Posted: May 19, 2004

Triathlon: CEO Cardiologist suffers heart attack

Dr. Jeff Newman, one of the 21 competitors signed up for this year's CEO Ironman Challenge, has had to pull out of the event in Lake Placid, NY due to a heart attack he suffered while competing at a warm-up event in California. What makes this slightly ironic is that Jeff is a leading cardiovascular surgeon and President of Cardiovascular and Thoracic Surgeons of Palm Beach in Florida.

Jeff was racing on the 56-mile bike course through the grounds of USMC Camp Pendleton while competing in the Ralphs California Half Ironman in Oceanside in April when he suffered his attack. Jeff said, "I was moving along pretty well when I started to feel very tired and somewhat nauseous. I then felt a pain in my chest which I have heard thousands of my patients describe over the years. I knew immediately that I was having a heart attack, pulled over to the side of the road, and flagged down a support vehicle. An ambulance quickly arrived after that, and within an hour I was being looked at by Dr . Barry Denzio of Tri-City Medical Center. As you can imagine, I was able to describe exactly what was going on, and agreed with his diagnosis of bed rest for a week."

Jeff was scheduled compete in the CEO Ironman Challenge in Lake Placid, NY this July, but he will have to put these plans on hold as he focuses on recovering form the attack. He says, "I am starting to feel like myself again. I have even started to do some light training. It is hard to explain the feeling of emptiness I have because of the inability to train everyday. The unique aspect of my situation is the fact that I am relatively fit and most post-infarction patients are not as healthy."

Jeff is very keen to compete in the 2005 CEO Challenge, and is disappointed he won't get a chance to race at Ironman USA Lake Placid and meet the other CEO competitors at this year's event.

The CEO Ironman Challenge is designed for CEO's and President's that will compete in the Ironman USA Lake Placid triathlon (2.4-mile swim, 112-mile bike, 26.2-mile run). The program is geared to people who juggle managing a business with training for an Ironman and looking after their families, and provides participants with the best Ironman experience possible. It includes personalized coaching, first-class accommodation, private dinners with top Pros, VIP programs for family members, and virtually all details related to the race, allowing the CEO to just focus on getting him or herself to the starting line.

More information on the CEO Ironman Challenge can be found at www.ceochallenges.com , or by contacting Ted Kennedy at 352-243-0948 x 23, Ted@ironmanusa.com.