A PW IS SOMETHING EVERY RUNNER DREADS, BUT SOMETIMES IT CAN HAVE UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES AND BECOME MEMORABLE FOR GOOD REASONS RATHER THAN BAD…

words: lisa Jackson

REAL LIFE

Claire (far left) at the start of the York 10 Mile

“I abandoned my PB attempt to help a runner who was in cardiac arresst”

“I was aiming for a comeback the day I ran the Vale of York 10. But little did I know that instead I’d end up saving someone’s life,” says Claire McAndrew, 47, a paramedic from Steeton, West Yorkshire.

“I began running seven years ago but, at the start of 2017, I got laryngitis, which negatively affected my running for several months. I also found it hard to fit in training around shift work. When I ran the Temple Newsam Ten in Leeds in January, I was disappointed to find I was 15 minutes slower than usual. Hence by the time I came to do the Vale of York 10 in April, I was hoping to complete the run in under two hours, to show myself it was the trail terrain in Leeds that had added time to my run, not my lack of fitness!

“As I headed towards mile three, my race was going really well: I’d just run two 10min/miles, which is unheard of for me, as I usually run 12min/miling. It was at this point I spotted a crowd of people around a prone runner. I thought someone must’ve taken a tumble, but then saw the man wasn’t moving. I realised he was in cardiac arrest and, as the only time a person like that will generally survive is if someone takes prompt life-saving action, commenced CPR and asked willing bystanders to help me. Good CPR is done for no more than about two minutes before changing person, because that way no one gets too tired, which makes it less effective. When I wasn’t doing CPR, I was trying to let the emergency services know where we were. It took about 30 minutes for them all to arrive: the air ambulance, a local ambulance, the event first aiders and a rapid response vehicle. My knees were sore from kneeling down for so long and the sun was blisteringly hot. But I was in work mode and knew I had to do everything I could to save that runner’s life. The thought that I was abandoning my race never crossed my mind.