A Mid-Marathon Cardiac Arrest, an MD's Crisis of Confidence
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A Mid-Marathon Cardiac Arrest, an MD's Crisis of Confidence

By Theodore Strange, MD, as told to Sarah Yahr Tucker

November 16, 2023

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Emergencies happen anywhere, anytime, and sometimes medical professionals find themselves in situations where they are the only ones who can help. Is There a Doctor in the House? is a Medscape series telling these stories.

I was running my 25th New York City Marathon. It was 2018, and I almost pulled out of running that year. I wasn't myself, and maybe that's an understatement.

A month earlier, I had been involved in a malpractice case. I was found liable for $10 million. My colleagues didn't think I had done anything wrong, but the jury did. And the local newspapers made me look like a villain.

I was devastated. But my priest, my friends, and my family all told me, "You can't quit." So, I decided to run for them.

Theodore Strange, MD

I started on the Verrazzano-Narrows Bridge that morning with some friends from work. I usually listen to music as I'm running, but I didn't that year. I was just in my zone, enjoying the crowds. They're huge. Millions of people on the streets.

I was running well. I did half the race in an hour and 57 minutes. My family always meets me at mile 17, and I was almost there.

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