Social run aids Rachel’s recovery

Rachel Le Borgne suffered a broken shoulder blade, thigh bone and ribs as well as damage to her knee and lungs.

But six months on she reached a significant milestone with her 50th Parkrun in Dewsbury’s Crow Nest Park, completing the 5km course in 38 minutes and 23 seconds.

Rachel said: “Doing my 50th run so much earlier than I thought and with such a big improvement in my time was amazing.

“It was two months since I had started to walk it again. Various people were helping me through, keeping an eye on my time and I had quite a few walking or jogging with me on the last lap to get me round.”

The 42-year-old had been cycling to work from her home in Princes Gate, Horbury, in July last year when she was knocked down.

“I do triathlons and had done my main race of the season just before the accident,” she said.

“I was in hospital for two weeks and I couldn’t really walk for 12 weeks.

“They said it would be a long time before I could run again. I thought it could be a year.”

A member of Dewsbury Road Runners and Wakefield Triathlon Club, Rachel helped set up the Dewsbury event as part of the national Parkrun movement.

And she said support from others taking part in the free weekly 5km run had spurred her on.

“Parkrun has played a huge part in my recovery,” she said.

“I’ve had a lot of physio and an exercise programme to follow, but it’s Parkrun that has kept me going psychologically.

“It was concrete proof of the progress I was making every week.”

Once Rachel was able to move around a little, she returned to the event in a wheelchair – and later a deckchair – as a volunteer timekeeper.

She said: “The thing I missed the most was the social side, and this was a way of still being involved.”

Rachel decided to try walking part of the route in November and went on to complete the course for the first time since the crash.

Other runners waited at the finish line to cheer her on.

“It took me an hour and one minute – I used to do it in 24 minutes,” she said.

“I didn’t think I would be able to finish so just doing it was amazing.”

Parkrun takes place at the park in Heckmondwike Road every Saturday at 9am. It is free, but runners must register online at www.parkrun.org.uk.