That started a vicious cycle, where he would undergo treatment, recover, and start training before suffering another attack.
"That just went on for about two-and-a-half years - every four to six months I'd have another heart attack. Then I got so unwell I could hardly run to catch a bus, so they decided to do a bypass."
The operation seemed to have been a success - van der Laan felt great, the recovery had gone well, and he'd started to train again for his beloved Coast to Coast. He went into hospital to do a final treadmill test with a cardiologist, which he passed with flying colours. But as soon as he got home he had another heart attack.
"They couldn't give me a definitive reason why I was having [them]," he says. "They were struggling - doing their utmost. Anatomically I've got some weird things going on."
Van der Laan's last attack was in August 2013. His cardiologist made changes to his medication and, since then, he hasn't suffered another one. The respite meant van der Laan could set his sights on crossing the South Island again, which he did in the two-day event last year.
But the one-dayer, known as the Longest Day, has always been van der Laan's primary goal.
The course is split into six stages involving running, cycling and kayaking. Participants set off from Kumara on the West Coast and travel the 243km via Goat Pass near Arthur's Pass to Christchurch's Brighton Beach on the east coast.
Menno van der Laan says being waylaid by illness put a "bee in his bonnet". Photo / Colm Denton
"On some level I probably have to [say] I'm a bit mad doing a one-dayer," van der Laan says. "That's cool. I just have to do it.
"What I've had to go through has woken me up to the privilege and the gift you have being able to attend these sort of things. I should have done it 10 years ago, but didn't. And then when I was thwarted, I just got a bee in my bonnet frankly.
"At this point it's who I am. I have to do [it] because it's indicative of me beating this thing."
The bee in van der Laan's bonnet meant he barely took a break after last year's two-dayer before cracking into it again.
"I probably had six weeks after last year, not really training much, just going for the odd run or cycle with friends. For the rest of the time I've been quietly nudging ahead, up to 12 to 15-hour weeks of training.
"I still have to be careful. I can't hit red zones too often, so I have to do a lot more in that zone just under, a lot more endurance racing."
The uniqueness of the gruelling challenge is what appeals most to van der Laan.
"Nobody else has a coast-to-coast," he says. "It's iconic - it's just quintessentially Kiwi. It's an event that welcomes and challenges. It's in your face. It just says it all."
As much as he loves the event, van der Laan knows that his heart may not let him do another one, so he's determined to make the most of it.
"This is probably my last crack at it," he says. "It's not just the time, it's the demands on family life. I have kids and a wife.
"It's all there is for me at the moment. It kind of has to be. If I don't get myself together it won't happen, I won't finish."
The Coast to Coast attracts people from all walks of life, from the physically blessed to the seriously challenged. Van der Laan's message for anybody thinking of trying it is simple: don't let anybody, including yourself, hold you back.
"There will always be people around who discourage you and say you're mad. [But] that's all external.
"I would encourage everybody to find something that challenges them, point themselves in that direction, and just head for it."
Coast to Coast
When: February 13-14.
What: Six stages involving running, cycling and kayaking from Kumara to Brighton Beach in Christchurch - 243km in total.
Events: Competitors can do the one-day event, the two-day event, the two-day tandem event, or the mountain run.
For more information visit: www.coasttocoast.co.nz/
