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.
Brian Morel had been an endurance athlete for twenty-plus years, competing in races of all distances. Then in 2020, he was diagnosed with an ascending aortic aneurysm and in 2022 had open heart surgery to repair the aneurysm. After careful training and collaboration with his medical team, he ran his first marathon post-open heart surgery at the 2024 New York Marathon, as part of The John Ritter Foundation's "Team Ritter."
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
