'My heart ruptured at 19 - now I'm doing an Ironman'

Simon Page ran the Great Bristol run on 19 May

"I remember saying to myself 'what next can this world give me?' At that point I knew I needed to kick into shape and start fighting back. And when I did, everything changed."

Simon Page spent seven days in intensive care as a 19-year-old because his heart "ruptured" and leaked into his blood stream.

It was whilst recovering that he realised how important mental health and fitness was to him, and why now, just two years later, he is planning on competing in an Ironman competition to raise money.

Simon caught an infection that spread to his heart in November 2022.

Before that he was extremely active and would do "some form of sports every single day".

"When it happened it was shocking, because they said I couldn't do sports for six months," the 21-year-old said.

"I had so much pent up energy, I'm such an energetic person.

"I just needed my outlet to get rid of it, which is why when it happened it shocked me because I didn't know where to put it."

Simon was treated in the Bristol Royal Infirmary's intensive care unit for a week

Simon was studying Sports Business at the University of the West of England in Bristol when he became ill.

He said he was taking medication for abscesses in his wisdom teeth when he woke up with "a really strange feeling" in his chest.

Thinking the pain might be linked to the antibiotics, he called 111 but was told this was a "big deal" and advised to get to a hospital straight away.

"They said they had no idea how it happened," Simon said.

"I still to this day don't really know, it's quite a unique experience."

When Simon was discharged from Bristol Royal Infirmary, he walked down the very steep Christmas Steps, and said straight away he was "short of breath".

'Started fighting back'

Afterwards his mental health was greatly impacted, and he realised how important fitness is to him feeling positive.

"In my personal life a lot of things kept happening and it was just piling on top," he said.

"I know the moment that changed, I remember saying to myself 'what next can this world give me?'.

"At that point I knew I needed to kick into shape and start fighting back.

"My life started getting better and I moved towards the right stuff."

Simon realised that he needed to do something big to show his love for sport - so he is now taking on what he describes as a "triathlon for absolute nutters".

Simon was studying at the University of the West of England when he had the infection

Numerous Ironman competitions are held across the world and Simon, who is taking part in the event in Tallin, Estonia, on 24 August, will swim for 2.3 miles (3.8km), cycle for 111 miles (180km) and then run for 26 miles (42km).

Originally from Ipswich in Suffolk, he aims to raise £1,000 for the Bristol City Robins Foundation.

The foundation offers post-16 and higher education courses for some of Bristol's most deprived children and puts on fitness programmes.

For now, Simon is back to his running ways and took part in the Great Bristol half marathon on 19 May completing it in one hour and 29 minutes.