Edinburgh man bounces back from double hip break to complete New York Marathon and defy surgeon's warning

Mark Baxter, 33, from Portobello had to undergo major surgery after suffering the injury while taking part in the London Marathon in April this year and was in hospital for two weeks.

His surgeon told him he would never run another marathon, but Mark defied the odds to complete the endurance race in the Big Apple on November 3 in around four hours, just two months after discarding his crutches and being able to fully run again.

Edinburgh running coach Mark Baxter from Portobello defied the odds to complete the New York Marathon just six months after suffering a double hip break at the London Marathon. | Submitted

He said: “I defied all odds and completed one of the world’s most prestigious and difficult marathons in the world at the New York City Marathon. I felt euphoric crossing the finishing line, it was an overwhelming feeling.

“I suppose I got an instant replay in my head of all the emotions I had felt over the past six months. It was a rush. It was a mixture of joy, excitement and adrenalin. And just a real pride in what I had achieved.

“I was in hospital for two weeks and got out in mid-May. Prior to getting out I was doing very gradual recovery with a small zimmer frame. They also did tests with two crutches to see if I could leave hospital.

“I stayed on the crutches until around June and then I went onto one crutch for a couple of weeks before I was walking unaided. The final x-ray was at the end of August, and that was when the surgeon gave me the green light and said I had made a miraculous recovery.

“That only gave me two months of marathon training for New York. I could only do 10km runs at the most, so I had to be patient, as I didn’t want to rush things and I was aware of the limits of my body.

“I dedicated every single day to my recovery journey post-operation. From eating right, to completing the exercises from my physio, to maintaining the correct mindset.

“This is a reminder to anyone that has faced or is facing the highest or hardest hurdles in life that they can and they will overcome them with the right support and mindset.”

Mark pictured running the New York Marathon on November 3, despite having just two months to prepare. | Submitted

Having had a long-held ambition to complete the ‘Big 6’ marathons - London, Berlin, Chicago, New York, Tokyo and Boston - Mark has previously run Berlin, Chicago and London, and after adding New York this month, he is now also looking to run the Sydney Marathon, which was added to the Abbott World Marathon Majors just this month.

He was attempting to run the London Marathon this year in under three hours to qualify to compete in the endurance race in Boston, and was was on track to do so when at mile 20, with six miles to go, his dream was shattered.

He said: “I suddenly experienced what can only be described as the most painful moment of my life. I was left heartbroken and in unbearable pain as the St Johns Ambulance medic team wheel-chaired me off the course.

“To qualify for Boston Marathon has been one of my dreams since becoming a runner as I aim to complete the Abbott World Marathon Majors ‘Big 6’‘, which is now the ‘Big 7’ with Abbott adding Sydney as a successful candidate after three years of trials.

“I have done four now, which means I get entry to a draw for Tokyo and Boston. It’s very limited, so if I don’t get in that way my aim is to do Sydney in 2025 to then qualify for Boston.”

Originally from Loanhead, Mark has been a fully qualified running coach for 10 years, running his own business called ‘On Your Marks Running Coaching’, currently coaching 45 clients.