A Nottinghamshire man who broke both legs in a road accident three years ago is getting ready to run the 2004 London Marathon.
At one point doctors considered amputation
Austin Rathe, 21, from Kirkby in Ashfield, was hit by a car in Mansfield in March 2001.
He could not walk for three months and at one point doctors considered amputating one of his legs.
Mr Rathe now plans to run the marathon in April to raise funds for the hospital where he was treated.
He said: "Having two working legs is something you do take for granted.
"And when you haven't got them for that period of time you do realise how important they are and you really should look after them.
"When I was lying in hospital I always said that I'd run a marathon one day, when I'd proved to myself I was fine again."
Orthopaedic surgeon Peter Livesley said: "Not only was the bone broken, it was in pieces and the skin was broken as well.
"That's about as serious as you get before losing the limb."
Mr Rathe, a company director who works in Nottingham, will run the marathon to raise money for the Kingsmill Hospital and a charity called the Enabling Partnership.
He is aiming to raise £1,200 and has raised about £700 so far.
"I could raise money for the rest of my life and not put back what I've received, but you do what you can."
So will he be running another marathon after the London event?
"I don't think my girflfriend will let me. The amount of training you have to do is phenomenal."