Postie completed 13 miles in half marathon with broken leg

[TrueBlueTerrier]

Runner completed 13 miles in Birmingham half marathon with broken leg <<< Original Headline

http://www.birminghammail.net/news/top- ... -22157360/

A RUNNER in Birmingham’s first ever half marathon today told how he almost finished the race – without realising he had a broken leg.

Postman Rob Deamer, who celebrated his 42nd birthday two days before last Sunday’s event, was forced to pull up just 50 yards from the tape in sheer agony after completing more than 13 miles dressed as a convict. It was only when he was X-rayed at City Hospital that he discovered that he had been running with a broken thigh bone.

The Royal Mail van driver, who now has had a metal plate inserted in his left leg, said: “I must have fractured it earlier in the race without knowing it.

“I had a twinge for about a week before and just thought it was a slight groin strain, but it got progressively worse as the race progressed.

“When I got to 11 miles I think something must have happened because it almost stopped me running. I slowed down to a hobble and had to put all my weight onto my right leg.

“I didn’t realise I had a broken leg, I just thought I had badly strained my groin.

“People were encouraging me to carry on saying ‘you can do this’, so I went on for another two miles like that.”

But within yards of the finishing line, the agony was so great Rob was forced to stop.

“When I got to within about 50 yards from the end my vision went and I felt as though I was going to pass out,” he said.

“There were quite a lot of people along the route and a couple of guys came out from one of the pubs on Broad Street and offered to carry me across the line. But the pain had changed from bearable to unbearable and I couldn’t even stand anymore.

“What made it worse was that I was dressed as a convict, so it would have been very comical when they put me into the ambulance and took me into casualty at the hospital.”

Rob, who lives in Yardley Wood with wife Karen and son Alex, who will be 15 on Monday, was told by hospital staff he had suffered a stress fracture.

“I must have been weakening it over the four or five years that I’ve been running and then fractured it earlier in the race on Sunday,” he added.

“The hospital said it’s an injury for a 60 to 70-year-old so they were quite worried it might have been something else, like brittle bone disease.”

Rob will have to wait six weeks for the bone to heal before he can return to work at Royal Mail in Shirley – but has been told he can resume running next year.

“My wife emailed the organisers and said she felt I deserved a medal even though I hadn’t crossed the line. They have agreed with her and are going to send me one,” he said.

“Everyone from the race organisers to the paramedics, and the hospital staff to my family, have been brilliant.”

More than 7,000 runners completed the inaugural half marathon which was watched by around 50,000 spectators.

[DGP1]

If he could manage to run a half marathon with a broken leg then he could do at least 1 1/2 deliveries , these slackers just a good firm talking to

[pickaname]

Break a leg...

sorry

[baldrick]

If he could manage to run a half marathon with a broken leg then he could do at least 1 1/2 deliveries

His manager will probably be expecting him to resume immediately, and he'll get a Stage if he's been off work.