The American Heart Association is bringing Hands-Only CPR training to the inaugural National Women's Soccer League (NWSL) Championship 5K presented by CVS Health, an activation that underscores the critical role bystanders play in cardiac emergencies and extends the league's push to make CPR training a standard part of its culture. The 5K is set for Nov. 21 at The Wharf in Washington, D.C., during NWSL Championship Weekend, and the Association will offer education designed to help fans recognize cardiac arrest and act quickly.
The stakes are stark: nearly 9 in 10 people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital do not survive, according to the American Heart Association, yet immediate CPR can double or even triple a person's chance of survival. The Championship 5K activation builds on the NWSL's formal collaboration with the Association, through which the organizations have provided CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) education to professional players, coaches and staff across all 16 clubs, making the NWSL the first American professional sports league to offer CPR training leaguewide. Led by Angel City FC defender and cardiac arrest survivor Savy King, player ambassadors across the league encourage fans to learn Hands-Only CPR, understand the importance of AEDs and take charge of their heart health.
"Most people who experience cardiac arrest outside a hospital depend on someone nearby to take action before medical help arrives," said Nancy Brown, chief executive officer of the American Heart Association. "NWSL Championship Weekend gives the American Heart Association an opportunity to help more people learn Hands-Only CPR and gain the confidence to act when every second counts." The CPR experience is part of the Association's broader Nation of Lifesavers™ movement, which aims to double the survival rates of cardiac arrest by the year 2030.
The Association, which publishes the official scientific guidelines for CPR, notes that Hands-Only CPR, also known as compression-only CPR, can be effective in the first few minutes after a teen or adult experiences cardiac arrest and is a skill everyone everywhere can learn. It is as simple as calling 911 and pushing hard and fast in the center of the chest. The Association has been identified by the Annenberg Public Policy Center as the most trusted public health information source after an individual's personal health care provider, with more than 8 in 10 (82%) U.S. adults saying they are confident in the Association to provide trustworthy public health information.
At the 5K, fans can visit the American Heart Association CPR experience to practice Hands-Only CPR, learn how to recognize cardiac arrest and become part of the Nation of Lifesavers movement. Additional resources include Bystander CPR guidance and a Bystander CPR Infographic. The Association also offers Hands-Only CPR Resources and a comparison of Hands-Only CPR vs CPR with Breaths, along with material explaining the difference between Cardiac Arrest vs. Heart Attack. For those seeking to address inequities in response, a Reducing Disparities for Out-of-Hospital Cardiac Arrest community toolkit is available in English and Spanish versions. Those who want to learn more can visit www.heart.org/nation or take 90 seconds to learn how to save a life at www.heart.org/HandsOnlyCPR.
The activation matters because it puts CPR training in front of a captive audience of runners and soccer supporters, converting a recreational event into a public health opportunity. With the NWSL becoming the first U.S. professional sports league to train all its clubs and with player ambassadors championing the cause, the Championship 5K could help normalize bystander intervention and move the Nation of Lifesavers closer to its goal of doubling survival by 2030.
