Yesterday, Pat Vellner underwent a heart ablation procedure to resolve an ongoing issue with arrhythmia. Today, a day after the surgery, Vellner gave some insight into what led up to needing the procedure and what recovery looks like.
Vellner said that he first experienced something wrong back in 2024 during 24.3 of the CrossFit Open. That “weird episode” led him to take 98th in the workout, by far his worst of that year’s Open.
He did, however, get it checked out and was diagnosed with atrial flutter, also known as arrhythmia. It is also similar to atrial fibrillation (AFib), although typically less severe.
Vellner obviously continued to compete throughout the 2024 season as the episodes were few and far between. He then moved to eastern Canada and by the time he was settled the 2025 WFP season was in full swing. Thus, he delayed having heart ablation until this off-season.
And that’s why he had the procedure completed yesterday. He said recovery is relatively short with very minimal activity for the next two weeks. Following that he can begin to ramp up training to get ready for the 2026 season.
Will that season include the 2026 CrossFit Open and Games? We don’t know. However, we do know that he will be competing at the 2026 Wodapalooza on March 12. The WFP Tour Stop 1 is on May 1.
Vellner also did not address what could have caused his atrial flutter, if that is even possible to pinpoint.
