JUSTIN FERIA FELT the morning chill across his skin and shook loose, his measured breaths crystallizing before him. Beneath the surface, though, pumped a heart that stirred a warming brew of emotions. It was here in Carlsbad, California, not far from the start of this half-marathon, that his heart donor died in a car accident. He was running today not just for himself, but also for the woman whose presence he could feel on every step of the course, with every beat in his chest.
Feria, 30, was joined that January morning by two other San Diego heart-transplant recipients, Robert French, 46, and Bryon Moore, 52. The men became friends through the transplant “alumni” community at Sharp Memorial Hospital, where all three had their operations. It was on a visit…
