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Nick Cook writes:

Not a very auspicious start to my 2009 racing calendar. My first event of the year was the Lakeside Canal Run, and I ended up in hospital! 

It was very different weather from last year – wet and windy rather than cold and frosty!! The route had changed too, apparently there had been a fatality on the road part of the course over Christmas, and the police had advised a change of route. This meant it was a bit shorter than last year and a lot flatter. 

I got to the Lakeside complex quite early and sat in the car for bit before going off and finding the loos. I then met Colin and Richard before going for a warm up jog. I felt a bit of a twinge in my right calf, but hoped it would go away with a bit of a run.

The 3rd Lakeside Canal Run  takes runners on the road through forested areas towards Pirbright, climbing gradually for the first couple of miles before dropping down to the 4 mile point where the Basingstoke Canal Tow Path is picked up. The run back along the canal is very attractive, passing several canal locks on the way. At the time of planning the long standing canal path diversion due to a bank slippage at Deepcut is still in place so the full distance remains at 8.2 miles.

Mark Cox and Peter Hanson were about too, and we met up at the start.  I started off running with Colin and after a while I started to feel my calf a bit more and was considering pulling out but didn’t really want too, so carried on. After a bit I began  not to notice it so much. There were a couple of bottlenecks quite early on, firstly where we went down onto the canal path and then when we went back onto the road by a really big puddle – some people just charged straight through the puddle.

At about 3 miles Colin upped the pace a bit, but I was starting to feel my calf again, so let him go. The 5 mile marker was where I came a cropper. My glasses were steaming up and I waited until I reached the marker which was attached to a bridge before looking at my watch.

Suddenly, CRUNCH…my head hit the curved part of the bridge where I had strayed too close to it. My glasses went flying into the canal and as I saw them starting to sink into the depths I dropped to knees and managed to grab them before they disappeared.

I got back up quickly and was ready to carry on when I became aware of blood gushing out of my head. I staggered back to the side of the bridge where one of the event cameramen was standing and asked him to phone for a marshal.

He didn’t have any event phone numbers, so phoned 999.
He passed me his cloth which was keeping his telephoto lens from getting wet, which I used to try to stem the blood which was pouring down my front. A spectator on the bridge flagged down the ambulance which arrived quickly and I was whisked away to Frimley Park hospital.

I was dealt with very quickly at the hospital as they didn’t want me bleeding all over their waiting and triage rooms and I was then able to phone my wife to come and pick me. The nurses said I wouldn’t be able to drive again that day. I now have a four inch gash on my head with eight large stitches in it, and I can hardly walk ‘cos my calf really hurts now! I shall have to get some physio on it before the Wokingham Half in two weeks time.