Fitness is not immunity.
The story of two heart attacks — and what every runner needs to hear.
The Five-Part Series
Five episodes. One story. A truth the fitness world doesn't talk about enough.
Heart Over Finish Line is a short-form documentary series built around a real cardiac emergency that happened mid-race — to someone who was, by every measure, healthy. Each episode stands alone, but together they trace a path from invincibility to awareness.
Watch one. Share one. It might be the most important two minutes someone in your life ever sees.
Episode 1 — Untouchable
"I Thought I Was Just Dehydrated"
Resources
Tools, organizations, and communities that support heart health awareness in active adults.
Know Your Risk
Fitness is not immunity. These organizations offer screening guides, symptom checklists, and prevention tools designed for active adults.
American Heart Association
Heart Health Education & Screening
Guidelines, risk assessments, and cardiac health tools for active adults.
Link: heart.org
Mended Hearts
Survivor Support & Community
Connecting cardiac survivors and their families with peer support and resources.
Link: mendedhearts.org
Running Communities
Share the campaign with your running community. These organizations reach millions of recreational athletes across the country.
Road Runners Club of America
Running Clubs & Race Organizers
The nation's largest organization of running clubs — a direct channel to the audience this campaign was built for.
Link: rrca.org
parkrun
Free Weekly Runs, Worldwide
Every Saturday. Every ability. A global community of runners who show up together.
Link: parkrun.com
Know the signs before you need them — download our free heart health handout, backed by the American Heart Association and CDC.
Share the Story
Know a runner, coach, or race organizer who should see this? Send them the campaign or share it with your club
Heart Over Finish Line was born at the intersection of two worlds: endurance athletics and public health communication.
As someone who trains for distance races and works in strategic communications, I kept noticing a gap — active communities talk constantly about pace, gear, and nutrition, but rarely about the one organ doing all the work.
Cardiac risk among active adults is underreported, underdiagnosed, and often invisible until it isn't. This series is an attempt to change that conversation — to bring it out of clinical settings and into the running groups, the training apps, and the social feeds where active adults actually live.
About
Mission
Heart Over Finish Line is not a medical program. It's a media project with a public health mission: to make cardiac awareness part of the culture of endurance sport.
Creator
Dan is a digital media strategist, runner, and MS candidate in Mass Communications at San José State University.
He created Heart Over Finish Line as part of his graduate culminating experience — and because he believes every athlete deserves to cross the finish line for years to come.
He is training for the Medio Maratón Ciudad de México in July 2026.
Advisors
Heart Over Finish Line is guided by an advisory board of communications professionals, health experts, and endurance athletes who believe this conversation is long overdue.
Nisha Garud-Patkar
Committee Chair
Nisha brings academic rigor and strategic communications expertise to the project, serving as committee chair and primary advisor. Her guidance shapes the editorial direction and scholarly integrity of the series.
Michael Brito
Advisor
A leading voice in digital marketing and content strategy, Michael advises on audience development, platform distribution, and how to build media properties that create real impact.
Tina Korani
Advisor
Tina brings expertise in media, communications, and storytelling, helping ensure that Heart Over Finish Line connects with the audiences who need it most.
Bertrand Newson
Advisor — Professional
Known as Coach B, Bertrand is a celebrated endurance coach, marathoner, and community leader who has guided hundreds of athletes to the finish line. His perspective on athletic culture and community health is central to the series.
