Runner who collapsed during 2021 Free Press Half Marathon plans to finish from that spot this year

DETROIT (FOX 2) - Tommy Kornieck was running the Detroit Free Press Half Marathon with family members last when he suffered cardiac arrest and collapsed.

He had gotten ahead of his family and planned to meet them at the end, but he never made it to the end.

"Veered off and woke up later," he said. "In the ICU a couple days later."

Kornieck recently finished school to become a physician assistant, and he has a new lease on life. This year, he plans to start the half marathon where he went down and walk the rest of the way.

Tommy Kornieck

"I ended up having surgery and having a defibrillator placed on my left side by my electrophysiologist," he said. "I’m very excited to actually finish the half marathon So im going to start three miles I didn’t finish."

Medical teams are placed along the race route in case of emergencies like Kornieck's.

Henry Ford Health had a team of medical professionals on site ready to jump into action. When they arrived, some bystanders and Detroit police officers had already started CPR.

Read: Police officers reunite with runner they helped save

"We were able to deploy a golf cart and ambulance right then," said Dr. Laura Owczarek, who works in Henry Ford's Department of Emergency Medicine and Sports Medicine.

The details of what happened after he collapsed are still foggy for Kornieck, but race organizers were ready to execute a plan to help save his life.

"The medical organization is really our first priority, and we have tremendous partners in Henry Ford Health that bring such an exceptional expertise as well as response to medical emergencies," said Aaron Vetthoven, the vice president and executive producer of the marathon.