TC 10 Mile Runner Stops Race to Save a Life!!

This has been all over the local news for the last 24 hours.

One of my wife's co-workers was running the TC 10 Mile on Sunday when he stopped to save someone's life. Dr. Carl Dean was about to enter into St. Paul around the mile 4 mark of the race (just over a mile from my house) when this happened...

From MyFox9.com:

"I looked over and heard a guy say, 'I can't feel a pulse,'" Dean told FOX 9 News. "So, I thought this was serious and ran over there."

Dean pivoted from a competitive racer into the role of emergency medical professional.

"Surprisingly there wasn't a lot of panic," he said. "Most runners were so focused on the race and trying to keep warm, they didn't see what was going on."

Dean quickly did, and he started CPR chest compressions on the fallen runner with the help of some bystanders and a second physician who stopped. The runner appeared to have no pulse and struggled to gasp for air.

Within minutes, marathon medical crews had arrived with an Automated External Defibrillator, or AED. A single shock was all it took to get the man's heart beating properly again.

"We think it was probably less than three to four minutes from the time the guy went down to the time the AED was on him," Dr. Bill Roberts, marathon medical director, estimated.

Roberts praised the first responders for their quick-thinking, and Dean didn't just stop after the work was done. He went on to complete the 10-mile course -- although, he asks that no one will look up his finishing time.

The annual marathon has a Runners Helping Runners program, which means that Dean and the others who stopped to render aid will get free entry into next year's race.

OK, I have 5 thoughts on all of this:

FIRST: I'm glad the fallen runner is OK!

SECOND: The TC 10 Mile / TC Marathon came out saying they had 40+ AEDs on the course. And it just took about 2 minutes to get to the fallen runner and another 1-2 minutes to deliver the shock from the AED. Good for them.

THIRD: Look at Dr. Dean - could he BE any more Mid-Western? (My wife says he's originally from SD.)

Image from the Fox9 article

FOURTH: They actually have a program in place where you get free entry next year if you save someone's life. I love that.

FIFTH: Dr. Dean asked the media to not announce his results. I'm not "the media" - I'm "Steve in a Speedo." So I looked up his results....



1:36:14!


He saved someone's freakin' life during a race.

And then he STILL finished in under 10:00 / mile.

INCLUDING the time he spent saving that guy's freakin' life!!!


You're amazing, Dr. Dean!!

Side note: How hard must it be to get your heart-rate / running pace back in check after you just saved someone's life? How "jacked up" would you be for the first mile? I can't imagine!...