On 4th December 2024 my husband, Nick, had a cardiac arrest whilst we were both asleep in bed. Luckily I realised what had happened and was able to start CPR immediately. Paramedics arrived swiftly and within 18 minutes were able restart Nick’s heart. He then had a 2 week stay in hospital and was discharged with an internal defibrillator.

Over the past year he has gone on to make the most extraordinary recovery and just 13 months later was on the start line for The Spine Challenger South Ultramarathon on 10th January 2026. This race involves running unsupported for 108 miles on the Pennine Way from Edale to Hawes. He completed the race in 46 hours, with only about 15 minutes sleep, and came 38th out of 170 entries.

He has run for many years and had been training for the 2025 race around the time he had his cardiac arrest. It is down to his quiet determination, resilience and tenacity that he decided to start re-training again to undertake this challenge.

Throughout the race so many friends and family followed him via the Spine Race tracker and were able to leave electronic messages of support for him. Of all the entrants in the race Nick received by far the most messages and this led me to convince him to raise money. Prior to the race Nick did not want the added pressure of fund- raising.

We chose Sussex Heart Charity (SHC) as Nick directly benefitted from their support following his cardiac arrest as they fund the rehabilitation programme he attended.

The SHC is a small, local independent charity who are funding entirely by donations and do not receive any grants, government support, or NHS funds. Any donations will therefore make a big difference.

We have asked for any money raised to be used to help a new project called ‘Rescue Ready’. Every second counts in a cardiac emergency and the aim of the project is to empower local communities and train people with essential lifesaving skills, so that they have the confidence and knowledge to be ‘rescue ready’. Nick is the absolute testament to receiving swift CPR. Here is the link for more information about the project. https://www.sussexheartcharity.org/rescueready/