Marathon miracle

Shane Reading (right) with Royton Road Runner John Lambe

Hit-and-run victim Shane completes 26-mile race
A RUNNER is celebrating his first marathon - after learning to walk again.

Shane Reading thought his dreams of running a marathon were gone forever after a hit-and-run accident left him with two broken legs.

Shane (40), from Watersheddings, spent weeks in hospital in 2000 undergoing a gruelling recovery after metal plates, bars and screws were used to repair his shattered legs.

“There were moments when I thought I might never walk again. I’d always wanted to run a marathon and I thought my chance was gone,” he said.

“I spent time in a wheelchair, put on four stone in weight and became depressed.

“It has been very hard to come to terms with the fact that the driver didn’t stop and that they have never been caught. It was very difficult to deal with, but time is a great healer.”

Shane was determined to get back on his feet and start running again as soon as he could.

After having the metal plates removed, Shane laced up his trainers and set off running again.

“I focused on my dream of running a marathon and pretty much turned my life around,” he said.

“It was tough at first as I wasn’t used to running with the extra weight, but I persevered. After a while I started to feel 100 times better, the depression lifted and the weight started to fall off.

“Running was my natural miracle cure.”

A member of Royton Road Runners, Shane finally achieved his dream when he ran the Greater Manchester Marathon earlier this month in three hours 18 minutes.

He added: “Finishing the marathon was such an emotional experience as there had been times when I had thought it would never be possible.”