Mobility made possible.
Marathon Success For Amputee Runners
Posted on 25 April 2017
The 2017 London Marathon has yet again filled us with inspiration and admiration for those thousands of people taking on 26.4 miles in aid of so many wonderful charities and causes. Here at Blatchford we are very lucky to know some of these super stars who have been raising funds for causes close to their hearts, with the additional challenge of having a lower limb amputation.
Chris Arthey
Chris, a dedicated runner and triathlete with many medals under his belt, decided to take on his first London Marathon since having his leg amputated in 2008 following a serious accident. Having run the race prior to the amputation, this was going to be quite a landmark run for Chris.
Chris faced a few hurdles during the run up to the marathon but despite these difficulties and with lots of support Chris was determined to succeed. “I’ve been told that nobody with an above-knee amputation has yet completed London Marathon. This is hard to believe, but I’m happy to become the first if that’s the case! I’ve run London four times before, but not in this configuration”.
At the end of January I was about to give up on the idea because of skin graft damage. The skin reliever provided by my Blatchford prosthetist was a game-changer, I really am thankful to Blatchford for the prosthetics services. I got it done in 4h50m with no stops or walking – but it was tough between miles 16 and 22!”
Chris, who wears an Orion3 Microprocessor knee and EchelonVT foot for his day to day living was running to raise money for Leonard Cheshire Disability. You can read more about Chris’ extraordinary story here.
Click here to visit Chris’ Virgin Money page
Chris and Natasha Luckhurst
Father and Daughter team Chris and Natasha started running together in March 2016 with the goal of completing the London Marathon for their chosen charity Make a Wish, and that is exactly what they did! It wasn’t an easy run for them, a fall at mile 12 left Chris in quite a lot of pain but he persevered and made it across the line in just less than 5.5 hours!
Following a life-changing accident in 2009, Chris Luckhurst was left with two spinal fractures and a shattered ankle. After numerous unsuccessful operations to repair his ankle, crutches and painkillers became Chris’s companions. In November 2014, Chris made the decision to have his leg amputated below the knee.
For Chris’s rehabilitation, he was first committed to the Lambert Community Centre and afterwards to Crystal Palace. During his rehabilitation process Chris said: “The level of support that I have been given from the team of Blatchford has been phenomenal”. Chris is now back at work in his former job as a builder and thanks to the Endolite Elite Blade, he can carry out his job without restrictions.
Prior to the accident, Chris was a keen runner and now eight years after his sudden accident, he is enjoying using the BladeXT; a blade designed especially for running. This prosthesis enables Chris to return to his old hobby of running and he hasn’t looked back since. Now with the London Marathon successfully completed we will be waiting to see what’s next for this impressive running duo…