Man ready to run TC 5k, months after quadruple bypass

MINNEAPOLIS — When Jim Johnson takes off from the starting line during Saturday's Medtronic 5k race, it will mean so much more to him than just another race.

It symbolizes multiple steps in the right direction for the 14-time marathoner, following months of setbacks.

Simply put: getting to this point wasn't easy.

"It's going to be amazing," Johnson said of the race Saturday.

An avid runner, Johnson noticed something was wrong as he trained earlier this year. Runs that once felt simple became a challenge.

"My running declined from marathoning, to 5k, and then all of the sudden, it went to three-quarters of a mile — and I couldn't get past that three-quarters of a mile," Johnson said, describing a feeling of tightness in his chest. "I thought I was getting asthma, or it was a virus, but it was something more serious."

During a physical this past May, doctors discovered the arteries on the right side of Johnson's heart weren't functioning – two weeks later, he was undergoing a quadruple bypass.

"This isn't supposed to happen to people who are athletic, but it does," he said. "You just keep going. You have to keep going. You're always moving forward. It's a marathon, not a sprint."

Saturday's race will be the first time back on the Twin Cities Marathon course for Johnson. His daughter Katelyn will be running by his side.

"It's been an interesting journey. It's been unexpected," she said. "It was a little uneasy, but I had total confidence he was going to be OK."