Sitkan beat alcohol and heart attack to run New York marathon

Jeff Wright's long road to recovery led him from addiction and a heart attack in his 50s to hiking trails around Sitka and competing in the New York City Marathon.

A lifelong Sitkan, Wright, who is 60, said he ran the 26.2 mile race on Nov. 7 to demonstrate that it's possible to recover from a variety of health issues. He hopes his example inspires those recovering from heart attacks or addiction.

"Being in recovery and showing people that you can do it coming back from a heart attack," he said. "I did it in memory of all those people."

He added, "Family members are absolutely torn by being witness to the destruction of addiction. It's heartbreaking that these people are involved with the family members and they suffer too. ... Life isn't over at 60. Life isn't over after a heart attack. A good life awaits you in recovery and I'm just trying to help folks," Wright said.

Wright suffered a heart attack in 2018 and spent years of his life grappling with alcohol addiction. He's been sober since 2014.

"I ran this race in memory of those I knew, literally hundreds over a quarter-century in my health care career, that lost their lives to drugs and/or alcohol. I ran this race to honor those still in the struggle. I also ran this race in support of family members affected by that all."

He completed the course in 5:08:50 to place 18,138th out of 24,947 finishers.

Wright's desire to compete in the iconic contest took hold after watching the race two years ago.

"My girlfriend (Carrie Calvin) and I went to the finish two years prior to last year, when they canceled it, and we were at the finish line and watching all these people from all different walks of life and it's really inspiring," he said.

For Wright, watching people with disabilities compete in the race was particularly uplifting.

"The wheelchair people were really inspiring. You had people that were double amputees that were doing it on these special boards, those ones that look like tricycles. ... You can't help but get caught up in all the enthusiasm of the moment, all the emotion. It's very impressive."

In the race itself, Wright said he felt good, but his aging joints became painful in the final stretch.

"It was my joints that betrayed me," he wrote in an email. "By Mile 23, both ankles were shot. Every single step was pain. I slowed considerably. Quitting wasn't an option."

Despite this, Wright is already making plans for his next marathon.

"I'm going to do it again! I was thinking about doing the one in Miami in February, but it all depends," he said.

He recalled the incident that pushed him to sobriety in 2014. It was a six-week bender that left him nearly dead and hospitalized in Seattle.

Recovery didn't happen all at once, he said.

"It's a daily process. It's not an easy process, you have to be committed, you have to be resolute. But you know that the options are bad, death for one. Jails, institution and death are what await an alcoholic," he said.

Alcohol and drugs, he said, waste a person's time. "You waste time when you are under the influence and you don't realize that at the moment, but when you're my age you realize how much time you wasted when you were drunk and you don't get that back."

Following his heart attack in 2018, Wright said, he dropped 40 pounds and began exercising on a stationary bike. Both his father and grandfather died of heart attacks at 67.

Running through New York City's five boroughs, Wright experienced the full enthusiasm of New Yorkers for their marathon.

"Running through all the boroughs, seeing all the different walks of life, the enthusiasm and the diversity. New Yorkers embrace this race. ... The whole experience was incredible and if you're a runner or you know a runner, they need to do that race one time, absolutely incredible," Wright said.