Newark man who was told he’d never walk again completes London Marathon and raises funds for brain injury charity Headway

A man who was told he would never walk again as a child defied the odds in style - going through sweat and tears to complete his first marathon.

Adam Savage, from Newark, recently completed the London Marathon in five hours and 58 minutes — an incredible achievement after an incredible personal journey that began with an horrific childhood incident.

When he aged just 11 a car hit him at 90mph while he was on his bike, leaving him in a coma for six weeks and his parents were told to expect the worse.

When he woke from my coma he had to relearn everything — and was told by the doctors that he would not walk again.

But, after a year in a wheelchair, he defied all the odds and managed to walk again.

“I proved all the doctors wrong and started walking again, a consultant once said to me that people who have been through what you have been through in life achieve more because they push themselves harder to achieve,” he said.

He has become a personal trainer to help others achieve their goals and started running three years ago to train a client for the Newark Half Marathon.

“I realised that running gave me such a buzz because I feel that I am proving people wrong who said I wouldn't walk again,” added Adam.

He has run four half-marathons and three 10K runs over the last three years before he completed one of his life ambitions — the London Marathon.

Adam’s father also flew from his home in Spain to surprise him at the marathon and support him throughout the long day.

His cousin Ellie, who lives in London, went to Newark to visit her family but surprised Adam during the marathon.

Adam said: “She was screaming my name and I didn’t realise until the last moment because thousands of people had already been screaming my name.

“I was crying my eyes out when I ended and I rang my wife Katie to tell her I had done it. Then I rang my mum who was in tears because she was at home watching it on the television.

“My dad said he was proud of me and he never says that.

“Both my parents were crying their eyes out because they couldn't believe I had done it. Even the headway staff at Marathon started crying as I ran past the offices in London.”

Despite being in a lot of pain past the halfway point, Adam said he didn’t stop or slow down, instead, he just kept moving until he reached the finishing line.

He added: “Once I got past the halfway point I was in a lot of pain. My arms were rubbing on my vest, my underarms were bleeding and I didn’t notice until the end that I had friction burns on both sides and I only noticed I was covered in blood at the end.

“But seeing everywhere lined with people, the bands, people chanting your name was amazing.”

He raised more than £1,300 for Headway, the brain injury association that supported him throughout his recovery years ago and is present in his life every month.

Adam is still fundraising money through his JustGiving page until May 10.

With his first marathon completed, the buzz has inspired Adam to take part in next year’s London Marathon too.