A Day in the Life – Part 2 by Mick Ellsmore

Some 37 years ago I wrote an article for the Club Magazine entitled A Day in the Life. This was a bit of plagiarism from a song on The Beatles iconic Sergeant Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band album. The song included the lyrics: ‘woke up, fell out of bed, dragged a comb across my head’. At the time this embodied my approach to the 1989 Maidstone Marathon. I just had a vasectomy and was advised to take it easy for a bit. Like most runners this meant going off to do something like the Maidstone Marathon. It was the County Championships and I was in good shape having run 2 hours 30 minutes 36 seconds in the London Marathon. I started more cautiously than usual given the recent procedure, lying in ninth position at halfway. I moved through to 4th at 21 miles and could see the leading bunch of three, 30 seconds up the road. Then life suddenly changed. I felt a bump then a second bump and then a third. I found myself on the road – the brain telling me to get up but my right leg refusing to respond. The shin bone was protruding out of the leg and blood was pumping out. I shouted for help and a bystander quickly provided some comfort along with a blanket from a nearby pub. I had been hit by a car, a big old Austin maxi for those of a certain age. An ambulance was quickly summoned and off I went to Maidstone hospital with three compound fractures of the right leg. My own car was in Moat Park with the ignition keys hidden behind a wheel hub. My wife, Rikki, had to hastily sort out a 5 year old and an 8 year old and get herself down to Maidstone to pick up the pieces. After the initial operation on the day of the accident, I got an infection in the wound which meant a prolonged stay of 3 ½ weeks in hospital. I left there with a six inch plate and seven screws in the leg. I managed a reasonable cross country season with the metal in the leg!  

Why has all this come back to me now? I can remember the accident as if it was yesterday. The leg was well fixed at the time but I never got full movement back in the knee. Over the past two years, the knee became less flexible and increasingly painful. Park runs were completed with the aid of two ibuprofen just before the off.  

It was time to do something. So A Day in the Life – Part 2 was born. A consultation with a knee specialist confirmed that a replacement knee was necessary. At the start of our discussion he asked about my lifestyle and I told him about the Maidstone marathon incident- not being entirely sure how relevant it was. He said it was very relevant, the knee did not look straight, and there was no cartilage left. After the operation, the surgeon told me that the old knee was 15° out of alignment. This resulted from getting hit by the car all those years ago. He couldn’t understand how I was able to run on this knee- I was running bone on bone. I know readers will understand my response … ….’ it’s because I’m a runner’…. (btw I am advised that my left knee is that of a 50 year old! )  

I had the operation last week 18th of August, and I’m now in recovery mode. I’m doing a bit of walking on 2 crutches each day and loads of specific knee exercises. It’s been an interesting journey since I lost out to an Austin Maxi on the 4th of June 1989 in the Maidstone Marathon. 

Well what of my future running prospects? The surgeon isn’t keen but then 37 years ago I was advised to take up chess instead of running. I was never any good at chess but I did get back to a 2 hours 34 minutes marathon . I’ll leave you to decide what I might do. 

Mick Ellsmore - then and now