Aortic Athletes conducts YouTube interviews with a variety of people living with aortic disease and exercising. The people interviewed here have been able to return to endurance events but only after close consultation with their medical team and based on their individual diagnosis of aortic disease. For many people starting their journey with aortic disease, exercise begins with regular walking.
In 2021, fifty year old Brad Way, a marathon runner, was diagnosed with a large aortic root aneurysm, a potentially fatal condition. In March of that year he had open heart surgery to repair the aneurysm. Five months later, after careful consultation with his surgeon and a sports cardiologist, he ran the Boston Marathon.
Michael LoPresti, a longtime ultra marathon runner, was diagnosed with a bicuspid aortic valve and an ascending aortic aneurysm. Following open heart surgery repair in 2022, he returned to running ultras. In 2024, he celebrated his recovery by running 377 miles over six days at the Across the Years ultra near Phoenix, AZ
Jack Crowe tells his story of how his ascending aorta dissected in the wilderness of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in 2021. Following two open heart surgeries, he returned to exercise including being the first aortic dissection survivor to run the New York Marathon for the John Ritter Foundation.