I needed terrifying operation as my heart hit 250bpm & was told I’d never run again, says Team GB Olympian Ben Pattison
FOUR years ago, athlete Ben Pattison lay on a surgeon’s operating table with his life on the line as he underwent heart surgery – and was told he could never run again.
Now in the most remarkable of comeback tales, he is competing for Britain in the 800m at the Paris Olympics.
And incredibly, Ben 22, is one of Team GB’s top gold medal hopes.
In an exclusive interview with The Sun, Ben reveals how his career was over when his heart hit a staggering 250 beats a minute while sitting down – a rare condition later diagnosed as Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome.
But surgeons inserted a tiny probe through his groin, up into his heart before using a miniscule blowtorch to burn off the offending connection which was causing heart-rate spikes in a perilous op.
Incredibly, the intricate two-hour surgery meant that Ben could not only defy warnings he would not run again, but propelled him to line up in front of 90,000 people in Paris earlier this week.
On Wednesday, he breezed through the heats, coming first place, and will be hoping to repeat the feat in this morning’s semi finals.
Ben – nicknamed ‘Fireball’ because of his speed and flaming red hair – says: “To be at the Olympics for Team GB and being in the best shape of my life is remarkable really given where I was four years ago.
“My heart would start beating literally through my chest, you could see it, when I was sitting watching TV.
“It would go at 250 beats a minute. Doctors said ‘you should stop running and leave it at that’. I remember thinking ‘will I be able to compete again?’ It was pretty scary.
“Eventually I got a diagnosis for it and had the operation. I knew the dangers and that it could cause a stroke if it went badly.
“Being at the Olympics at that point was a long way from my mind. But here I am. I’m proof you should never give up on your dreams. My experience will help spur me on at the Olympics.”
It is not the only sacrifice Ben has made in pursuit of his dreams.
Earlier this year, his grandma and ‘biggest fan’, Molly, died and he had to make the heartbreaking decision to miss her funeral as they clashed with the Olympic trials, where he qualified for Paris.
Ben, of Loughborough, Leics, says: “There have been so many sacrifices. Missing my grandma’s funeral was such a hard decision. I know she would understand.
“That’s something I’ll be thinking about on the start line. I’ve put so much into this – I’ve got to make it worth it.
“She was such a big supporter – she would have told me to miss her funeral to focus on the Olympics. I’ll be thinking of her on the start line.”
From ref to ‘rockstar’ runner
Ben also reveals how he was once a football referee but joked he preferred being ‘cheered to being jeered’ so concentrated on running.
He and his partner Molly Hudson – also a middle distance runner – spur each other on and hopes to help reignite ‘the rockstar image’ middle-distance running had with Seb Coe and Steve Ovett in the 1980s.
And the hype is well founded.
Last year he took bronze at the World Championships in Budapest and just a few weeks ago ran the second fastest time ever run by a Brit – placing him only behind Coe but going ahead of Seb’s 80s rival Ovett.
What is Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome?
WOLFF-Parkinson-White syndrome (WPWS) is a heart condition that causes the heart to beat abnormally quickly.
It is most common in children who are born with a heart condition (congenital heart disease), but it can also occur in those without.
Between one and three people in every 1,000 are thought to have WPW syndrome in the UK.
Despite being present at birth, symptoms often don’t occur until people are in their 30s or 40s, and many don’t experience any at all.
The most common is occasional, mild episodes of a racing heart. Others include:
- A pounding or fluttering heartbeat
- Feeling lightheaded or dizzy
- Shortness of breath
- Chest pain
- Fainting
With treatment, the condition can normally be completely cured, but it can be life-threatening, especially if it occurs alongside a type of irregular heartbeat called atrial fibrillation.
Heart for Life estimates there is an annual risk of sudden death of approximately one in 200.
It is important to see a GP if you regularly experience heart palpitations.
Source: NHS
Ben says: “We might see a world record this year and I know I can get close to it and hopefully take Seb Coe off the top of the ranking. I’m higher than Steve Ovett which is crazy.
“Coe and Ovett were rockstars of British athletics and I want to bring that back. Britain at the moment, especially middle distance, is going through a golden period.”
But for Ben it could have all been so different.
Heart troubles
From the age of 10, he started to experience a sensation of a faster heart rate – something a doctor initially said was normal – even when sitting down.
But at 18, he went back to the doctors after capturing some data that showed his heart rate spiking dangerously.
He recalls: “When I went to the doctors about it again I had some heart rate data that I had managed to capture myself – and their first suggestion was to stop running and leave it at that.
“I was quite worried at the time. So I kept pushing, had some ultra sounds and MMRs so I could find out what the issue was.”
The issue was Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome – a rare condition that means your heart has an extra connection that can scramble the way it beats.
What's happening today at The Games?
WHAT TO WATCH TODAY
TODAY’S BRIT MEDAL HOPES
Katarina Johnson-Thompson will go for her first Olympic medal as the heptathlon concludes with the 800m (7.25pm).
Toby Roberts has a great chance of a podium finish in the men’s boulder and lead sport climbing final (9.15am).
Jack Carlin could grab a medal in the men’s sprint in the velodrome, too (5pm).
BRITS TO WATCH
Kate Shortman and Izzy Thorpe go in the artistic swimming, starting with their duet technical routine (6.30pm).
An early start for 10km marathon swimmers Tobias Patrick Robinson and Hector Pardoe (6.30am).
Amber Anning is in the women’s 400m final on the track (7pm) while Yasmin Harper and Grace Reid go in the 3m springboard diving final (2pm).
GLOBAL STARS TODAY
There is a blockbuster men’s football final as Spain take on Thierry Henry’s France at PSG’s Parc des Princes (5pm).
The 4x100m relay finals will be stacked full of the best sprinters in the world – including Americans Sha’carri Richardson and Christian Coleman (6.30pm).
Imane Khelif goes for boxing gold in the 66kg final against Yang Liu of China (9.50pm).
FANCY SOMETHING DIFFERENT?
The modern pentathlon is the very definition of something different with a superb, eclectic and chaotic collection of event.
The activities include show jumping, fencing, a 200m swim and a laser run, where athletes combine a run with shooting.
STATS MAD
2/54 – The Dutch women’s hockey team have lost just two of their last 54 matches stretching back to December 2022 and are in a sixth straight Olympic final. Can China cause a major shock and deny the Netherlands a fifth gold? Find out at 7pm.
Follow all the action as it unfolds with our Paris 2024 Olympics LIVE blog.
Ben was told to lay off exercise for four months and could not lift anything heavier than a kettle – before finally getting the op he needed.
He says: “The operation was quite weird, scary. I was awake the whole time – probably because they needed me to be responsive and dosed up on morphine.
“I was warned of the dangers that it could cause a stroke.
“It was unnerving. I remember during the surgery thinking about running and whether I’d do it again but trying to staying positive. It was concerning.
“They went in through my groin and the procedure took two hours.
“The surgeons had to electrically stimulate bits of my heart to find the right bit, mine was quite hard to find, so I could feel my heart rate increasing and decreasing and they were following it.
“When they found the area that was the problem they burnt it off using a tiny little blowtorch – controlled by a robot.
“I remember feeling pain, even through the morphine. It felt like quite severe heartburn at the time – which in one way that is exactly what it was.
“When they first started increasing my heart rate I was thinking, what’s going on? Something’s going wrong.
“But the doctors weren’t panicking so I realised it was okay. They had a big screen so the doctors could see what they were doing.
“I remember worrying whether it might have been the fact I had this condition, this fast heartbeat that made me so fast and now that after the operation I would lose that.”
Amazingly, Ben slowly got back to full fitness – and is stronger than ever.
When he steps out on the track at the Stade De France in Paris later this month, Ben will have a group of dedicated fans – his coach, parents, girlfriend Molly Hudson and her family.
They will all be cheering on the ‘Fireball’.
Ben says of the name: “I don’t mind it. It’s stuck a bit. I’ve been called worse things.”
His girlfriend Molly Hudson, 23, is an elite middle distance runner too and she had been in America training this year.
Ben says: “So, it’s been quite hard, but it will be nice to spend some time with her after the Olympics. She’s had a good year too and we hope we can both run together in 2028. We do talk about running a bit but we try not to do it too much.”
Diet demands
One of the hardest things for Ben – who relaxes by watching favourite TV shows Breaking Bad and Better Call Saul – is managing the strict, bland the diet he has to follow pre-Games.
He said: “It’s pretty tough, you have to keep everything pretty bland because you don’t want to mess up your training schedule.
“Chicken and rice most days, then to mix it up, it’s turkey and rice. Then as a treat it might be Bolognese. Sometimes I dream of a big juicy burger.”
One thing is for sure is that Ben, who was previously a football referee earning £35 a game in local leagues, will receive huge backing from Brits in the stadium and the millions at home.
He says: “I know how lucky I am to be lining up at an Olympic Games but I have sacrificed and worked so hard to get here.
“It will be very different to my days of reffing. I definitely prefer getting cheered rather than jeered.”