A British distance runner reveals how her heart stopped several times en route to her first collegiate cross-country meet in September.
Brett Rushman says he’s lucky to be alive. “I honestly thought I might die,” she says, reflecting on how a trip from California to Minnesota quickly turned into a life-threatening situation.
The Roy Griak Invitational was supposed to be the race that marked the final chapter of the 23-year-old’s career when Rushman joined California Baptist University on scholarship last summer.
Rushman, who was part of Great Britain’s under-23 gold medal-winning team at the 2024 European Championships in Antalya, was hoping to start his new life across the pond in his first collegiate race.
The Briton won the senior race at the British Cross Country Championships in March, which doubled as the GB Athletics Cross Country Final, and then finished 14th in the 5,000m at the British Athletics Championships. That’s without mentioning his respective 5km and 10km personal bests of 13:37 and 28:43, both in 2025.
“My expectations have been blown to the surface this year,” Rushman, who traveled to the US hoping to emulate his domestic success earlier in the season, tells AW.
To get to the meeting in Minnesota, Rushman first had to fly two and a half hours from San Diego to Denver before hopping on a connecting flight to Minneapolis.
However, on the trip to Denver, the Briton became worried and realized he was going to pass out. After explaining to the people in his ranks that he needed to lie down, Rushman passed out and was subsequently given oxygen by the flight crew.
After landing at Denver International Airport, he was told he would have to undergo a medical before traveling to Minnesota. Although Rushman says the experience was “really scary,” he believed he was fine.
“I was a little embarrassed that such a big deal was made on the flight,” he explains. “They were saying the paramedics are coming to get you off the flight and I have to get off the flight. They said they’re going to take you to the hospital in an ambulance, and I was like, ‘I’m fine, I’m fine.’
The situation soon became serious. During the 20-mile trip to University of Colorado Hospital (UCH), Rushman felt himself pass out again as paramedics hooked him up to an electrocardiogram (ECG) and IV fluids. Rushing down the highway at blue lights, he passed out again.
When he woke up on this occasion, Rushman was told his heart had stopped for about 30 seconds. “I wasn’t vital during that time, so there was a sense of urgency after that,” he explains.
Upon arrival at the hospital, the Briton was rushed into the operating room and almost a dozen people quickly surrounded him. A few minutes after being in the room, Rushman blacked out again. When he woke up this time, doctors told the runner that his heart had stopped for almost a minute.
“I was getting more and more anxious because I had so many tests and things being put into me,” she says. “All of that contributed to a pretty bad environment for me. When the doctors told me my heart had stopped again, I honestly thought I might die. I felt helpless. From being a pretty good runner and being fit and healthy all my life, my heart suddenly stopped.
“I was also convinced that I was not going to run again. I think they were natural thoughts at the time. My philosophy is “what will be will be”.
Rushman was then placed on a temporary pacemaker and taken to the ward. Although all of his immediate family have returned to the UK, the Brit traveled with California Baptist University assistant cross country and track coach Zach Kirk, who stayed with him during his three days in hospital.
The distance runner’s biggest disappointment was that he was unable to tell those close to him what had caused his heart to stop several times. Three days later, he was diagnosed with vasovagal syndrome, where your nervous system overreacts to a trigger, causing a sudden drop in heart rate and blood pressure, reducing blood flow to the brain, leading to dizziness or a brief loss of consciousness.
However, Rashman’s vagus nerve, which helps regulate essential functions such as heart rate, breathing and digestion, had a stronger than normal effect on his heart. Along with the fact that his heart rate and blood pressure were already low, his heart had stopped.
“It’s not uncommon to pass out, but I had a much more dramatic version,” she tells AW. “Yes, I am in a very special category.”
Rushman also reveals that his heart restarted on its own and was the first to learn of the fact from the doctors at the hospital. He notes that as soon as the stimulation of the vagus nerve was regulated, the heart started beating again.
In the piece, Rushman adds that doctors are unsure how best to prevent the 23-year-old from having a similar episode in the near future. They decided against the more invasive option of a permanent pacemaker, mainly because of her age, and concluded that saline tablets would be the preferred option.
“Sodium helps increase blood volume and maintain blood pressure, preventing the drop in blood pressure and heart rate that leads to fainting,” Rushman says. “So I take pills every time I fly, and it raises my blood pressure, so it creates a buffer. If it does, it’s less likely to be as bad and hopefully my heart won’t stop again.
“That was the only thing they prescribed to me. They told me that if I had another episode, I should lie flat as this greatly reduces the risk as the blood goes straight to my brain. Doctors said that such a case can happen again, but it is difficult to predict what will happen, because it is very individual for people. You only find out with experience.
Rushman, eager to run again, slowly began training. He initially rested for five days and only did an easy run the following week. Now back in California, the Brit has started to build his base level, with his first competition being the Nuttycombe Invitational in Wisconsin on October 17, just a month after the medical emergency. Rushman finished 122nd in the 8km race, but running the race was an achievement in itself.
Two weeks later, he finished seventh over 8km at the WAC Cross Country Championships in Texas before finishing 121st over 10km at the NCAA Cross Country Championships in Missouri on November 22.
“Once I got through that workout, I felt good and ran pretty good,” Rushman tells AW. “I was kind of happy with that. I was fine, I could at least run well and was back in some form. Once you’re on the starting line, where you are, you pick yourself up and you’re like, okay, let’s go.
“So when I finished 121st at NCAAs, I was disappointed at first. It took me a while to think straight and say “okay, you don’t have to be so hard on yourself this time”.
Rushman has high goals in sports. Growing up in a sports family. his mother ran for Northern Ireland and his father a 1:52 800m/3:52 1500m runner, he was inspired to take the sport more seriously after watching the London 2012 Olympics.
The teenager then joined his local club Herts Phoenix and in 2018 life changed when Andy Hobdell joined the Ware-based set-up. Hobdell occasionally brought elite athletes such as Paul Pollock and Kevin Seaward to the club, while Rushman rose to the challenge of running alongside those with international experience.
After a few months of training with Hobdell, Rushman finished third in his local Metropolitan League at Claybury Park, before winning at Welwyn Garden City and Uxbridge respectively in the following two months.
“I’ve never been this high before,” Rushman says. “And I was saying: “well, if I actually stick to it, I can be pretty good.” Andy’s workouts focus heavily on aerobics, making sure you’re really fit and strong. I was doing a lot of threshold work. I didn’t really get it, so I just enjoyed being in the group and he kept it pretty interesting.
Until now, and Rushman is still in touch with Hobdell, and the duo exchange messages, even though he is now in California.
“I have a really great relationship with Andy,” Rushman adds. “He’s known me since I was little, and he also knows my family well. I still keep in touch with Andy because I know I’ll be training with him when I get back.”
Rushman is keen to represent Great Britain on a consistent basis in the long term, especially after getting a taste of what it was like topping the championship podium at last year’s Euro Cross. Alongside Will Barnicott, David Stone, James Kingston, Peter Molloy and Dafydd Jones, he was part of the Great Britain Under-23 team that secured gold in Antalya. It was a moment Rushman will never forget.
“It was one of the best experiences of my life,” she says. “I knew I had a chance to qualify for the team and on the day it all worked out. I was in really good company on that GB team. It was so special to be part of a group with Will and David, who I was with for a couple of years at the University of Birmingham.”
Rushman also traveled to Paris last summer to watch the men’s 1500m final at the Olympics, where he saw Cole Hawker beat Josh Kerr to win the gold medal. Witnessing that moment at the Stade de France has further inspired the Briton and he now wants to aim for the stars.
“Why should I limit myself?” he says “I haven’t done a lot of training yet, so I think I can go a lot faster. I’d say 5km is my preferred distance, but I’m under no illusions that I need to be faster to qualify for future majors.
“I grew up watching Mo Farah dominate and he was my childhood idol. So of course I want to be there. But getting to that point is very difficult and you have to be consistent and ready to start. So it’s step by step.
That Rushman, after all he’s been through, has this mindset is remarkable in itself. Given the level of adversity he’s had to overcome, who would bet against him achieving his dreams?
