Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Addison Cyr back to top running form after dealing with heart condition

BURNT HILLS - Distance running is a grind, the pain and anguish experienced at the finish line are part of the process but for Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Addison Cyr, the physical toll was extreme and by her sophomore year, overwhelming.

Cyr was struggling physically as she finished distance races and as the situation grew worse, Cyr considered giving up the sport.

"My freshman year, I was always dizzy and passing out and throwing up, it felt like my heart was in my ears and it was awful, but I was running great so it didn't matter," Cyr said. "Sophomore year rolls around and I can't finish a race. It was diagnosed as a mental health issue because nobody knew what it was. I was on JV, and I dropped out of every race, I couldn't finish. I got angry at running; I wanted to quit."

The situation came to a head for Cyr during indoor track workouts in March 2024 as she attempted to focus back on sprints, given her struggles at longer distances.

"I did a sprinting workout and I was dizzy and could not breathe," Cyr said. "I laid down to do an ab workout and the whole world turned blue. I had an energy drink before that workout and my heart was skyrocketing.

"I went to the doctor and they said it was mental health and I was having a panic attack. It felt like there was a brick on my chest, my ears and eyes felt like they were popping out."

"Her coach called us after practice and said Addi was having a hard time breathing," Addison's mother, Maria Cyr said. "She was describing all conditions of a heart attack so we went to urgent care and they asked if she had stress in her life or was nervous about something and she said no. She has never been a kid to have a panic attack. When they did the EKG (electrocardiogram), their whole tone changed and the way they were talking to her. They said she actually had something wrong."

Addison Cyr was taken to Albany Medical Center before being diagnosed with Wolff-Parkinson-White syndrome, a rare congenital birth defect characterized by an extra electrical pathway between the heart's upper and lower chambers, a condition that caused her heart to beat at an abnormally fast pace.

"They told me they didn't know what my running career was going to be, and I was thinking I was done running. The outlook was not looking great," Addison Cyr said. 

Cyr's treatment was shifted to Boston Children's Hospital, where she met pediatric cardiologist Dr. Elizabeth DeWitt.

"She was the best doctor ever. She was a competitive swimmer so she understood my pain," Addison Cyr said. "We had a surgery set up in June (2024) and said they were going to get this fixed. We had the surgery, I wake up and everything is cleared, I was good to run."

"They froze her pathways but you have to see if you are cleared after a two-month checkup and then at one year," Maria Cyr said. "She had her one year (checkup) this past June and the extra pathway was still gone."

The road back for Cyr - now a senior - was challenging but a third-place finish in the Section 2 Class B cross country championships her junior season kicked off a year that culminated in her being part of Burnt Hills' outdoor track and field state championship team in the Class B 1,600-meter relay with teammates Julia James, Adalyn Greer, Alexandra O'Rourke.

The foursome was also the top Class B school in the 3,200 relay before moving on to the New Balance Nationals, winning the unseeded 3,200 relay in late June of this year.

"Going into my junior year, I wanted to give running one more shot. We were really focused on building my endurance," Cyr said. "I finished races with a smile, hugged my teammates after racing. I ended up being a state champion and a national champion. Going into this year, I'm a senior and a leader, let me lead my team to states, to nationals, let me be the person to lean on like when I needed people to lean on. I don't want to jinx it but this season has been perfect. I've been (putting up personal records) like crazy, workouts are awesome."

Cyr has committed to run at the University of Buffalo and her journey helped her choose a career path as she is going to major in biomedical sciences.

"I'm so glad I gave running another shot. Without it, I wouldn't be going to the college I'm going to and accomplishing everything I'm accomplishing," Addison Cyr said. "I want to help people in the hospital like when I needed it."

"We had a child who was an amazing runner and she is so humble," Maria Cyr said. "Even that year when she couldn't compete at that level, she still trained with her team. She said she was coming back with a vengeance, she ate right and went to running camp. She never gave up."

This article originally published at Burnt Hills-Ballston Lake's Addison Cyr back to top running form after dealing with heart condition.