone. In Bergen's case, those volunteers were on mountain bikes equipped with life-saving devices like the one used to deliver a shock to Bergen's heart. They roam the course, and on Sunday, two came to Bergen's aid.

A study published 2 years ago in the New England Journal of Medicine crunched the numbers and found that of 59 of the 11 million marathoners and half-marathoners between 2000 and 2010 suffered heart attacks, and 42 of those were fatal. In most cases, the cause of death was heart disease or a genetic condition.

Researchers noted that the mortality rate for marathoners is far better than other out-of-the-hospital heart attack patients because there are so many people at the ready to help -- just like with Bergen. In the 33-year history of the Twin Cities Marathon, there have been two deaths; however, there have also been 23 runners who were saved.

Ed's Note:  The National Mountain Bike Patrol team, consisting of 12 members of the Backcountry Trail Patrol, one MORC Mountain Bike Patrolmember, and three Target Field First Aid Team members deployed eight teams of two for both the TCM 10 Mile and the full Twin Cities Marathon.  The heroes of this story are National Mountain Bike Patrol team members Scott Stammer and Ashley O’Rourke.

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