Heart transplant man completes Ironman event

Date Published: 08-Sep-2011

By Dara Bradley

A Bushypark man, who had undergone heart transplant surgery, was among the 2,321 competitors who successfully completed the gruelling Ironman 70.3 event in Galway at the weekend.

It’s hard to believe that 12 years ago, Ernesto Antonio, was critically ill with heart failure in the coronary care unit of University Hospital Galway. He spent three weeks in intensive care before receiving a new heart after being transferred to the Mater Hospital in Dublin.

But on Sunday, he completed the Ironman triathlon in six hours 14 minutes and 10 seconds. He was the 1,146th athlete to pass the finish line. “Ah don’t talk to me about the time, I wanted to do it in six hours,” he laughed. “I’ll have to come back next year to break the six hour barrier.”

The 47-year-old who now lives in Brentwood, England had always wanted to do a triathlon before his transplant, and when he saw the Ironman was coming to his birth place, Galway, he jumped at the opportunity.

Ernesto said his cardiologists are 100% behind his extreme sporting pursuits, even though, because there are no nerves connecting to his new heart, it takes longer for his heart to beat faster compared to people who haven’t had transplants. “I think they’re using me as a guinea pig to see how far a transplant patient can be pushed! Seriously, though, they are very supportive.”

Another issue with his medication is that he feels the cold more, which almost led to him stopping the event half-way through. “I got a bit of hypothermia on the bike between Maam Cross and Oughterard; I was so cold and I thought I was going to give up but I said ‘you have to keep going’.”

“If it wasn’t for my donor, I wouldn’t be here and wouldn’t be able to do the Ironman,” he said.

For more on this story, see the Galway City Tribune.