Las Vegas marathoner overcomes heart issues, 2 minutes of death

Las Vegas real estate agent Randy Lazer appreciates every second of life.

Especially after enduring two minutes of death.

“I think of it quite often,” said Lazer, recalling the white lights he saw when his heart stopped beating on Oct. 27, 2002. “I was given a second chance. That really made me recognize that life is about the interactions we have with people. It’s not necessarily about all the things we do with work or the money we try to accumulate. It’s really about the good people in my life.”

That and the Las Vegas Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon.

Lazer, 60, suffered a myocardial infarction — known colloquially as a heart attack — and was dead for two minutes before doctors revived him. He was subsequently diagnosed with coronary artery disease and told he would die by 2005 at the latest. But he didn’t mope about his condition and instead found salvation in distance running, a sport that he says saved his life before the heart attack and has lengthened his life since then.

Healthy and active, Lazer is preparing to run the Las Vegas marathon for the 18th consecutive year and preparing for what he believes is a normal life expectancy.

“I actually hope to be running in my 90s,” Lazer proudly professed. “To be able to (complete a marathon), even though I’m doing it slower, is more meaningful because of my age. … And when you cross that line, it’s really something.”

Before the heart attack

Lazer grew up in East Lansing, Michigan, without much regard for his health. He graduated from Duke and earned a master’s degree in international economics from Michigan State before moving to Las Vegas to escape the frigid winters. All the while, he says he ate “terribly” and “drank a bit” while avoiding physical exercise until he was 30.

He’s not exactly sure why he started running, noting only that “something internally” changed.

“Something in my core kicked in,” he said. “It wasn’t any specific event.”

Lazer was plagued by asthma and couldn’t complete a half-mile without throwing up when he began running. But he kept at it, eventually completing a mile.

Then two miles. And on and on.

He said his asthma went away as he improved his physical condition and tailored his lifestyle around diet and fitness. He minimized the consumption of fats to maximize his athletic performance and sought to run a marathon as his endurance flourished.

“Randy is probably one of the most mentally tough runners that I’ve ever known, and I’ve run with a lot of runners over the years,” said Mark Otero, a former colleague and veteran distance runner who helped Lazer train. “He’s not physically gifted, but he’s mentally strong.”

At 38, Lazer completed his first marathon in Las Vegas in 1997. and continued pursuing better health and faster times He ran three additional marathons and was in perhaps the best shape of his life at 43.

But despite having only 8 percent body fat, he had a heart attack. He was hospitalized after he had to cut short a training run.

“My guess is he was actually having the beginning stages of a heart attack while we were running,” said Dennis Hecker, a close friend of Lazer’s who was training with him before Lazer was hospitalized. “He just didn’t know it was a heart attack.”

Hecker said Lazer responded to it by “in essence, not giving up and staying positive. Always knowing he would recover. … That’s how Randy always is.”

Lazer was revived with an injection of atropine and had double bypass surgery about three months before the 2003 Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon. He couldn’t walk up the stairs when he returned to his house. Running another marathon seemed impossible.

But he began walking, first in six-minute intervals before building up to a full mile 12 days after returning to his home. He trained for six weeks and completed the 26.2-mile run faster than ever before.

“I thought everything was going to be good,” Lazer said. “I got my life back. Everything was fine.”

Until it wasn’t.

More trouble

Lazer’s heart continued to trouble him after the 2003 Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon, prompting another invasive surgery and the deadly diagnosis of coronary artery disease. His arteries were narrow, and blood flow was restricted by 40 percent. Doctors said his disease was “highly accelerated” and gave him a year to live.

If that.

Lazer lamented the diagnosis for all of 10 minutes.

“I get this death sentence,” he said, “but after hearing that from the doctor, I realized I can’t control when I die. I can do everything possible to live as healthy as I can be. All of a sudden, I was good.”

Lazer explored alternative treatments and starting drinking juice blends comprised of organic fruits and vegetables. His heart continued to deteriorate, but he continued running, noting that his prime physical condition probably saved his life.

His positivity never waned. Not even after five additional heart surgeries. He simply searched for new solutions.

And he never stopped running.

Refuge in running

In 2008, Lazer discovered the treatment that he says improved his condition more than anything else. Something called chelation therapy, a “chemical process in which a synthetic solution — EDTA (ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid) — is injected into the bloodstream to remove heavy metals and/or minerals from the body,” per the University of Michigan.

He stumbled upon the treatment while perusing the internet and ordered some pills. He insists they changed his life.

“I take these pills, I do this juicing, and six days later I’m feeling good,” Lazer said. “I say, ‘Let’s go out for a run.’ Ran a couple miles, didn’t die. Next day, I ran four miles. Eight weeks later, I did a 10-mile run.”

Then he ran his seventh consecutive Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon.

“He won’t ever stop running,” Hecker said. “He won’t ever stop being active.”

The combination of juicing and chelation therapy has worked wonders for Lazer, who maintains a strict diet of organic fruits and vegetables and lean meats. He doesn’t drink alcohol and limits fats, sugars and dairy.

He runs regularly at Buckskin Park or Red Rock and trains with weights at a local gym.

“It’s the center focus of his life,” Hecker said. “Exercise as a whole has been a centerpiece of his life and how he lives his life. … He feels that without that, he wouldn’t have survived.”

Lazer says that his blood flow is still restricted by 30 percent because of his disease. But he’s feeling healthy and strong ahead of Sunday’s marathon. He’s completed the Rock ’n’ Roll Marathon 20 times. He also has run marathons in California and Arizona.

Life is good.

“The little things don’t bother me as much,” Lazer said. “My philosophy now is if you’re going to be upset, it’s really got to be worthwhile. And lastly, we can’t control other people. Don’t ever think you’re going to change anybody else. Just give them encouragement and do what you can.”

Contact reporter Sam Gordon at sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon on Twitter.