A dad who would run five to seven times a week, before suffering a silent heart attack which he said “probably saved my life” after it uncovered a deadly defect, has since trekked 100 miles in support of British Heart Foundation (BHF) and raised more than £50,000. Alex Roth, 56, a media executive from London, initially thought he was having an asthma attack when he had trouble breathing while running in January 2022.
What Alex did not realise was that he had suffered a heart attack and was at risk of premature death due to an unrelated heart defect. Nearly a year on from lifesaving open heart surgery, Alex has now trekked 100 miles through Snowdonia for BHF.
Alex, who lives with his wife, Erin, 57, a school chairperson, and has three children, Jack, 26, Max, 25, and Helen, 20, said: “I would run on average 35 miles a week, rain or shine, summer or winter. I was in good shape, I’ve never smoked, I don’t drink much alcohol, so I never thought I would be someone at risk of a heart attack. Afterwards, I kept saying to my wife, ‘I don’t understand how this could possibly happen to me’, but I’ve now realised that being fit and looking after yourself is not a way to avoid these things.
