A parkrunner who survived a mystery cardiac arrest marked one year since his dice with death by pulling on his running shoes again.

Marytn Wood had been taking part in Sittingbourne Parkrun in Milton Creek Country Park on Saturday, March 4 last year when he collapsed just 50 metres from the finish line.

Thanks to the quick reactions of some of the runners who knew CPR, and the organisers dashing to his side with a defibrillator, Marytn’s heart was restarted.

An air ambulance took the 68-year-old to William Harvey Hospital in Ashford.

The Belmont Road resident was in a coma for four days and spent three weeks in the hospital.

Despite the harrowing experience, Martyn cannot recall the day itself or the two days leading up to his cardiac arrest.

He said: “I have no recollection of what happened and only know what I have been told by my daughter Vickie, who was there on the day.

“It’s probably a good thing I can't remember it.

“Vickie told me that I collapsed and that I was doing fish shapes with my lips while my eyes had rolled backwards.

“Luckily some of the runners who were behind me gave me CPR and the organiser, Yvonne Crawford, came with a defibrillator.

“I vaguely remember dreaming about having gloves that I couldn’t pull off. It turned out the nurses had put mittens on me to stop me from pulling off important cannulas.

“When I woke up I thought it was Christmas Day 2026, for some reason.

“I was then on a lot of medication and painkillers which made me hallucinate. It made it hard to sleep for the first few days.”

Despite tests being carried out, doctors could not find a cause for Martyn’s heart problem.

“They have no clue what caused it,” he said. “I was only walking, so it can’t have been caused by that.

“I am just glad that it happened at the parkrun because I don’t think I would be here if I had been anywhere else.”

After being allowed to rest for two weeks he was sent to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in London where he had a defibrillator fitted under his left breast.

He then was discharged and allowed to return home where he spent six weeks recovering.

In October last year, after building up his fitness by taking his dog on walks, he returned to the Sittingbourne Parkrun to take part in one.

Afterwards, Martyn decided it was better for him to volunteer as a marshall but on Saturday, March 2, he put on his trainers for the second time and completed a run to mark the year anniversary.

He said: “I go most weeks to guide the runners but also shout a bit of encouragement.

“It’s also a way of saying thank you to those who saved me.

“Saturday was lovely as the race was dedicated to me. It meant I could thank a few people and it made me feel like a celebrity.

“I am just so grateful to be alive because without the parkrunners and the fantastic air ambulance, I wouldn’t be alive.”

The parkrun has set up a JustGiving page which you can view here.

Donations go to the Kent Air Ambulance.