Mark Wagner

[Dale]

Thanks for posting this Ross. It is inspiring -- especially at a time when I am avoiding the gym..... Some people have such perseverance and drive - it's wonderful to hear.

Dale

 

[Guest]

Great article. Congratulations Mark, also happy to see that you are doing well.

 

[ShezaGirlie]

I remember you well Mark. Congratulations on running marathons...That's absolutely GREAT..!!

 

[cp172]

Run Mark Run!

 

[Mark Wagner]

Good story. It emphasizes a couple things I said early on. First, in those days it was risky mostly because we thought no one had done it before. I don't doubt that he thought he was only the second man to have done a marathon after AVR, but that's only because he didn't know enough of them. I corresponded with a woman in the mid 90s who had done the Pikes Peak Marathon after valve replacement. Then again it wasn't a man. And a cyclist friend of mine in Schenectady, NY was able to do a century ride within a year of AVR in 91 or 92. And then there was me returning to running in 91 after AVR, but then I never went after marathons. I was way to scared to try that much.

All of which underscores my other point. We didn't know there were other post-op athletes back then. We were all experiments of one. There wasn't a forum such as this where we could exchange experiences. That makes all the difference.

I certainly did not mean to offend anyone whom may have come before me. To me that matters little in the big picture, for we all were breaking new ground at the time. In the 2001-02 time frame I was looking for other 'Mechanical Aortic heart valve' marathoners, to basically know what the limits of my valve were. When I contacted Runners World magazine, they knew of only one, whom had finished a Full Marathon; Les Barrett. He did that in the mid 90s running the Chicago, marathon. Numbers mean little to me, but what we do with our second plus chances at life mean everything. We can use our physical challanges for our own self gratification, or we can use it to touch others less fortunate.

 

[Mark Wagner]

Fantastic read, is there anyway to contact Mark if he does not use the site anymore. Been a young athlete myself be it in a different sport i would certainly like some advice if he could spare it.

I can be slow responding with my schedule at times, but feel free to e mail me at (email address removed for members on safety)

Not a problem at all.

 

[Mark Wagner]

Oh I agree. Here I sit, can't do a darn thing but walk and even that sometimes about does me in, so watching you guys run and such just proves that it can indeed be done.

For now we will run for you Ross. One day you will run across the Heavens and never tire.

 

[hensylee]

that is a great report on Mark. He has come a long way in these 9 yrs. aren't we proud of him. Thanks Ross for this.

 

[Kathy McCain]

Great article Ross. Thanks for posting it!

CONGRATULATIONS MARK!! What an inspiring story indeed!! God bless.

 

[Mark Wagner]

Short Video of me during the interview.

Short Video of me during the interview.

I had a 6 mile training run the day they interviewed me, so they filmed me and my dog Zen running. Here is the link to the video. (About 2 min. I feel like an idiot, ;but what the heck. I'll share it anyway.)



http://www.kitsapsun.com/videos/detail/kitsaps-marathon-man/

 

[Freddie]

Your no idiot Mark and you do deserve a pat on the back.
You have a great attitude and I wish the best of luck in all your endeavors.

 

[Wise]

What an inspiration for the valvers and the over-50's too!

 

[TXGal]

Definitely an inspiration Mark! Congrats on the marathons! My 2 yr old son has a bicuspid aortic valve and I pray that when the day comes that he'll need surgery it goes smoothly and that he's able to recover quickly and have the energy to do whatever his heart desires.. thanks for sharing your story..

 

[kodi]

Great video Mark. I love the countryside runs you get to enjoy. Mine are all open desert and gets boring year after year. Thanks for sharing.
The next Cardiac Athletes group run (marathon or marathon relay) is in Harrisburg, PA next November. You might want to consider it, I am. If you want a link or more information I can provide it. Anyone else want to consider it?

 

[Guest]

The next Cardiac Athletes group run (marathon or marathon relay) is in Harrisburg, PA next November. You might want to consider it, I am. If you want a link or more information I can provide it. Anyone else want to consider it?

Kodi, please send me the information, PA, my birthplace. I can throw in a visit with family while in Harrisburg. November is a great time of year in PA.

 

[kodi]

Kodi, please send me the information, PA, my birthplace. I can throw in a visit with family while in Harrisburg. November is a great time of year in PA.

Where in PA? I'm native Pittsburgher.

This is what I received the other day. I can keep you posted as time goes on or can send Dave your email and he'll add you to his list.
We've selected the location for our 2010 Cardiac Athletes USA Heart Patient race and with Cardiac Athletes founder Lars Andrews intent on flying here from England and running with us, it promises to be the biggest, best attended race we've ever had! I'm really looking forward to finally meeting Lars and getting a chance to thank him in person for all he has done for us.



The 2010 race will be the Harrisburg Marathon and Relay in Harrisburg Pennsylvania. The November 14, 2010 date is still tentative as the Race Director needs to verify that there are no conflicts with other major races on that date before committing to it. If there is a conflict the date will change to November 7th and I'll let you all know when it is finalized.



Here is a link to Harrisburg's 2009 web site (the 2010 site is not up yet). http://www.harrisburgmarathon.com/ <http://www.harrisburgmarathon.com/> The relay consists of 4 legs ranging from 4 miles to 8 miles so there is something for everyone here. I've run this marathon twice now and it is a VERY scenic course through the Capitol District, natural areas, and along the Susquehanna River. Harrisburg is geographically about the center of the region that most of our participants in recent years have come from so we hope to see all our old friends and many new friends as well.



Don't book your rooms yet... We're working on getting a good group room rate with a downtown hotel (easy walking distance to the race) and will arrange a banquet there for the night before the race. We'll try to have that all worked out by the first of the year and will get the information and booking instructions out as soon as it is finalized. More soon...

 

[terodac]

Run on Mark you and your bad self, that dog is still ahead of you! What a great running partner! Makes me feel bad I don't excersise like I should everyday! Great story!

 

[spartangator]

Thanks, Ross, for posting this, and Mark, for being so consistently forward-looking. Seeing these stories makes every day and every workout that much more inspired.

 

[james]

Mark,
Do you ever do long distance bike rides? I have been thinking about doing the Seattle to Portland this year if I can and looking to get some competition for those Lympomia "Team in Training" people as a heart team.

 

[SumoRunner]

Out where I live the Leukemia, Diabetes, Stroke, Heart Assn, whatever, charity teams all train together. You'll see a group of 30 or so but they aren't all TinT runners. They meet at the same time every Sat morning in the same park and start at the same time lead by the same coach. The only difference is for whom they are pledging funds. There is no competition among them.