Just finished reading his biography. Not the best written book it he world but worth a read. I never realised he was so sick. It really is a great shame but also inspiring that he has managed to fight back from deep depression to now be living a happy life. I have since heard that Emma Carney has had similar troubles.
He was and is a very cool guy. Just watched the “YouTube” showing of the '89 IM battle between Dave Scott and Mark Allen, and guess who finished 3rd with nary a mention on the broadcast?
Definitely a shame his career was cut short with his medical condition, but all by all appearances it seems as though he is enjoying life just fine.
Yea , what an absolute shame to have the health problems he had / has.
I think he is a classic example of what determination and endurance can do , when doctors diagnose serious illness.
I thoroughly enjoy listening to his commentary and will get his book asap.
Definitely a shame his career was cut short with his medical condition, but all by all appearances it seems as though he is enjoying life just fine.
HA!!! Short!!! HA!!!
I walked up to him at Wildflower and said hello, that I was a big fan. Super-cool guy. He asked what race I was doing and wished me good luck. Struck me as a very cool, down to earth guy that I would enjoy drinking some beers with.
I also have met Scott Tinley on a couple occasions and found him to be similarly friendly and cool. Same with Michellie Jones
This seems to be the rule rather then the exception with pro triathletes…most are very nice people, approachable and friendly.
I’ve also met several pro athletes (in other sports, baseball and basketball) due to a friend that was married to a pro ballplayer. The reverse was true. Most were pretty ego-centric and cocky.
Saw Greg at IMFL in 2004, he was covering the race for Ironman Live, and he was bopping around the pre-race dinner telling everyone good luck and joking around. He did a great speech to the “first timers”. He’s got nothing else to prove, to me, and it’s nice to see him giving back to the sport. PNF was there too with some banter.
Just finished reading his biography. Not the best written book it he world but worth a read. I never realised he was so sick. It really is a great shame but also inspiring that he has managed to fight back from deep depression to now be living a happy life. I have since heard that Emma Carney has had similar troubles.
When you say “deep depression”, how bad did he suffer from it? Was it a medical condition or was it a case of the blues?
Greg Welch is hands down one of the nicest guys i have ever met. He will always leave you laughing ~~ he’s a great athlete and we are very lucky to still have him at race !!
The book describes the period between 2000-2003 as a very dark period for Greg. He has numerous heart surgery where many portions of his heart are burnt in an effort to control the erratic electrical impulses. He spent many weeks in hospital and those close to him thought on a number of occasions that he would die. They needed to insert a defibrillator into his chest that gives him a massive electric shock every time his heart starts to randomly beat above 200 bpm. The shock from the defrib. basically knocks him off his feat. He got to a stage where he was to afraid to go outside or take his children to the beach. How he has managed to bounce back is truly his greatest challenge. While he can no longer go for a job or ride a bike he does a great job with all this triathlon work and looking after his family.
The book is titled “The Heart of a Champion - The Greg Welch Story”
How’s he keeping in shape these days? Anyone know?
He goes for walks and plays golf. I think his story is a timely reminder of just what an extreme sport we participate in. While his condition is rare I understand there is an increasing trend for these type of heart problems in endurance athletes - a number of long distance triathletes and european cyclists have similar conditions.
Make sure you guys all listen to your bodies, back off when necessary and take care of yourselves.
He goes for walks and plays golf. I think his story is a timely reminder of just what an extreme sport we participate in. While his condition is rare I understand there is an increasing trend for these type of heart problems in endurance athletes - a number of long distance triathletes and european cyclists have similar conditions.
Make sure you guys all listen to your bodies, back off when necessary and take care of yourselves.
I thought this is purely genetic. Is there evidence to suggest otherwise?
I also suffer from atrial fibrillation (which I think is Greg’s problem). Fortunately mine is episodic and can be corrected with a trip to emergency at the hospital. The drugs are my excuse for being slower but perhaps that’s age or the extra 10 pounds.
My cardiologist says they don’t know what causes the problem in a particular person - can be genetic, virus, stress or other factors. If he’s right, it’s the luck of the draw.
It wouldn’t be much fun to live the rest of your life with an irregular heartbeat. You just feel whipped all the time.
Here is an interesting link, comes down in favour of no long term damage but I think the jury is still out with the greater scientific community on the damage serious IM athletes are doing to their bodies.
http://www.active.com/story.cfm?story_id=4472
“Based on the worldwide proliferation of Ironman-distance races, it would seem that current triathlon wisdom is that if a little triathlon is good then a lot of triathlon is even better. However, a recent article in the American Journal of Cardiology by Nader Rifai, Ph.D., an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, suggests that Ironman-distance racing may be associated with myocardial injury and short-term abnormalities in heart function.”
I haven’t found the source article quoted.