A 60-year-old man is alive thanks to a little luck and a few strategically placed guardian angels running alongside him in the Lincoln marathon on Sunday.
Wallace Boever has run dozens of marathons over the years, so a half marathon three days after his 60th birthday seemed just right. About 10 miles into the race, Boever said he ran into trouble.
He stopped, but doesn’t remember collapsing. A cardiologist from North Platte was running right behind him.
The cardiologist started CPR immediately. He was joined by a couple other doctors — one who knew Boever.
Neill Mollard said Boever helped him decide to go into medicine 14 years ago.
“(I) hardly know anybody in this town, and the one person I stop to help is Wally Boever. I mean that's not a coincidence,” Mollard said.
Boever calls it divine intervention. A military medic showed up with a breathing mask and shocked Boever’s heart back into rhythm.
Within hours, doctors at the hospital had placed a stint to clear a blocked artery in Boever’s system.
On Wednesday, Boever checked out of BryanLGH Hospital.
As Boever ponders his luck, his wife, eight children and 24 grandchildren are thankful he’s still around.
Boever’s not giving up running, though he said he’ll have a friend by his side at his next race.