Cambridge runner breaks Guinness World Record after heart surgery
A runner who had open heart surgery has broken a Guinness World Record.Alex Hunt, from Cambridge, ran the Stevenage marathon in three hours and six minutes.The publishers of the famous record book have confirmed that Mr Hunt has completed the marathon in the fastest-ever time for a person with an artificial heart valve.He beat the previous record by 45 minutes.
Alex Hunt, who is 37, had a bicuspid aortic valve put in his heart.The aortic valve allows blood to flow into the aorta without flowing back into the ventricle, but Mr Hunt's valve had only two flaps instead of the usual three.If left untreated, the condition could lead to heart failure.Worried that he might not have lived long enough to see his daughters grow up, he underwent open heart surgery three years ago at Royal Papworth Hospital to have an artificial valve fitted.
He ran the Stevenage Marathon three years ago and said it was one of the toughest physical challenges he had ever taken on, with winds of up to 40 mph and some "soul-destroying climbs".After waiting for verification, he has now received official confirmation that he holds the world record.He said: "Before the operation, I was a keen runner."Thanks to the amazing staff and treatment I received at Royal Papworth Hospital, I can return to my love of running and am delighted to have broken the world record at the same time."
Steven Tsui, a consultant in cardiothoracic surgery at Papworth, said: "Alex breaking the world record is testament to his strength and determination to get back on his feet after a major operation."Mr Hunt raised more than £1,700 for the Royal Papworth Charity by running the marathon.
Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
Australian transplant cricket team visits Wickford for match
An Australian cricket team made up of people who have had transplants has played a friendly match in a town. The Australia Lucky Stars Transplant Cricket team played against Wickford Cricket team came over to the UK to play three games against the England and Wales Transplant Cricket Club in the 2025 Transplant of the Australian team Daryl Zaffiro said: "The opportunity to play cricket again or to travel, anything like that, is something I thought I'd never have the opportunity to do again." Mr Zaffiro said he was travelling in the UK when he found out his kidneys were failing after being sent for tests. "About a year later I had my transplant," he explained."As the years progressed, I got a lot healthier, and just having the opportunity to join the club makes all the difference."We are all dealing with the same things." England won the three-match series 2-1 against Australia to win the 2025 Transplant Ashes. Following the series, Nikki Anderson, the women's captain at Wickford cricket club, was approached to see if they could house a friendly match between the teams."I was approached by my cousin who is connected to the Australian team who asked if we would host it at our ground in Wickford."I have never had an Australian team visit our cricket club, so I welcomed them with open arms," she said. Follow Essex news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.
The Independent
an hour ago
- The Independent
The simple blood test that can predict Alzheimer's decline
Alzheimer 's decline could be predicted with a simple blood test already offered to those at risk of type 2 diabetes. The disease is the most common type of dementia, with symptoms including confusion, speech and language issues, problems with moving around and behaviour changes. Around a million people in the UK are living with dementia, but that figure is projected to rise to 1.4 million by 2040, Alzheimer's UK warns. There is currently no cure for the disease nor any definitive way to predict how quickly it will progress, only medicines to help relieve some of the symptoms. However, research presented at the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) Congress 2025 suggests a blood test used to detect insulin resistance could also identify patients at a high risk of cognitive decline. Neurologists at the University of Brescia, in Italy, analysed data from 315 non-diabetic patients with cognitive deficits – that included 200 people with Alzheimer's disease. All participants were tested for insulin resistance using the triglyceride-glucose (TyG) index – a low-cost, widely available marker calculated from standard blood test. They were then followed up three years later. Participants were divided into groups of varying cognitive impairment and also separated according to their insulin resistance score. Among those with mild cognitive impairment due to Alzheimer's, individuals with the highest TyG scores declined four times faster than those with lower TyG levels – but this link was not seen in the group with cognitive impairment not caused by Alzheimer's. 'Once mild cognitive impairment is diagnosed, families always ask how fast it will progress,' said lead investigator Dr Bianca Gumina. 'Our data show that a simple metabolic marker available in every hospital laboratory can help identify more vulnerable subjects who may be suitable candidates for targeted therapy or specific intervention strategies.' It's believed insulin resistance impairs glucose uptake in the brain, which means it is less active. This can lead to increased inflammation in the brain disrupting the blood-brain barrier and contributing to amyloid build-up – a protein that can form toxic plaques in the brain - all of which are linked with the progression of Alzheimer's disease. While inflammation is the body's defence mechanism which responds to damage and infection to keep us healthy, too much of a good thing can have consequences, Alzheimer's Research explains. When these toxic proteins build up in people with Alzheimer's, the brain fights back with an inflammatory response to keep the damage at bay. But this is thought to cause more damage. 'We were surprised to see the effect only in the Alzheimer's spectrum and not in other neurodegenerative diseases', Dr Gumina noted. She suggested it highlights that there is a 'disease-specific vulnerability' to insulin resistance and interventions could change the trajectory of the disease. Researchers also found high insulin resistance was associated with blood–brain barrier disruption and cardiovascular risk factors, but these were not associated with increased risk of Alzheimer's progression. It's hoped these findings could help detect Alzheimer's patients who are at a high-risk of cognitive decline early and enrol them in more targeted clinical trials – such as anti-amyloid trials. This blood test could also be used to make timely interventions to improve their insulin sensitivity. 'If targeting metabolism can delay progression, we will have a readily modifiable target that works alongside emerging disease-modifying drugs', concluded Dr Gumina. The researchers are currently investigating whether levels of insulin resistance also track with neuroimaging biomarkers- brain scans which indicate the structure, function and chemistry of the organ as well as diagnosing neurological conditions.
BBC News
an hour ago
- BBC News
The state-of-the art manikins training up NHS nurses and doctors
Student nurses Tracy, Briall and Misha are assessing Aria, a seven-year-old girl with tells them she does not know what is going on, explains how frightened she is and asks: "Where's mummy?"But none of this is is a high-tech manikin who forms part of a training exercise in one of several simulation rooms at Swansea University's Simulation and Immersive Learning Centre (SUSIM), one of the biggest and most advanced healthcare simulation centres in the students who train here, including future nurses, doctors, and midwives, say the environment is so realistic that they often forget it isn't reality."[Aria] is built like a child, reacts like a child and has needs like a child," said nursing student Tracy Qui. "She's also scared like a child." Just down the corridor, a surgical team is preparing to bring a new baby into the flash, monitors beep and staff dash around the labour ward."I'm just waiting for baby to cry," said the midwife, as it is delivered by C-section. "Then I'll be happy."After a few vital checks, mother and baby are reunited for their first skin-to-skin contact."Congratulations mum," said the midwife. There are broad smiles all mother and baby, in this scenario, are also high-tech manikins. The room is kitted out with the instruments and machines you would find in a real operating the smells of an operating theatre are piped in, while video images from a real hospital are projected onto the walls."You get so immersed in it - you forget you're not out in real practice," said student midwife Kellie Mills."This is a real baby in our hands and we're very protective of it." 'They can even smell the grass' The scale of the centre means it can simulate many different another simulation room, student paramedics Jojo, Rhys and Sophie are tending to a rugby player injured on a pitch."Me and the crew have come in and immobilised his spine, and to make sure there are no further injuries we're using a collar," said first year student Jojo they are trying to do this while other rugby players run around them with the crowd chanting and singing in the surrounding stands."They can even smell the grass," said Gareth Chilcott, the technician who is running the simulation from a neighbouring room. "As soon as they enter they realise they are on a rugby pitch," he added."We can also lower the temperature so that it's cold and they feel they're running into the wind. It really does heighten their senses."Lecturers who supervise the simulation can also throw in some surprises to the scenario based on the student's level of experience."They really enjoy it and almost see it as a bit of fun," said senior paramedic lecturer Jason Sadler."But when they go on placement [with the ambulance service] and come back and tell us what they had to deal with, they can really appreciate the benefits of what we put them through." 'Limitless possibilities' From hospital wards and care homes to medical emergencies in cafes or nightclubs, staff say there are no limits on what can be simulated at the facility in can even replicate healthcare settings in other countries, as happened in a recent collaboration with workers in Zambia."A lot of what we project on the walls is filmed within our local NHS but we could equally film in any country in the world," said Prof Jayne Cutter, head of the university's school of health and social care."So if we're entertaining international students, they could practice in environments that are familiar to them."The £7m facility was developed by converting a teaching block at Swansea's Singleton Park campus and establishing a second smaller site in centres are linked digitally, so everything that's happening in one can be seen in the other."We have the largest installation of immersive wall technology globally and the second largest simulation management system in Europe," said Joanne Davies, the university's head of simulation education. "I know other centres in the UK and internationally tend to have one or two of these rooms. We have 11, which means we can do mass training not only for our core students but also NHS staff and industry."Staff said the main aim of SUSIM was not to replace the real world experiences students must have before they qualify, but to supplement said some students could get overwhelmed when they first experienced a real operating theatre or busy ward."If you're not immersed in realistic surroundings you can get overloaded, what's known as cognitive overload. And sometimes when we're stressed we can even forget our own name," said Ms Davies."But here we have the sights, the sounds, the smells of realistic environments and that helps our students remember what they've learnt and transfer that into practice."Another benefit, according to the students, is that they can learn from their mistakes without fear of causing harm."We have pre-briefs and debriefs. We talk about what we've learnt," said student midwife Kellie Mills."But we have a phrase here - what happens in SUSIM stays in SUSIM - so it really is a protected environment."
