A marathon recovery that led Rae to Rio
Derek Rae’s life flashed in front of his eyes and then it went completely dark.
A motorbike ride home from work in the summer of 2010 took him out of St Andrews but then propelled him into the path of an articulated truck.
The Fifer was taken by air ambulance to Dundee in a race to save his life. Six days in intensive care followed. Then two years to get him on a path towards some degree of normality.
But today he’ll step out into the sunshine of Rio and soak up the view – grateful for the second chance and for the new direction the accident took him in when he lines up in the Paralympic marathon.
In his darkest days, Rae – now 31 – feared he’d never crawl 26 metres never mind run 26 miles.
He said: “I had to start from scratch. I couldn’t walk or really do anything for myself. Even talking was a struggle.
“I don’t remember how life used to be. I remember lying in my hospital bed, talking to my girlfriend, who’s now my wife, and it was a goal then to get back and do a five-mile run.
“If someone had said I’d be going to the Paralympics, I’d never have believed it.”
He lost most of the function in his right arm in the crash and Derek said: “I had to learn how to write again.
“It wasn’t fun for me but it was even less so for the people trying to read my writing.
“Even learning to shave or brush your teeth were a challenge, switching hands. But it could have been a lot worse.”
Originally, he took up running again so he could be fit enough to have a kickabout with his mates. A member of the Anster Haddies running club, he suddenly found that pounding the pavements set his pulse racing in a way they’d never done before.
The bug bit hard. He now runs in a sling. But his personal best of two hours and 37 minutes, set when coming 12th at the London Marathon, means he’ll be out to give his T46 rivals a run for their money.
Rae said: “A lot of the guys I ran against in London will be there but I’ll focus on my own race.
“Looking to medal or get a certain position just adds unnecessary pressure.”
There will be one special fan cheering him along, with wife Susan jetting out to see him complete the incredibly journey from A&E to ParalympicsGB.
And he said: “Susan’s been through this every step of the way – the highs and lows – so she’ll get to share the experience.”