(WXYZ) — One year after suffering a heart attack mid-race, a Kalamazoo runner finished the last few miles in the 2025 Detroit Free Press marathon, with Patrick Banderbush completing the marathon one year later.
Watch Patrick finish this year's race
"I don't want to leave anything unfinished," Patrick told us before today's race. "Today is not about me, today is about all those folks that were involved with me being here today."
Patrick's heart attack last year happened at Mile 24. He was rushed to DMC Heart Hospital in Detroit where a team of medical professionals immediately sprang into action working to save him.
"We're just really thankful with Patrick that we were able to get him in time," said Dr. Anthony Tam, the Henry Ford doctor who helped save Patrick's life last year.
"I was looking at my watch and just comforting myself saying ‘I’m right where I want to be, I have an easy two miles left, and in less than an hour I’ll be celebrating my 60th birthday with the family,'" he said last year.
Dr. Tam didn't witness Patrick cross the finish line since he was working a booth, but it was an emotional day for the doctor.
"I wanted to cry initially," Dr. Tam said. "They gave him his medal and now he gets to finish with his family, all the way to the finish line."
Patrick wants to run all 26.2 miles of the marathon again soon, once he gets clearance from doctors.
"Either in the spring or next year, I'll be running the full marathon again," Patrick said. "First one in my second life."
Web Extras: Watch our pre-race and post-race interviews with Patrick, and our full interview with Dr. Tam
Watch our previous coverage
Watch our related marathon coverage
