He overcame COVID-19. The next step in his recovery: The Honolulu Marathon

HONOLULU (HawaiiNewsNow) - Douglas Inouye is a 60-year-old attorney with The Queen’s Health Systems and an endurance athlete.

Before the pandemic, he competed in triathlons and ran marathons in Honolulu, Japan and across the mainland. He never thought he’d cross paths with coronavirus.

“I felt like I was in the prime of health when I got hit. Let me tell you, it is no joke,” he said.

In July, 2020, while training for a race, the symptoms started with sniffles and a slight fever.

“And then one night, I just woke up in the middle of the night and couldn’t breathe. It felt like I was underwater just trying to get air,” he said.

Queen’s doctors said Inouye was suffering from COVID-19 and double pneumonia. He was hospitalized twice with coronavirus-related conditions, including a blood clot in his left leg.

“Thank God it was just that,” he said. “It hadn’t migrated to my lungs or anything. I was on blood thinners for three months.”

It took months for him to gradually build back some endurance. But more than a year after getting COVID, some effects still linger.

“It was a crazy crazy ride,” he said.

Earlier this month, Inouye ran the New York City Marathon, the biggest test since he got sick.

“But again, during this marathon, hitting one of the latter hills, I had to almost stop and say, ‘Breathe!’ I almost had to tell myself, ‘Breathe!’” he said.

Inouye isn’t taking chances. He got vaccinated and took a booster shot.

“I don’t take anything for granted. I was really lucky,” he said.

He thanks Queen’s physicians, family and friends for getting him through a trying time in his life. He’s happy to be able to run again. He’s not as fast as he used to be but he’s back on his feet.

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