Cardiac arrest survivor plans 100-mile challenge

Ryk Downes was rescued by four passers-by when he collapsed in the street in 2016

A running fanatic who almost died of a cardiac arrest is to attempt what is thought to be an unprecedented physical challenge in the Yorkshire Dales.

Ryk Downes will try to scale each of Yorkshire's Three Peaks four times in the space of 48 hours later this year.

Mr Downes, from north Leeds, had to be resuscitated six times after he collapsed while out running in 2016.

Having had the all-clear from his surgeon to return to long-distance racing, the 59-year-old hopes to inspire others by doing the challenge as he raises money for charity.

"Every year I try to do something harder," said Mr Downes, who is also a Liberal Democrat councillor in Otley.

"I’ve done the Three Peaks three times in a row, and that took me about 30-odd hours.

"Now I want to do them four times and I don't think that's ever been done before - not continuously."

Mr Downes plans to complete the challenge when he turns 60 in September

Mr Downes plans to take up the 100-mile challenge in September as he turns 60.

The Three Peaks of Whernside, Ingleborough and Pen-y-ghent are a popular draw for walkers and tourists.

"I climbed Mount Kilimanjaro on my 50th birthday," he said.

"This isn't Kilimanjaro, but it's probably just as much of a challenge."

Mr Downes was just a short sprint away from his front door when he suddenly collapsed in the street and stopped breathing for 20 minutes in January 2016.

He later learned that four passers-by had rushed to his aid and helped save his life, before he was airlifted to hospital, where he woke up three days later.

It transpired the cardiac arrest was caused by an undiagnosed hereditary condition which meant his body could not handle processed meat.

"If it had happened a minute later I’d have been through my front door," Mr Downes said.

"My wife was at work at the time and I wouldn’t be here now to tell the story."

'I'm so lucky to be here'

He said: "I’d had a blood clot, the size of which would normally pass through anybody without issue.

"But because my arteries were so narrow, the blood couldn’t get through, so my heart packed up."

After a triple bypass operation, Mr Downes was told by his surgeon he could safely return to intense physical exercise.

Though he acknowledges he has unusually high levels of stamina and a resting heart rate in the mid-30s, he claims he is living proof that most people can become ultra marathon runners.

He said: "I’m not the fittest guy in the world. It just requires a lot of determination and mental strength, but you need to get the nutrition right as well.

"Unless you have a medical condition which stops you, anyone can do it.

"Part of the reason I do these things is because I think I’m so lucky to be here. I’ve got to make the most of it."

Mr Downes said sponsorship money from the challenge would go to the Yorkshire Air Ambulance and Upper Wharfedale Fell Rescue Association, as well as contributing to the costs of installing defibrillators in public places.

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