'My heart just stopped': B.C. runner seeks redemption after heart failure at 2019 finish, pandemic postponement in 2020
The last time the starting gun fired for the Royal Victoria Marathon, Jason DeRuiter ran the best marathon of his life, and then nearly lost it.
On Thanksgiving long weekend in 2019, DeRuiter, a Nanaimo man in his mid-40s, crossed the finish line of the marathon often referred to as the Good Life Marathon.
Noticing something was off, he stumbled into the medical tent and crumpled to the ground.
"My heart just stopped,” said DeRuiter.
His cardiac trouble was serious, but also happened in the most ideal place for his survival.
A doctor from the Royal Jubilee hospital happened to be volunteering at the time and quickly began life-saving measures.
According to DeRuiter, his heart stopped for seven minutes, effectively leaving him dead for the short window in time.
"My last memory was about halfway through the race, and then three days later when I woke up in Royal Jubilee,” DeRuiter told CTV News Vancouver Island.
Following a battery of tests, his doctors were left with few concrete answers.
His medical team didn’t know why his heart failed at the finish line, but were seeing him gain strength.
After the drama of the heart-stopping finish, race organizers made a special visit to his hospital bed to deliver his race medal.
Holding it, Jason knew he had to race again, but the pandemic would soon step in his way.
Redemption would take longer than the Nanaimo runner thought. Two years, to be exact, but his time has come.
The Royal Victoria Marathon will be the first premier race to return amid the continuing pandemic.
"There is no normal about this year. After 20 years, I think this is the hardest one,” said race director Cathy Noel.
The race’s return comes in the form of a half-marathon, as the full version posed too many road-closure and health-related issues.
Still, organizers say despite some changes, the marathon’s ethos is the same.
"Running is a big community, so seeing people come together, that is what this is about,” said Noel.
This Sunday, DeRuiter will lace his runners tight and pound the pavement in an official marathon for the first time since his hospital stay.
"It's just a celebration: that races are happening, for being back, and that I can even do sports,” DeRuiter said in a FaceTime interview.
You can probably expect the Nanaimo runner to put down a good time Sunday morning.
Two years ago – despite dropping to the ground, his heart stopping for seven long minutes and spending several weeks in hospital – DeRuiter crossed the finish line with a fast enough run to qualify for the Boston Marathon.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
NEW Keeping these exotic pets is 'cruel' and 'dangerous,' Canadian animal advocates say
Canadian pet owners are finding companionship beyond dogs and cats. Tigers, alligators, scorpions and tarantulas are among some of the exotic pets they are keeping in private homes, which pose risks to public safety and animal welfare, advocates say.
NEW Life got in the way of one woman's reunion with her father, but a DNA test gained her a family
Anne Marie Cavner was the closest she'd ever been to meeting her biological father, but then life dealt her a blow. From an unexpected loss to a host of new relationships, a DNA test changed her life, and she doesn't regret a thing.
Doctors ask Liberal government to reconsider capital gains tax change
The Canadian Medical Association is asking the federal government to reconsider its proposed changes to capital gains taxation, arguing it will affect doctors' retirement savings.
Quebec farmers have been protesting since December. Is anyone listening?
Upset about high interest rates, growing paperwork and heavy regulatory burdens, protesting farmers have become a familiar sight across Quebec since December.
'Catch-and-kill' strategy to be a focus as testimony resumes in Trump hush money case
A veteran tabloid publisher was expected to return to the witness stand Tuesday in Donald Trump's historic hush money trial.
Quebec Health Department reports 28 cases of eye damage linked to solar eclipse
Quebec's Health Department says it has received 28 reports of eye damage related to the April 8 total solar eclipse that passed over southern parts of the province.
Psychologist becomes first person in Peru to die by euthanasia after fighting in court for years
A Peruvian psychologist who suffered from an incurable disease that weakened her muscles and had her confined to her bed for several years, died by euthanasia, her lawyer said Monday, becoming the first person in the country to obtain the right to die with medical assistance.
Diver pinned under water by an alligator figured he had choice. Lose his arm or lose his life
An alligator attacked a diver on April 15 as he surfaced from his dive, nearly out of air. His tank emptied with the gator's jaws crushing the arm he put up in defence.
How quietly promised law changes in the 2024 federal budget could impact your day-to-day life
The 2024 federal budget released last week includes numerous big spending promises that have garnered headlines. But, tucked into the 416-page document are also series of smaller items, such as promising to amend the law regarding infant formula and to force banks to label government rebates, that you may have missed.