January 31st, 2020 – Summit4CAD Founder Jon Patrick Hyde has successfully crossed over the 50,000 mile threshold for miles cycled after a STEMI – widowmaker heart attack.
The widowmaker heart attack is the name given to a STEMI (ST Elevated Myocardial Infarction) event affecting the LAD (Left Anterior Descending) Coronary Artery. STEMI heart attacks are identified as 100% blockages of a coronary artery. They are 100% fatal if untreated.
The survival statistics for a STEMI event in the LAD (widowmaker) are dire; only 10% of widowmaker sufferers survive. This 10% almost always face some form of permanent heart tissue damage. This damage can be minor or can be significant. Significant post widowmaker heart damage can cause permanent disability. It also greatly reduces life expectancy.
Heart Disease is the #1 cause of early disability among adults in the United States each year.
Jon was very fortunate for he is one of a very small number of widowmaker survivors who did not experience any permanent heart damage as a result of his heart attack. This has allowed him to reengage his life without limitations.
Jon cycled a total of 50,013.2 miles from February 1st, 2017 to January 31st, 2020. He has slowly ramped-up his mileage since getting medical clearance to resume cycling post widowmaker.
He cycled 11,922.8 miles between February 2017 and January 2018.
He cycled 17,472.8 miles between February 2018 and January 2019.
He cycled 20,617.6 miles between February 2019 and January 2020.
Summit4CAD Founder Jon Patrick Hyde Named American Heart Association Ambassador
April 14th, 2020 – Santa Barbara, CA –Summit4CAD founder Jon Patrick Hyde has been named an Ambassador for the American Heart Association, representing the Central Coast of California.
“I’m incredibly honored to have been asked to represent such an amazing organization. The American Heart Association is so much more than prevention education, community outreach, and survivor support; the AHA funds vital research which has resulted in advances in medications, technology and surgical techniques which have saved lives… mine included.”
Jon was the keynote speaker at this year’s Go Red for Women luncheon in Santa Barbara, Friday, February 14th, 2020. This event premiered a promotional video shot for the American Heart Association which features Jon and his survival story.
This video will be featured to present Jon’s story as he participates in events throughout Central California on behalf of the American Heart Association.
Jon is the event chair for the inaugural American Heart Association/American Stroke Association CycleNation, a cycling oriented event designed to raise awareness of Stroke and Heart Disease risks.
CycleNation will be held May 30th, 2020, in Santa Barbara, CA at Mad Fitness. For more information please visit: www.heart.org/cyclenationsb
This 30 second video trailer features Summit4CAD Founder Jon Patrick Hyde. A full length video produced by the American Heart Association will be premiered at the 2020 American Heart Association Go Red for Women Luncheon in Santa Barbara, CA, February 14th.
ABOUT GO RED FOR WOMEN
The American Heart Association’s signature women’s initiative, Go Red for Women, is a comprehensive platform designed to increase women’s heart health awareness and serve as a catalyst for change to improve the lives of women globally.
It’s no longer just about wearing red; it’s no longer just about sharing heart health facts. It’s about all women making a commitment to stand together with Go Red and taking charge of their own heart health as well as the health of those they can’t bear to live without. Making a commitment to your health isn’t something you have to do alone either, so grab a friend or a family member and make a Go Red Healthy Behavior Commitment today.
Please show your support for the American Heart Association!
@AHACentralCoast
#GoRedSB
Photo by Ashleigh Taylor Henning
Video by TV Santa Barbara for the American Heart Association
Summit4CAD Founder Jon Patrick Hyde Cycles 20,000 Miles in 12 Months
Summit4CAD Founder and Executive Director Jon Patrick Hyde has successfully reached his goal of cycling 20,000 miles (50 miles/day) for the 12 month period between May, 2018 and April 2019. Jon crossed the 20,000 mile threshold on April 24, 2019.
Jon successfully completed a large mountain summit course on May 5th, 2018 and started an intense daily mileage routine after.
“After cycling Mt. Lemmon in Arizona last May (May 5th, 2018), I was a little discouraged with my performance climbing that mountain. I had dealt with having to ride indoors for nearly a month due to poor air quality from the Thomas Fire and I never really got back on track. As a result I found Mt. Lemmon to be as challenging as Mt. Haleakala. And by the numbers it’s half as difficult. I knew I needed to get refocused and dedicate myself to some intense training.”
Summit4CAD Founder Jon Patrick Hyde on his Eagle Bicycles Z3 while climbing Gibraltar Rd in California
Consulting with his cardiologist, a nutrition consultant, and a sports medicine physiology expert, Jon decided to spend the summer of 2018 focused on increasing his endurance capacity.
“One thing sort of led to another. I was focused on pushing myself to increase my endurance and shortly I realized that if I kept the pace up I could really set a new record for myself in mileage cycled for a year. When I hit 10,000 miles at 6 months in I knew that 20,000 miles was doable.”
Central California experienced a mild winter and this provided Jon the days he needed cycling outdoors to keep his mileage on track. By switching up the bicycle he rode, choosing the bike to fit the weather conditions, he was able to ride through the rainy winter season without missing but a handful of days.
“My bicycle sponsor, Eagle Bicycles, sent me this awesome carbon fiber 29er mountain bike and it became my go-to ride for bad weather. I rode through some gnarly weather safely and with confidence on that bike. I would have missed a lot more days if not for it.”
Jon Patrick Hyde At the Goleta Pier in the rain on my trusty Eagle Bicycles Patriot Mountain Bike.
I saw more rainbows this year than any other time of my life. I took it as a good omen!
One great thing about riding in the rain is getting to see rainbows!
“Once I got through to 9 months I realized that my body had changed dramatically. My huge, heavy sprinter/time trial legs were now thinner, leaner, and better able to go long distances.”
Endurance sports are often a high-wire act, balancing health benefits with the harm that can come from overworking yourself. To make sure that his message of cycling for health benefits doesn’t get overshadowed by his adherence to pushing his physical limits; Jon has been very vocal about how his 20,000 mile goal should be viewed.
“I’ve had to work really hard to avoid harming myself. I’ve worked with an exercise physiologist to ensure I don’t develop repetition injuries. I’ve paid really close attention to my diet. I started taking branched chain amino acids and electrolytes on my rides to ensure my muscles recover optimally. And I have had to fight exhaustion. This shouldn’t be attempted by anyone without the assistance and approval of qualified medical professionals. That being said, if you want to push yourself to the limits of your physical abilities; I’m a 49 year old heart attack survivor who has successfully done it. I fully believe that if I can do it, you can too.”
Jon Patrick Hyde on successfully completing 20,000 miles cycled in one year.
The Eagle Bicycles Z3 – custom Summit4CAD bicycle – Jon’s #1 bicycle for events and training.
Jon Patrick Hyde enjoying a time trial ride in his Smith Optics Podium TT Helmet
When questioned by cyclists and non-cyclists as to why he’d attempt such an ambitious mileage goal Jon has said,
“I truly believe that although genetics can set certain limitations for us or can set us up to develop certain conditions and/or diseases; I am living proof that our minds can be just as powerful in determining if we surrender to our genetics or fight to push ourselves beyond.
No one in my family had ever beat the Widowmaker. And no one in my family before me had worked as hard as I have to beat it. Without thinking about my heart for I was solely focused on alleviating back pain; I made a series of deliberate lifestyle choices that not only addressed my back pain issues but they prepared me to survive a massive heart attack. That’s always been the message of Summit4CAD; if this happened to me it can happen to you.
Don’t gamble with your life. Know your risk and make choices to live a healthier life. There are NO limitations except those that you chose to accept for yourself. I wanted to see if I could do mileage on par with what an active professional cyclist half my age does… And I met that goal.”
Jon’s stats for the 12 months between May 2018 and April 2019 are below.
For more information on Summit4CAD please feel free to contact us.
“HEY! I hope it’s beautiful wherever you are. No excuses! GO RIDE A BIKE!!!” ~ Jon Patrick Hyde
Summit4CAD is focused on prevention. Let’s change the way medicine is practiced by becoming better stewards of our own health. This means being educated, informed, and willing to look at the unpleasant reality of our unhealthy lifestyle choices so we can minimize our chances of developing CAD.
One of the main reasons I decided to start Summit4CAD was the frustration I felt while sitting in the hospital (and later after my discharge – at home) trying to locate information on what I had just experienced, why I had experienced it, and what I was looking forward to in terms of recovery and possible permanent life changes.
This list of frequently asked questions is a compilation of the questions I had and the resulting research I uncovered during my recovery. The answers to these questions were taken from sourced – legitimate medical resources such as the CDC, American Heart Association, and the American College of Cardiology. In places where appropriate I have added anecdotal information regarding what I experienced during my heart attack, surgery, recovery, and now rehabilitation.
Please note that no one answer will ever fit every situation. From individual to individual; circumstances, genetics, lifestyle choices, age, sex, ethnicity, etc… may greatly affect the outcome of what you or a loved one experiences. This resource is more about answering the generalities surrounding CAD.
Lastly I want to share a frustration that I was exposed to 20+ years ago when I was working as a medical professional; too often medicine is focused on the aftermath of a disease. We should be looking at how to best prevent a deadly disease like CAD instead of focusing on the treatment of it after it has affected a patient’s life.
Below are a list of questions with links to articles written to answer them.
Summit4CAD, Inc. 