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Derek

@dexrunning

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🏃‍♂️ Broke my hip at mile 22 of the Edinburgh Marathon… and still finished. Documenting every step back to running. 🎥💪
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Turns out I completed the 2026 Edinburgh Marathon on a broken hip! Sorry for disappearing for a while. I’ve needed time to adjust to my new reality, and it’s taken a lot of courage to post this. Here’s what happened… On race day I was running really well up to mile 22. My fuelling was spot on, hydration was perfect, and I was coping well with both the blistering heat and the headwind on the return stretch. Somewhere between miles 20 and 22, I jarred my leg trying to avoid a discarded water bottle. Shortly afterwards, pain started in my hip. At first it felt like a strain, so I carried on running for another couple of miles as the pain increased. But it kept getting worse. Eventually I couldn’t run anymore, so I walked the next two miles. At that point I called my wife to say I’d be late, but I was still going to finish. Not once did it cross my mind that I wouldn’t. That simply wasn’t an option. By mile 26 I couldn’t even walk. I used the barriers for support, pushing off and limping a few steps at a time. Then something incredible happened. A hero appeared on my left and helped support me. Then another on my right. Before I knew it, I was being half-carried towards the finish line—limping, screaming, laughing and crying all at once. But I crossed that finish line. Straight into a wheelchair. Still convinced it was just a bad sprain, I was wheeled through to collect my medal and t-shirt (very important!). With help from my amazing family, I somehow made it into the car. I couldn’t walk or bear weight, but it wasn’t until the next day that I became concerned enough to call 111. They told me to get to A&E immediately. Not long later I heard the words I’ll never forget: “You’ve broken your hip.” Not a stress fracture—a complete break to the neck of my left femur. The fracture was completed during the marathon but may have started as a stress fracture some time ago, possibly linked to medication I’ve been taking for reactive arthritis. I was admitted immediately, operated on the next day, and the day after surgery I was home beginning what will be a long recovery. But a new story begins NOW. Chapter 1: The Road to by @dexrunning
22
4 months ago
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Where to start? If you’ve noticed I’ve been AWOL, apologies for the silence. I’ve had time away from socials to concentrate on me and my healing. It’s been tough staying focussed and keeping the momentum going but it’s paid off big time and I can finally say I’m healed. My fitness and muscle strength are still a looooong way off but that’s just going to take time. I’ve religiously stuck to all my physio exercises and worked my cardio on the exercise bike. I’ve put on a bit of muscle too thanks to some additional workouts to keep my mind occupied. I’ve been open and honest with myself and family about how I’m feeling and where I’m at in my head. That’s been the biggest challenge of all but I’ve kept my goals in mind and stayed focussed throughout. I have a final diagnosis of what possibly happened and have had an infusion to help - will share the whole story on another day. I’m happily back at work but still rehabbing back to normal - no way I could walk 8-10 miles with a heavy bag or get in and out a van over 100 times just yet😅 Now here I am! My first run since the marathon that started it all. I only ran for a total of 5 minutes - 1 minute running with 2 minutes recovery between. I say “only 5 minutes” but those were amazing minutes. There was no pain, no breathlessness, my heart rate stayed in recovery and I just felt amazing. I’ll post more at the weekend once I’m sure my body had coped with this run. Thank you all for your support throughout - amazing! 🤩 #strava #brokenhip #recovery #ididathing #running by @dexrunning
0
9 hours ago
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On Thursday this week I went to see my orthopaedic surgeon for a check up on my progress. I went with the hope of being told I was healing well, but with the realistic expectation that it was still going to be a while before I was all good. So to be told that the break was completed healed and I wouldn’t need to go back to him was completely out of the blue and staggering to say the least! I was glad I was sitting down 🤣 The surgeon was pretty surprised that it was healed too but I did everything I was told at the beginning - no weight bearing for the first 6 weeks, do all your physio, rest as much as you can, eat healthy etc etc etc! Bloody paid off, didn’t it? I obviously then asked him about running again! “3 months is the earliest for starting but I see no reason why you can’t, as long as you take it easy and stop whenever it gets sore” 😍😍😍 I’ll obviously take it easy, eh? 🙈 Now that that chapter has finally ended (13 weeks of it) I can now start a new chapter - the slow journey back to running… #runner #roadtorecovery #brokenhip #soundmindsoundbody by @dexrunning
4
2 months ago
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Wow! 3 months of healing and rehab have finally gone by and now I’m back to work. Light duties only - but I still can’t help trying to do a little more every day. Improvement doesn’t come from sitting still 💪🏻 Big news coming Sunday. I need a bit of time to let it sink in, apologies for the wait… #DexRunning #recoveryjourney #backtowork #runningrecovery #roadtorecovery by @dexrunning
0
2 months ago
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So incredibly proud of my brother today! 💪🏻 He ran the Scottish Half Marathon and absolutely smashed it. What an achievement! 🏃‍♂️👏 I was there to cheer him on, although I have to admit it was a little emotional being there knowing that this was the race I should have been running too. I even had my bib for it before my accident changed everything. But today wasn’t about what I couldn’t do. It was about watching my brother achieve something brilliant, and I wouldn’t have missed it for the world. Huge congratulations bro. You should be so proud of yourself! ☺️ And one day, hopefully, we’ll be standing at a start line together. 🏃‍♂️💛 #scottishhalfmarathon #bro #recovery #brokenhip by @dexrunning
1
2 months ago
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Recovery isn’t always easy and sometimes I just want to hide away for a wee while - just like the sun did this evening. But, just like that sun, imma come back stronger 💪🏻😎 #recovery #eclipse #hipsurgeryrecovery by @dexrunning
1
2 months ago
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This arrived in the post yesterday. And I wasn’t prepared for how much it would hurt. 💛 My bib for the 2026 Scottish Half Marathon. I entered this race before the Edinburgh Marathon. Before I broke my hip. Before everything changed. Last year I stood proudly in front of that backdrop, celebrating finishing this race. Next Sunday, I was supposed to be standing on the start line again. Instead, I’ll be watching from the sidelines. And I’ll be honest… opening this envelope broke my heart. I cried. Because this isn’t just a race I won’t be running. It’s another reminder of the plans I had for this year, and how quickly everything changed. But then I read the words printed on the envelope: “It’s not the finish line that matters. It’s having the courage to start…” And suddenly, those words meant something completely different to me. Because right now, I’m learning how to start again. A few weeks ago, I was learning how to walk. This week, I walked a mile. It’s not the 13.1 miles I thought I’d be running next Sunday. But it’s my mile. And I’m incredibly proud of it. The Scottish Half Marathon will be there next year. I’m not finished. I’m just starting again. 💛 #runner #scottishhalfmarathon #halfmarathon #recovery #startagain @scottishhalfmarathon by @dexrunning
2
2 months ago
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One mile. It might not sound like much, but for me, this is huge. 💛 At the end of May, I finished the Edinburgh Marathon on a broken hip. Since then, my world has been very different. For weeks, walking a few steps was an achievement. Then it became walking to the end of the street. Then half a mile. Slowly, painfully and sometimes frustratingly, the distance has started to grow. And today… I walked one whole mile. 🥹 No crutches. No stopping. Just me, walking further than I have since the day everything changed. I know I’ve still got a long road ahead of me, but today I’m going to allow myself to celebrate this one. One mile down. Here’s to many, many more. 💛💪 #runner #strava #roadtorecovery #walkingagain #brokenhip by @dexrunning
1
2 months ago
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I’m taking a moment to reflect back on my journey. I’m hoping to reach the big milestone this week - walking unaided for a full mile! Three months ago I was standing on a marathon start line. I never imagined the journey that was about to begin. Some moments have been incredibly difficult. Others have reminded me just how resilient we can be. Looking back at these photos, I realise recovery isn’t one big moment. It’s hundreds of tiny moments that slowly change everything. I’m not where I want to be yet… But I’m a long way from where I started 💛 #running #walking #recovery #brokenhip by @dexrunning
9
2 months ago
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I’ve not had a great few days. Pain cut my last walk short, and the next day I stupidly thought it’d be a good idea to use the carpet cleaner on the sofas. 🤦‍♂️ Bad idea. Those two things together put me out of action for a couple of days. The negative thoughts crept in… “I’ll never walk a decent distance again.” “I’m never going to be able to run again.” “Is all this effort really worth it?” I’d watch people out running and feel a burning envy that they could do it effortlessly while I got out of breath and frustrated just walking to the bottom of the street. But today I gave myself a stern talking to. I headed out for a slow, slow walk with my crutch in tow, just in case. Thankfully, I didn’t need it. No concerning pain. Just a niggle and a few aching muscles. 🥳 This afternoon I tackled my physio exercises for the first time in three days and even talked myself into an upper-body workout too. I won’t lie… it felt amazing. (A little sore now though! 🤣) Fresh air really does wonders for the mind. Today reminded me that recovery isn’t a straight line. There will be setbacks, there will be doubts, but the important thing is to keep moving forward. One step at a time. One walk at a time. One day closer to running again. Keep going! 💛 #runner #roadtorecovery #soundmindsoundbody #brokenhip #marathon by @dexrunning
3
2 months ago
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I was gifted this little guy by my daughter a while back. (I love plants and can never have enough 😂) He lives in my greenhouse and every time I’m out there pottering I always read it and it gives me a little boost. 💪🏻 Now, more than ever, I need little reminders like this to tell me to keep going, you’ve got this! #staystrong #youvegotthis #running #brokenhip #backtorunning by @dexrunning
2
3 months ago
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I set out today hoping to walk almost half a mile... My body had other ideas. Recovery isn’t always about pushing harder. Sometimes the bravest decision is turning back, resting and trying again tomorrow. Every step - good or bad - is part of my journey back to running. Thanks for following my recovery after breaking my hip during the Edinburgh Marathon. Follow my journey back to running #RecoveryJourney #HipRecovery #Running #Marathon #RoadToRecovery by @dexrunning
0
3 months ago
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