Volunteers Alan Barry (St John Ambulance) and Robert Klimaszewski (Civil Defence) at the Cork City Marathon medical centre. Mr Barry was one of the first responders to a runner having a cardiac arrest on the South Link Road on Sunday

Meet the medics who saved the lives of two runners who went into cardiac arrest during the Cork city marathon.

Dr Jason van der Velde, a pre-hospital emergency medicine and critical care retrieval physician at Cork University Hospital (CUH) who has been the marathon’s medical director for just over a decade, said both runners would have died were it not for the swift actions and skills of the medics who were on duty across the race course, and who were supported by statutory agencies and community bystanders.

Dr Jason, who ran this year’s race alongside hit-and-run survivor, Olivia Keating, to raise funds to train more volunteer medics, said he hopes the news will “jolt people into donating” to their campaign.

“These men’s hearts stopped. They were dead. We need to show appreciation to these medical volunteers and reward them with more training,” he said.

The first incident occurred between mile 16 and 17 on the South Link Road on Sunday when a man in his 40s went into cardiac arrest.

Volunteers from Cork City Civil Defence were first on the scene, followed by a volunteer paramedic and an advanced paramedic from St John Ambulance, followed by a volunteer emergency medical technician (EMT) with St John Ambulance, Alan Barry, and a critical care paramedic from West Cork Rapid Response (WCRR).

Dr Jason and Olivia came across the scene as the medics worked on the stricken runner.

“They had defibrillated him and restarted his heart,” Dr Jason said. “I considered stopping but they told me to ‘jog on - we got this’. And they did.

That was a defining moment of the marathon for me. We have invested in these guys, they knew what to do, they said they got it, and they had.

Members of Cork City Fire Brigade also tended to the patient who was resuscitated on the roadside before being transported by Civil Defence members under garda escort to CUH.

Later, another man, around the same age, who had completed the race and collected his medal, went into cardiac arrest in the Maldron Hotel on the South Mall. Staff dialled 999, started CPR and used the hotel’s defibrillator as they waited for medics. Their actions were critical to the man’s survival.

Mr Barry, and two volunteers from St John Ambulance arrived first, before members of WCRR, the National Ambulance Service, firefighters and Cork City First Responders arrived. In total, 19 medics helped resuscitate the man before his transfer to hospital.

Dr Jason said: “Both men will make good recoveries.

“This was a team effort involving multiple voluntary agencies and statutory services. And this is why these people are alive.

If there was any reason why Olivia and I were raising money, this is it. We invest a lot into all aspects of training and this is where it pays dividends.

Mr Barry said: “The positive outcomes go to show the importance of first aid training in the community, and the huge team efforts involved in preserving life. I wish the patients well."

You can donate to Olivia Keating’s fundraising drive on GoFundMe.

Read More'Tears froze on my face' - Kinsale woman does ultra-marathon after learning to walk again

Sign up to to get the latest news direct to your inbox daily at 1pm

Commemorating 100 years since the War of Independence

Select your favourite newsletters and get the best of Irish Examiner delivered to your inbox

© Irish Examiner Ltd, Linn Dubh, Assumption Road, Blackpool, Cork. Registered in Ireland: 523712.