Having the Heart to do It

After a season of talking about Grinch hearts, giving from the heart and giving heartfelt thanks for what we have, one runner really has a heart on her mind and it has nothing to do with the season. The heart is her own and her name is Dennene Huntley.

In April 2011, I ran the Boston marathon and dedicated my run up Heartbreak Hill to Dennene, an Army Major in the Canadian Forces and a friend I met through running. Dennene an accomplished marathoner and ultra-marathoner but has been living precariously with a 14mm hole in her heart. Having only caught the running bug in 2003, Dennene has quickly accumulated an impressive collection of races including Boston, Chicago and Ottawa marathons and races like the 125K Canadian Death Race in Alberta. In both 2010 and 2011 Dennene made one of her dreams come true and represented Canada at the World 100K Championships in Gibraltar and then Winschoten, the Netherlands respectively. In December 2011, Dennene faced a different type of challenge, a very personal and pivotal decision.

Dennene speaks about her heart with heartfelt answers. She says she hopes her story inspires others to run, to keep running and to not be afraid of challenges and fears that come along.

Why do you want to share your story?

I want to share my story for many reasons. The first one is to tell people that despite many challenges or roadblocks that one may face, if they put their mind, heart and soul into something, anything is possible. As well, most runners know this already, but just to reiterate, running can save lives, and without knowing, can make you healthier.

How has this event changed your outlook on life and running?

I always knew and understood many of the health benefits of running. However, when I had a Cardiologist look at me and tell me that my heart was much stronger and healthier than it should have been due to how fit I was from running, it made me appreciate my love for running even more. As well, being in the hospital at the Canadian Heart Institute seeing a lot of the other patients around me and the challenges they were facing, gave me another perspective on why it is so important to stay healthy. It also made me realize how important a healthy and strong heart really is.

For most runners, the marathon is as far as they ever hope to go, why do you go beyond?

What can I say, I love to run! I love pushing my body to limits, seeing how far I can go, how fast and in varying conditions (heat, snow, mountains, etc). I also enjoy the camaraderie of Ultra Running. The world ultra-running community is fairly small and it is a very tight-knit community.

When did you learn of your heart condition?

I strained my gluteus medius at the 2011 Goofy Challenge in Orlando, Florida on Jan.9, 2011. When I returned to Canada, I saw my Doctor right away so I could get on the road to recovery as soon as possible. He decided to check my vitals while I was there and thought he heard a murmur. It turned out not to be a murmur, but a 14 mm hole in the upper two chambers of my heart (ASD – Atrial Septal Defect).

What are your personal bests and what are your plans and goals now?

My personal best marathon is also my favourite marathon, I ran the 2010 Boston Marathon in 3:16:54. I ran the Canadian Death Race three times and my best time was 18:28. My best road 100K was the 2010 100K World Championships in Gibraltar at a time of 9:04.

My first goal is to follow my Cardiologist’s recovery orders to a tee, which will be one of my biggest challenges since I have been a runner. I say that because I have to wait five weeks before I am allowed to run a step. Then, for the next month, I will be on a slow, progressive build-up to 10 kms. Starting at week nine after my surgery, I will be able to resume normal training. I am registered for the 2012 Boston Marathon, will run the 2012 Canadian Military National Running Championships, which is the Ottawa Marathon and I will be running my first 100 miler this summer, the Vermont 100 miler.

Dennene is a Logistics officer with the Canadian Forces and originally an East Coaster but now lives just outside Ottawa, Ont. When Dennene recovers and is ready she owes me a long run and I can’t wait to hear what her next adventure will be.

Dennene’s PBs:
Marathon 3:16
50K 4:02
100K 9:04
Longest race 125K

Anyone you know worth profiling?
Contact me at: legsnlungs@hotmail.com

See you on the roads or in the blogosphere.