Pier medics without peer
THE competition in the water at the Lorne Pier to Pub is nothing compared with the race for life away from the course, as Howard Fuller knows all too well.
The extreme demands of the annual swim, which is tomorrow, and its running event are so severe the course has its own pop-up hospital complete with intensive care unit.
After suffering a heart attack mid-race during the Mountain to Surf running section of the race in 2013, Mr Fuller, 72, owes his life to the volunteer medics.
“I had no warning whatsoever. It just came on and the lights went out,” he said.
“I said ‘I am completely gone, I’ve gone to the other side’.”
As he lay on the course a nurse running behind him offered assistance and moments later a lifesaver was on hand to provide CPR.
As an ambulance was called the volunteers who run the clinic for the Lorne Surf Life Saving Club — specialists including emergency doctors, anaesthetists and nurses — saved the veteran athlete’s life.
Mr Fuller was taken to Geelong hospital where he had one stent put in, before undergoing more surgery at St Vincent’s Private for another five stents — underlining the severity of his attack and the capabilities of the on-course medics.
“I am very lucky. It is just a matter of the strategic planning of the people that run the event,” Mr Fuller said.
“With the swim and the run, everything is about safety and they take every precaution in the book.”
Anaesthetist Kevin Moriarty, on duty when Mr Fuller “hit the deck”, oversaw the event’s safety for many years.
While most competitors in the world’s largest bluewater event are barely aware of the specialised medical service, about one in 10 need treatment — though in extra hot or wet years the numbers can climb.
“There are two potential problems. On the Friday, during the run, we face a problem of hyperthermia,” Dr Moriarty said.
“On the Saturday, in the swim, we face the problem of hypothermia, because they are in cold water.”