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‘Comeback Kid’ Story: From Heart Attack to IRONMAN Kona Podium

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One triathlete had a major heart attack during a race, finished it, survived the resulting complications, and raged back to the IRONMAN podium.

Tim O’Donnell was a crusher. The man had stood on over 50 triathlon podiums throughout a long career that included IRONMAN World Championship podiums.

Then he suffered a heart attack during a race on March 14, 2021.

This clip is part hype video, part incredible nonchalance, and all crucible. Watch O’Donnell casually drop bombs like this: “I had an 80-plus-percent block of my LAD [left anterior descending artery]. Very lucky to be alive. Don’t know how I finished the race.”

Or how about this quote:

“I thought in my head, ‘Am I going to die?’ I put it out of my head very quickly, honestly. I had that thought and I thought, ‘Nope. You don’t think like that.’”

Clearly not.

Runtime: 3 minutes

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