In advance of competing at the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships, Bermudian runner Ryan Outerbridge has detailed his fight back from a heart attack in 2021.

Outerbridge, who finished second behind Lamont Marshall in this year’s Bermuda Half-Marathon Derby, was competing as a freshman for Franklin Pierce University at the Lewis Crossover in Chicago in 2021 when he collapsed after crossing the finish line. It was only a few days later that he discovered it was a cardiac incident.

“When it first happened, I didn't even know what had happened,” Outerbridge said in an interview with the website of Franklin Pierce University Athletics.

“I remember waking up on the ground, not much else. The whole ride to the hospital was blurry, in and out of consciousness.

“It's a pretty traumatising period of my life. I make jokes about it now and then, but it's a cover-up of how big of a deal it really was.”

Outerbridge was forced to curtail his season and wore a heart monitor for a couple of weeks. He was not allowed to run or train, and there was no guarantee he would race again.

After being given the all-clear to compete in the 2022 outdoor season, he ended it by earning All-Conference First Team honours and capped the season with a top-ten finish at regionals, helping his team qualify for nationals for only the second time in school history.

“It was like night and day, what can change in a year,” Outerbridge said.

Moving on to 2023, Outerbridge has collected three conference gold medals in the 1,500 metres, 4x800 relay and steeplechase on his way to competing in the NCAA Division II Cross Country Championships in Sacramento, California, on Saturday.

While the journey has had its ups and downs, Outerbridge is proud to be competing on one of college athletics’ biggest stages.

“Running has been my passion since I was seven or eight years old,” he said. “It's hard to speak up about what happened, but running on this stage is what I always wanted.

“Looking back, words can't even explain how I feel. To see where I've come in my collegiate career, it's something I carry with me every time I step on the course.”