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photo: Courtesy of Marathonfoto

For John Sandford Hart, it is the cheering crowds who line the 26.2 miles of the London Marathon course which make the day itself and the grueling challenge all worthwhile. “I’m always floored by the amount of support I seem to get on my way round. It’s like a Mexican wave from start to finish.” John’s surprise is not the only remarkable thing about this 42-year old from Hampshire. The 2008 London Marathon was the third of a projected 10 races he has now completed on crutches, raising thousands of pounds for charity, since his right leg was severed at the knee in a high speed power boat accident in 2002. “In some ways, I was lucky,” John explained. “The paramedics attending the event were amazing. They had me en route to hospital – accompanied by my leg - within 10 minutes of the accident. If it hadn’t been so fast, they wouldn’t have been able to save my leg.” John’s severed limb was re-attached in emergency surgery but he has since undergone several more complex operations to correct and reinforce the knee joint. He is due to go back under the knife next month to realign some nuts and bolts which, he explains quite matter-of-factly, appear to have worked themselves adrift.

John, who is the only person to run the marathon using crutches, wears a DonJoy’s Next Step Contour Air Walker and a custom made Defiance III knee brace. “Despite the appalling weather this year, I managed a time of 6 hours and 47 minutes. Quite simply, without the combination of DonJoy’s Air Walker and their sturdy Defiance knee brace, plus my trusty back-up, Nigel Jefferson, I just wouldn’t get round.” John raises funds for the Philip Green Memorial Trust (PGMT) a charity which helps sick and disabled children all over the UK and overseas. He became involved via William Ward, the Chief Executive of Clipper Ventures, who also runs the Zapcat programme. “William was an incredible support after my accident and when he said he was running the Marathon for the PGMT, I said I would join him, even though I was still in a wheelchair at the time. I’m not one to shirk a challenge! PGMT is a relatively small charity which makes a real difference to kids who have real problems,” explained John, who has two children, Emma, 12, and Max, 4, of his own.

Last year, John faced down his memories and returned to compete in Zapcats for the first time since his accident but his latest passion is his Volvo 850 T5 which he races around the country with fellow British Touring Car enthusiasts. “My wife Alison and the doctors would probably prefer it if I slowed down a bit. But I just can’t see myself ever doing so. In fact, because of my accident, I am probably even more determined to live life to the full.”

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