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Road race helps PTC man discover health issue

Thousands of people have run the PTC Classic 5K and 15K over the past 24 years. Each and everyone has their own unique story of how they trained for and achieved their goal and the sense of accomplishment they felt afterwards. For one participant, however, the PTC Classic 15K he ran in 1997 was not the end of the story, but the beginning of another chapter in his life.

Peachtree City resident Ben Kirkland started running in 1988 when he was 34 years old. He ran the Chicago Marathon in 1992 while living in Memphis and then made a job-related move to Peachtree City in 1995. He dove right into the traditions of the area by running the PTC Classic 5K in the very next year in ‘96. He finished with a very respectable 22:06 - in the top one fifth of the pack. Wanting to take on a greater challenge, he decided to tackle the 15K the following year in ‘97. But this race was different than the last.

“I struggled through the race. I posted a real slow time and felt bad afterwards.,”Kirkland recalled. “I went to my kid’s soccer game later and basically felt real tired the rest of the day. I knew something was not right. The following week I went to my Doctor and got an EKG, but they found nothing suspicious. But based on my issues and the fact that I was a runner and looked healthy, they scheduled me for a stress test later in the week. The test revealed the need for a heart catherization which was scheduled for the following week.”

Kirkland’s left main artery was 90 percent blocked and he also had two other blocked arteries. Two hours later, he was on the operating table undergoing emergency triple by-pass surgery.”

Kirkland not only survived the surgery, but went on to run the Classic 15K every year since then except for 1999 when he stepped in a hole while training and severely sprained his ankle.

“I know that if I had not pushed my training miles up to participate in the PTC Classic 15K race, I would have probably never discovered the life-threatening blockage until it was too late.,” said Kirkland. “So the PTC Classic is very special to me. My wife, Pam, and I call it our Celebration of Life Race. As you can see, I have a tremendous interest in this race...Life!!”

Kirkland will be running the 15K again this year to continue his streak and to try and improve on his steadily decreasing time. It will truly be a family affair this year. His daughter, Mallory, will be running the 15K as well while wife Pam and other daughter Meg and son Wes will be running the 5K.

“I am so glad the doctors discovered the blockage and were able to operate before it became a heart attack they were dealing with,” said Race Director Rose Kempton. Kempton stated the purpose of the Classic is to promote fitness among the participants but urges runners to ensure they are cleared by their doctor if there is any question about their medical condition.

Applications are available at various locations in Peachtree City, Newnan, and Fayetteville, including local recreation departments, libraries, and sporting goods stores. Applications are also available at some of the sponsors of the race, including Chic-Fil-A, World Gym, Talbot State Bank, Wyndham Peachtree Conference Center, Mahaffey Orthodontics, FC&A, Publix, and Southside Consulting. You can also register on line at www.ptcrc.com. If you have any further questions about the race, you can send e-mail to ptcclassic@bellsouth.net.